How to Fix Broken Incompatible Extensions in Mozilla Firefox and Make Them Compatible With Newer Versions?

Want to use your favorite extension in Firefox but its not compatible with the new version? Or Firefox has disabled your working extension after installing a security update? Then this tutorial will definitely help you and will make your life easier.

Many times a few extensions are disabled after updating Firefox or we can't install a new extension because its not compatible with our Firefox version. It happens because the developer didn't update the extension or the developer failed to code the extension compatibility version properly.

Anyway there are a few possible methods, which can be used to make any extension working in Firefox even if it was disabled because of the compatibility issues:

Using Nightly Tester Tools extension
Using Firefox built-in about:config tool

A. Using Nightly Tester Tools Extension:

Nightly Tester Tools is a great extension for Firefox which can help you in installing an incompatible extension or which can enable a disabled extension.

You can download it from following link:

Download Nightly Tester Tools

After installing this extension, restart your browser and after restarting goto "Tools -> Add-ons". Now select your disabled extension, right-click on it and select "Override Compatibility" as shown in following screenshot:

It'll confirm your action, click on "Force Install" button and you have done.

If you want to install a new incompatible extension, then just drag-n-drop the extension file into "Add-on" box and it'll show the same confirmation box:

Click on "Force Install" button.

NOTE: After installing Nightly Tester Tools, you may notice that Firefox titlebar text is changed and a build number is also shown along with the browser name:

If it annoys you, then you can disable it by clicking on "Tools -> Nightly Tester Tools -> Options":

Now disable "Use custom title" option or you can change it acc. to your choice.

B. Using Firefox built-in about:config Tool:

1. Type about:config in Firefox addressbar and press Enter. It'll confirm, click on I'll be careful, I promise! button.

2. Now right-click and select "New -> Boolean". Give it name extensions.checkCompatibility and set its value to false.

3. Again right-click and select "New -> Boolean". Give it name extensions.checkUpdateSecurity and set its value to false.

4. That's it. You have done. Restart your browser and now all disabled extensions will be enabled and you'll be able to install new incompatible extensions as well.

IMPORTANT: In Mozilla Firefox 3.6 and later, the above mentioned method no longer works. Actually the "extensions.checkCompatibility" preference has been replaced by a new preference "extensions.checkCompatibility.<version>" that also includes the application version number.

Here "<version>" represents alpha and beta build numbers. Its value is given by the first few characters of Firefox version matching the following pattern: <number>.<number><letter>.

For example:

For Firefox 3.6 -> extensions.checkCompatibility.3.6
For Firefox 3.7a1 -> extensions.checkCompatibility.3.7a
For Firefox 3.7a2 -> extensions.checkCompatibility.3.7a
For Firefox 3.7b1 -> extensions.checkCompatibility.3.7b
For Firefox 3.7b2 -> extensions.checkCompatibility.3.7b
and so on...

NOTE: You can also change value of extensions.lastAppVersion to the version no which is compatible with your favorite extension. After installing the extension, you can revert back the value. It'll not affect the installed extension.

BONUS TIP: There is another method to hack .rdf file of the extension and change the maxversion value to make the extension compatible. But its a complicated method and is not required or recommended when we have the above mentioned easy methods.

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This article was posted in Browsers, Mozilla Firefox, Troubleshooting.

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16 Comments

VG

^^ Try to run it in safe mode using its safe mode option from start menu and see whether you still face the same problem or not. It might be a problem of an extension.
Ben Pesso

Hey, any idea how to deauthorize extensions with NTT? I think I broke FF3.5 when I forced all extensions on it, but there's no "undo" button for "un-forcing" the extensions. :$
Oscar

when I installed the nightly tester..it cannot install after restart...my ff is 3.5.2, but it never happen on 3.5.1
Aqua

It worked! Thank you so much for this tutorial!
Ray Maruschak

extensions.checkCompatibility. -- what type of entry? Boolean? Integer? String?

If I put = 3.6 does that mean FF will check to see if addon is compatible with 3.6 and will block addon if it is not compatible with 3.6? So to make addon work with 3.6 I should put = 3.7?

I tried extensions.checkCompatibility.3.6 as string, but it didn't work to allow addons to work with 3.6.

You can also change value of extensions.lastAppVersion to the version no which is compatible with your favorite extension.

???
-- what type of entry? Boolean? Integer? String?
Addon don't work in 3.6. So what I set extensions.lastAppVersion to? 3.5? I don't understand how this is supposed to work to allow me to use addons that report "Not compatible with FF 3.6".
VG

^^ Please check the "IMPORTANT" section given in Method B. Firefox 3.6 uses a different Boolean value.