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To use an extension in Firefox for Android, open the three-dot menu, choose Add-ons or Extensions, select an Android-compatible extension, review its requested access, tap Add, and confirm. You can browse Mozilla’s Android catalog at addons.mozilla.org/android. After installation, the Extensions Manager lets you change settings, control private-browsing access, disable an extension, or remove it.

What Firefox extensions do on Android

Firefox extensions (also called add-ons) add functions to the mobile browser. The practical question is not whether an extension exists for desktop Firefox, but whether that particular extension is available for Firefox on Android. Mozilla’s Android catalog and the browser’s own manager show the options that can be used on a phone or tablet.

Availability is extension-specific. Some add-ons are not compatible with Firefox for Android, so a desktop listing is not proof that the mobile version can be installed. Check the Android catalog or the listing shown inside Firefox before planning to use an extension.

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Before you install an extension

Use a current Firefox for Android installation

The names and positions of menu items can change as Firefox for Android is updated. Mozilla’s installation instructions, updated May 28, 2024, use the labels Add-ons, Extensions, and, in some interfaces, Extensions Manager. If your screen uses a slightly different label, choose the entry that opens the browser’s extension manager rather than assuming the feature is missing.

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Confirm Android availability

Start with Mozilla’s Android add-ons catalog or the in-app list. An extension that you know from desktop Firefox may not appear in the Android list because it has not been made compatible with the mobile browser. Do not sideload a desktop package simply because its name is familiar; use the Android listing and the compatibility information presented there.

Decide whether private browsing support is needed

Newly installed extensions are disabled in private browsing by default. If you need an extension while using a private tab, you must enable that setting for the individual extension after installation. If you do not need it there, leaving the default off avoids giving the extension access in private sessions.

Install a Firefox extension from the Android browser

  1. Open Firefox for Android. Use the Firefox app on your Android phone or tablet and wait for the normal browser window to appear.
  2. Open the browser menu. Tap the three-dot menu. Depending on the release and device layout, this menu may be at the top or bottom of the screen.
  3. Open the extension area. Tap Add-ons or Extensions. In some versions, you may need to choose Extensions Manager at the end of the list.
  4. Browse the Android-compatible list. Scroll through the available extensions, or use the catalog link above to inspect listings before returning to Firefox. Select an extension to open its details page.
  5. Read the extension details. Check what the extension does, whether the listing indicates Android availability, and what access it requests. Treat the permissions prompt as a decision point, not as a step to dismiss automatically.
  6. Start the installation. Tap the plus or Add control on the extension’s details page.
  7. Review requested access. Firefox displays the access or permissions requested by the extension. Read the wording and consider whether the requested access matches the job you want the extension to perform. If it does not, cancel instead of continuing.
  8. Confirm the add-on. Tap Add in the confirmation prompt to complete the installation.
  9. Choose private-browsing behavior. Firefox offers the option to allow the extension in private browsing. Make a deliberate choice; the default for installed extensions is off, and this setting can be changed later for that extension.

When the confirmation finishes, the extension appears in the Extensions Manager. If it does not appear, reopen the manager rather than starting the installation repeatedly; the manager is the authoritative place to check whether Firefox added it.

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Find an extension outside the app

Mozilla provides a mobile-focused catalog at addons.mozilla.org/android. Use it when you want to search or read an extension’s description before opening Firefox’s menu. A catalog listing still needs to be compatible with Firefox for Android; the presence of a desktop version elsewhere on Mozilla’s site does not guarantee Android support.

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After choosing an extension in the catalog, compare the listing with what Firefox shows in its Android extension area. Install only when the Android availability and requested access make sense for your use. If the add-on is not offered in the Android manager, treat that as a compatibility limitation rather than a missing installation button.

Review permissions before tapping Add

Firefox presents an access prompt during installation. The prompt is the clearest point at which to decide whether an extension should be allowed to run. Read each requested permission in context: an extension that changes page content may need broader page access than one that only provides a small browser control, but the exact request should still be understandable for the task you selected.

  • Match access to purpose. Ask whether the requested access is necessary for the function described in the listing.
  • Stop when the request is unexpected. Tap the cancel option if the prompt asks for access you are not comfortable granting.
  • Recheck after updates or changes. If Firefox presents a new access request while an extension is being updated or reconfigured, read it again rather than assuming it is unchanged.
  • Use private browsing intentionally. Permission to run in private browsing is a separate per-extension choice; do not enable it just because the extension works in ordinary tabs.

The installation prompt does not replace your own judgment about an extension’s suitability. It tells you what access Firefox is asking you to approve, while the listing supplies the feature context you need to make that choice.

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Manage an installed extension

All routine controls are available from the Add-ons or Extensions Manager. Open the three-dot menu, enter the extension area, and select the installed extension you want to inspect. Its entry provides the controls for settings, details, permissions, private browsing, disabling, and removal.

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Change an extension’s settings

Select the installed extension in the manager and open its settings or details. The exact controls depend on the extension, so use the options shown on that extension’s entry. If you are looking for a permission or private-browsing control, remain on the manager entry rather than searching the general Android Settings app.

