A theme is a type of Firefox add-on which changes the visual appearance of Firefox. This article describes how to install, use, and manage themes in Firefox.

Table Of Contents

• What are themes?
• How to install themes
• Full themes
• Personas
• Managing themes and personas
• How to switch themes
• How to switch Personas (Firefox 3.0 and 3.5)
• How to remove themes and personas
• How to update themes
• Troubleshooting

What are themes?

A theme changes how Firefox looks. A theme could simply change the toolbar's background colors, change how buttons look, or make Firefox look like a completely different program.

There are two types of themes available for Firefox:

• Full themes - more customizable than personas, but larger to download.
  
  
  
  
• Personas - lightweight themes that can change the color scheme and background image of the Firefox toolbars.
  
  

How to install themes

Full themes

1. Go to Themes at Addons.Mozilla.org.
2. Browse the themes in the list. When you see one you want to install, click on it to see its theme page.
3. Click on the Add to Firefox button. The Software Installation window will appear.
4. When the Install Now button becomes available, click on it.
5. Click Restart Firefox when prompted. Firefox will restart and your new theme will be installed.

You can install multiple themes and switch between them - see How to switch themes below for instructions.

Personas

First, install the Personas extension (Personas is built in to Firefox 3.6, so if you are using Firefox 3.6, skip to the Once Personas is installed section.)

1. Go to Personas at Addons.Mozilla.org.
2. Click on the Add to Firefox button. The Software Installation window will appear.
3. When the Install Now button becomes available, click on it.
4. Click Restart Firefox when prompted. Firefox will restart and the Personas extension will be installed.

Once Personas is installed:

1. Go to the Personas Gallery.
2. Move the mouse pointer over one of the themes to preview it.
3. When you see a theme you like, click on it to see its theme page.
4. Click Wear this Persona to install the new theme.

After you click Wear this Persona, the Notification bar will appear to alert you that a new theme was installed.

Managing themes and personas

How to switch themes

After you have installed a new theme:

1. At the top of the Firefox windowOn the menu bar, click Tools and then select Add-ons. The Add-ons window will appear.
2. Select the Themes panel.
3. Select a theme in the list.
4. Click the Use Theme button.
   
   
   
5. Click Restart Firefox when prompted. Firefox will restart with your selected theme.

How to switch Personas (Firefox 3.0 and 3.5)

After you have installed the Personas extension:

1. At the top of the Firefox windowOn the menu bar, click Tools and then select Personas. The Personas menu will expand.
2. In the Personas menu, click Default to switch back to the default Firefox theme. Return to the Personas Gallery to find a new theme.

How to remove themes and personas

• Firefox 3.6:
  • Use the Uninstall button in the Add-ons window's Themes panel to remove a theme. See Uninstalling add-ons for more information.
• Firefox 3.5 and 3.0:
  • To remove a Persona, simply switch to a different one - see How to switch Personas above.
  • To uninstall the Personas extension (and disable the use of Personas), see Uninstalling add-ons.
  • To remove a full theme, you can use the Uninstall button in the Add-ons window's Themes panel. See Uninstalling add-ons for more information.

How to update themes

1. At the top of the Firefox windowOn the menu bar, click Tools and then select Add-ons. The Add-ons window will appear.
2. Select the Themes panel.
3. Click the Find Updates button.
4. If there were updates found, the Updates panel will be selected.
5. Click Install Updates. The updates will be downloaded.
6. Click Restart Firefox to finish the updates. Firefox will restart and the selected themes will be updated.

Troubleshooting

• If you cannot install a theme, see Unable to install add-ons.
• If you have a problem with Firefox, it may be caused by your theme or your theme's interaction with other add-ons. For troubleshooting instructions, see Troubleshooting extensions and themes.