Mozilla plans to add a new handy feature to future versions of the Firefox web browser that allows you to right-click on extension icons in the browser's toolbar to open the extension's page on about:addons.

Firefox extensions may display icons in the browser's main toolbar and users may remove these icons or move them instead if they prefer them to be available in a different location.

Firefox users who want to open the options of extensions can do so only if the extension allows it, e.g. when the extension options are opened on a left-click.

If that is not the case, it is required that users open about:addons and click on the options button next to the add-on they want to customize the extension.

Firefox: manage extensions

If you run a recent Nightly version of the Firefox web browser -- Firefox Nightly is the cutting edge development version of the browser -- you will see a new item when you right-click on extension icons in the Firefox interface.

The new item is called Manage Extension and it is listed at the top of the menu. The other menu items provide options to customize the display of the icon and to display other toolbars.

Manage Extension on the other hand opens the page of the extension on about:addons. You can reach the very same page directly by loading about:addons and clicking on the more link next to any extension listed on the page.

Note that some extensions displays options right on the page while others may display them on different pages instead and only when you click on the options button.

Closing Words

It is a small change and probably mostly useful to inexperienced users who may not know how an extension icon landed on the toolbar and how to manage it.

I'd very much like it if Mozilla would implement the options that Chrome displays in the context menu. Chrome lists options to remove the extension right from there and to open its options; I find both options particularly useful.

With Firefox, it takes two clicks and probably a bit of scrolling to disable or remove an extension.

Now you: What is your take on the feature?

Summary Article Name Right-click on extension icons to manage them in Firefox Description A look at an upcoming feature for the Firefox web browser that lets users manage extensions directly from the right-click menu. Author Martin Brinkmann Publisher Ghacks Technology News Logo

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