The Best Firefox Speed Tweaks

Firefox is a free, open source browser that has become a popular alternative to Microsoft’s Internet Explorer. Since Mozilla makes it easy to customize and tweak Firefox, lots of “how to” performance tips are circulating on the Internet. After testing some of the more popular Firefox performance tweaks, here are a few that really work.

The “about:config” window

Most Firefox speed tweaks are performed in the “about:config” window which lists advanced configuration and system settings for Firefox. Start Firefox, type “about:config” (without quotes) in the address bar, and then hit “Enter” to open the about:config page.

Play it safe

Speed tweaks and modifications can mess up Firefox if they are not performed correctly. Before making permanent changes to Firefox, write down the original settings so you can revert back to them if you break something.

Speed up page rendering time in Firefox

By default Firefox waits 250 milliseconds before rendering a web page. To decrease page rendering time to zero right-click anywhere in the about:config window, select “New” and then “Integer.” Name the integer “nglayout.initialpaint.delay” (remember to omit the quotes), enter a value of “0″ and then click “OK.”

Increase the number of page requests Firefox makes

Normally browsers make a single request for a web page. Enabling pipelining allows Firefox to make several requests at once, which dramatically speeds up page loading time (depending on the server).

• Type “pipelining” in the about:config filter search bar then locate “network.http.pipelining” in the results. Right click on the entry and then click “Toggle” to change the value to “True.”
• Now locate “network.http.proxy.pipelining” in the search results. Right click on the entry and then click “Toggle” to change its value to “True.”
• Next find “network.http.pipelining.maxrequests” in the search results. Right click on the entry and then select “Modify.” Change the value to “10″ and then click “OK.”

Increase the number of connections in Firefox

This setting controls the number of connections that Firefox is allowed to make at one time. Faster connections like cable or DSL typically require a higher value, while slower connections like dial-up require a lower value.

Type “max-connections” in the filter search bar. Find “network.http.max-connections” in the search results and right-click on the entry. Set the value to “40″ and then click “OK.” Experiment to find the best setting for your connection.

Cause Firefox to release system RAM

After Firefox has been minimized for a period of time it continues to hold system memory (RAM) that cannot be used by other programs or applications. This tweak will cause Firefox to only use around 10MB of RAM while it is minimized.

Right-click anywhere in the about:config window, select “New” and then “Boolean.” Name the entry “config.trim_on_minimize” and then set the value to “True.” If the entry already exists in your version of Firefox, right-click on the setting and click “Toggle” to change the value to “True.”

Clear the Firefox cache and increase privacy

If you are low on disk space you can set Firefox to automatically clear its cache after every session. Click on “Tools,” then “Options,” and then check “Always clear my private data when I close Firefox.” This tweak frees up disk space and keeps prying eyes from seeing your browsing history.

Restart Firefox

Restart Firefox to enable the changes. If you find some of the tweaks made things worse, reapply the original settings you wrote down before the tweaks were applied.

The Mozilla website lists more Firefox tweaks that you can experiment with. Keep in mind Internet connection speed, available physical and virtual memory, and especially browsing habits all play a role in the way any Internet browser performs.

About the Author

Kim Linton is a freelance writer who covers a wide variety of topics including Christianity, technology and industry trends. Her work has been featured on major news outlets including The Wall Street Journal and USA Today, and has been published on a variety of niche sites including Woman's Day and Intel.