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Why do 5 instances of Firefox open when I open firefox? Is that normal?

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  • 1 has this problem
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  • Last reply by cor-el

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I noticed this problem when I was trying to determine why Firefox was so slow to startup as well as navigate. I noticed that when I open Firefox, at least 5 instances of Firefox are opened. I noticed this was happening by checking what programs are open in Microsoft Task Manager, and saw five Firefox icons in the list of open programs in Task Manager.

I suspect this has something to do with why Firefox is operating so sluggishly.

I noticed this problem when I was trying to determine why Firefox was so slow to startup as well as navigate. I noticed that when I open Firefox, at least 5 instances of Firefox are opened. I noticed this was happening by checking what programs are open in Microsoft Task Manager, and saw five Firefox icons in the list of open programs in Task Manager. I suspect this has something to do with why Firefox is operating so sluggishly.

All Replies (4)

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What you are seeing are 5 diffeern't processes. This is part of Firefox's multi-process feature, which splits Firefox into multiple processes so it's more stable and more secure.

You can do a few things to speed up Firefox:

I'd also suggest updating to Windows 10 (you can often do so for free) and uninstall all anti-virus from your computer and just use Windows Defender

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Thanks. I'll try those suggestions but I can't upgrade to Windows 10 because of compatibility issues it would cause with other programs I need to use on my computer.

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Separate Security Issue, please update your Flash 28.0 r0 by removing it with this tool : https://helpx.adobe.com/flash-player/kb/uninstall-flash-player-windows.html If you use it Reinstall with Flash Player Version: 30.0.0.134 Current Version https://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/otherversions/ Step 1: Select Operating System Step 2: Select A Version (Firefox, . . . .) Note: Other software is offered in the download. <Windows Only>

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You can try to limit the number of content processes to 1 to see if that improves things.