Temporarily disable an extension

Open the extension’s entry and switch Enabled off. Disabling pauses the extension without uninstalling it, which is useful when you are diagnosing a page problem or want the add-on inactive for a while. Return to the same entry and switch Enabled on when you want to use it again.

Allow or block it in private browsing

Open the extension in the manager and switch Run in private browsing on or off. This is a setting for that specific extension, not a single global switch for every add-on. Installed extensions start with private browsing disabled, so each extension must be considered separately.

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Uninstall an extension

In the Extensions Manager, select the extension and tap Remove. The uninstall guide from Mozilla, updated August 12, 2024, confirms this manager-based path. Removing an extension is different from disabling it: removal takes it out of the installed list, while disabling leaves it available to enable later.

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Pause it temporarily Open the extension’s manager entry Switch Enabled off
Use it in private tabs Open the extension’s manager entry Switch Run in private browsing on
Stop it in private tabs Open the extension’s manager entry Switch Run in private browsing off
Uninstall it Open the extension’s manager entry Tap Remove

How extension updates work

Mozilla says Firefox for Android automatically updates extensions to compatible versions when those versions are available. That statement describes the update behavior, not a fixed timetable: no particular update interval should be expected. Keep the extension installed and enabled if you want Firefox to apply compatible updates automatically.

After an update, revisit the extension’s details and permissions if the behavior changes or Firefox shows a new access request. You can disable the extension from its manager entry while you decide whether the updated version still fits your needs.

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Troubleshoot common installation and management problems

The menu does not say “Add-ons”

Look for Extensions or an Extensions Manager entry instead. Mozilla’s guide uses more than one label across interface versions. Open the item that leads to the installed-extension list; that is where installation and management controls live.

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The extension is missing from the Android list

Check the Android catalog at addons.mozilla.org/android. If the extension is listed for desktop Firefox but not offered in the Android manager or Android catalog, it may not be compatible with Firefox for Android. Choose an Android-compatible alternative rather than attempting to force a desktop-only installation.

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The Add button is present, but installation does not complete

  1. Return to the extension’s details page and confirm that you selected the Android-compatible listing.
  2. Tap the add control again and read the access prompt completely.
  3. Confirm the request by tapping Add only if the permissions fit your intended use.
  4. Reopen the Extensions Manager and check whether the extension now appears in the installed list.

If the extension never appears in the manager, treat its Android compatibility as the first issue to verify. The official guidance does not establish that every desktop extension can be installed on mobile.

The extension works in ordinary tabs but not private tabs

Open the extension’s manager entry and check Run in private browsing. It is off by default, so enable it for that extension if you intentionally want the add-on active in private sessions. If you prefer the default privacy behavior, leave the switch off.

You want to test whether an extension is causing a problem

Open its entry in the manager and switch Enabled off. Test the browser without uninstalling the add-on. If you need the extension again, return to the same entry and enable it; if you no longer want it installed, use Remove.

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You cannot find a setting after installation

Select the extension itself inside the manager. Settings, details, permissions, the enabled switch, and the private-browsing switch are presented on the extension’s entry rather than in the general list view. Interface wording may differ by Firefox release, but the manager remains the starting point.

Choose extensions safely for a phone or tablet

When several add-ons appear to solve the same problem, compare them using the information Firefox and Mozilla provide rather than relying on a desktop reputation alone. The following checklist keeps the decision focused on mobile use:

  • Task fit: Does the extension’s stated function match the specific problem you want to solve?
  • Android availability: Is it offered in Firefox’s Android manager or at Mozilla’s Android catalog?
  • Requested access: Are the permissions shown during installation reasonable for that task?
  • Maintenance: Does the listing appear to be maintained, and will Firefox be able to update it to compatible versions when available?
  • Private-browsing need: Do you actually need it in private tabs, or should the default disabled state remain?

This approach avoids treating every add-on as interchangeable. An extension that is suitable on a desktop may be unavailable on Android, request access you do not want to grant, or offer no benefit in private browsing.

A simple repeatable workflow

For future installations, use this short sequence:

  1. Define the browser task you want the extension to perform.
  2. Check the Android catalog or Firefox’s in-app extension list.
  3. Open the listing and read its description and requested access.
  4. Install through the three-dot menu and the Add-ons or Extensions Manager.
  5. Review the permission prompt before confirming.
  6. Leave private browsing disabled unless you have a clear reason to enable it.
  7. Use the manager for settings, temporary disabling, re-enabling, or removal.

Firefox for Android handles compatible extension updates automatically when they are available. If the interface changes in a later release, follow the same concepts—open the browser menu, enter the extension manager, select the add-on, and use its controls—even if the labels move.

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Key limitations to keep in mind

  • Not every Firefox desktop extension is compatible with Firefox for Android.
  • Menu labels and screen layouts can differ between Firefox releases and Android devices.
  • Permissions must be reviewed during installation; adding an extension is an explicit approval step.
  • Private browsing access is not automatic. Each extension starts disabled there and has its own switch.
  • Automatic updates apply to compatible versions when available, but Mozilla does not promise a particular update schedule.

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