Download and install Firefox add-onsFirefox plug-in, add-on or theme?

If you’re not already familiar with the Firefox browser, a free alternative to Microsoft’s ubiquitous Internet Explorer browser, then this guide will show you the vast array of customisable add-ons you can download for Firefox. 

Some of these add-ons extend its capabilities, some integrate other applications into Firefox, and others make Firefox faster, easier or more fun to use.

To use Firefox add-ons you’ll first need to download the latest version of Firefox – Firefox 3.0.8, a 7.1MB free download.

Other browser alternatives to Firefox and Microsoft Internet Explorer are Opera, Google’s Chrome, and Safari for Mac users.

What's the difference between plug-ins, add-ons and themes?

Plug-ins

Plug-ins make certain types of website content viewable or playable. Examples of media plug-ins include Adobe’s Flash Player, Shockwave and Acrobat, Apple's Quicktime, Sun Java, RealPlayer, and Windows Media Player.

For example, if you’re trying to use the BBC iPlayer to listen and watch radio and TV programmes online, you may need to download RealPlayer or Windows Media Player plug-ins before the programmes will play in your browser.

To check what plug-ins you have installed in Firefox 3, go to Options > Applications. Here you can choose which plug-in is used to open different types of media content.

Add-ons

Add-ons are free third-party pieces of software added to Firefox to enhance functionality. They’re sometimes referred to as ‘extensions’, as they extend the capabilities of Firefox, but the official Firefox terminology is add-ons.

A huge variety of add-ons are available for Firefox, and they are simple to download, install and customise to make your browser more flexible and your web surfing faster, easier and more fun.

Themes

Browser themes or ‘skins’ are purely visual enhancements. Firefox themes simply change the look of your browser, its buttons, tabs and menus. Firefox now calls them ‘personas’. There are hundreds of personas to download for Firefox, and you can even create your own if you’ve got access to image editing software.

How do I install an add-on?

Add-ons are extremely simple to install. Just find the add-on you want, and click the Add to Firefox button. When the pop-up installation window appears, click Install now and the add-on will be installed into Firefox. After installation is complete, you’ll be prompted to restart Firefox; once you've restarted Firefox, the add-on should work.

Choosing Firefox add-ons

It’s worth noting that with many of these add-ons, there are other similar alternative add-ons available. For example, Tab Kit has many of the functions of both Tab Mix Plus and Colorful Tabs (see Tabbed browsing enhancements for Firefox). As all the add-ons are free, it’s best to experiment with different add-ons to find the add-ons that work best for you. It’s simple to disable or uninstall add-ons in Firefox, so play around.

You can browse the full range of Firefox add-ons at the Firefox add-ons website. The page for each add-on will tell you how many times it’s been downloaded and give you user reviews so you can work out whether the add-on will do what you want it to, and if there are any bugs. Problems are rare, but as add-ons are written by third parties, quality can vary and add-ons may conflict with each other.

Do I have to install add-ons individually? What about Fashion your Firefox?

Add-ons can all be installed individually, and downloading, installing and customising each add-on shouldn’t take much more than five minutes.

But Firefox has recently introduced Fashion your Firefox, which bundles together groups of add-ons and lets you install add-on packs tailored to your needs. 

Firefox categorises these by the type of person it thinks you might be – including 'finder and seeker', 'social butterfly', 'shopaholic' and 'news junkie'. 

When you choose the category that you think most represents what you want to do, the Fashion your Firefox website recommends add-ons that are designed to help. Then you simply choose whether to accept or reject its suggestions, and can download and install your chosen add-ons with one click.

Organising your Firefox add-ons

The list of add-ons that you’ve installed in Firefox can be viewed by choosing Tools > Add-ons, or using the Ctrl+Shift+A keyboard shortcut.

When the add-ons list is displayed, clicking on an add-on lets you select whether to enable or disable it, and clicking Options lets you customise different aspects of the add-on.

So that’s the basics of add-ons covered, now read more about add-ons for tabbed browsing, video downloads and photo viewing, faster browsing and security and ad-blocking.