This article only applies to Firefox on Windows.
Note: Mozilla began to automatically switch users from 32-bit Firefox to 64-bit Firefox, starting with the update to Firefox version 56.0.1 on October 9, 2017. See How do I tell if I have the 32-bit or 64-bit Firefox? to find out if you already have 64-bit Firefox. To learn more, see this Mozilla blog post and this Mozilla Wiki.
The 64-bit version of Firefox can provide better performance than the 32-bit version. 64-bit Firefox requires a 64-bit version of Windows 7 or higher. To see if you have a 64-bit Windows version visit this Microsoft help page.
When you switch to the 64-bit version of Firefox, your Firefox user data (passwords, bookmarks, settings, add-ons, etc.) will not be removed.
Warning: Firefox creates dedicated profiles for each installation. See Recover user data missing after Firefox update if the new 64-bit installation of Firefox results in missing profile data. You may wish to uninstall your 32-bit Firefox version before installing 64-bit Firefox.
Follow these steps to switch from 32-bit to 64-bit Firefox:
- Go to this Mozilla Firefox download page and select the Windows 64-bit installer.
- Download the Firefox Setup file and save it to your computer.
- Do not run the installer yet.
- Close Firefox. Click the Firefox menu
and select .Click the Firefox menu at the top of the screen and select .Click the Firefox menu and select .
- Remove the 32-bit version of Firefox. Open the Windows menu and click on . Open the panel, then select the tab panel.
- Scroll down the list of appsprograms until you find the Mozilla Firefox item that contains x86 in the name. Select it, and click .
- Follow the prompts in the Uninstall Wizard to complete the removal of the 32-bit version.
- Run the Firefox Setup file you saved to your computer and follow the prompts to install the 64-bit version of Firefox.
