Change How Applications and Plug-ins Work in Firefox

Unlike web browsers from years ago, a number of applications and plug-ins work with the Firefox web browser to make your online experience richer and more enjoyable. However, not all of these applications and plug-ins work the way people want them to. Learn how to change the way applications and plug-ins you have installed on your computer work with Firefox.

The best way to answer this question is with an example. When you browse the web, you will undoubtedly come across and want to view PDF files made with Adobe Acrobat. Adobe Reader is a free application that comes with a plug-in for Firefox that lets you view such documents.

However, Firefox can do up to four actions when you click on a PDF document. The default action is to open the Adobe Reader application and display the document. Another option is to use the Adobe Reader plug-in to open up and view the document right from within the browser. A third option is to force Firefox to ask you what to do and the fourth option is to automatically save the document to your desired location.

As you can see, there are many options available for how Firefox interacts and uses third-party applications. Below is a set of instructions to show you how to change the way Firefox uses such applications and plug-ins.

To begin, open up the Firefox web browser and click on Tools>Options. This displays the Options window in Firefox.

Depending on the last tab you viewed in this window, you may or may not be looking at the correct tab. Whatever tab is currently active, click on the tab labeled Applications.

Here you will see a listing of Content Type on the left and a corresponding list of Actions on the right. This is where you tell Firefox how to use files and view the different applications and plug-ins with which they are associated. Scroll down until you see a Content Type titled Adobe Acrobat Document. Click on it and then click on the Down Arrow next to its Action type.

Here you’ll notice five options:

Always Ask – If you choose this option, Firefox will ask you which action to take when you try to open a PDF file from the web. Use this option if you sometimes want to save the file to your computer and you sometimes want to view the document immediately.

Save File – Use this option if you want to save PDF documents to your computer without viewing them first.

Use Adobe Reader (default) – Use this option if you prefer that the Adobe Reader application opens when you view a PDF document.

Use Adobe Acrobat (in Firefox) – Use this option if you want Firefox to use the Adobe plug-in to display PDF documents in the browser itself.

You likely have many types of files listed on the Applications tab including sound files, images, videos, and others. Note that depending on the type of content, the options under the Action column change to display only those options allowable by Firefox for that file type.

For example, if you look at the Actions available for a Windows Media Audio File, you have the options to Always Ask, Save File, Use Windows Media Player (default), or Use Microsoft Windows Media Player Firefox Plug-in (in Firefox).

Play around with the different Content Types and Actions and you can change how applications and plug-ins work in Firefox to match your particular tastes and web browsing needs.

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Tags: applications, Change, firefox, plugins

Category: Computer Tips