Firefox’s hardware acceleration checkbox stays hidden while recommended performance settings are selected, and turning acceleration off requires a full browser restart. You can make the change permanent on Windows, macOS, and Linux, or use Troubleshoot Mode for a temporary test. Start with the regular setting below, then use the alternatives if you cannot reach the control.
Turn off hardware acceleration in Settings
Open Firefox’s ☰ menu and select Settings. On a Mac, Firefox > Settings in the menu bar opens the same page.
Select Tabs and browsing and find Performance. If your layout has a General panel instead, open it and find Performance there.
Clear Use recommended performance settings to reveal the individual controls, then clear Use hardware acceleration when available.
Quit Firefox completely using Exit from the Firefox menu on Windows, Quit on Linux, or Firefox > Quit Firefox on macOS. Reopen Firefox to apply the change.
If you cannot reach the setting through the menu, open Settings directly from the address bar using the next method.
Open Settings from the address bar
This bypasses menu navigation to reach the same permanent acceleration setting.
Enter about:preferences in Firefox’s address bar and press Enter or Return.
Select Tabs and browsing, or General in layouts that retain that panel.
Find the Performance section.
Clear Use recommended performance settings.
Clear Use hardware acceleration when available.
Quit Firefox using Exit on Windows, Quit on Linux, or Firefox > Quit Firefox on macOS.
Launch Firefox again to apply the setting.
Find a missing hardware acceleration checkbox
The hardware acceleration checkbox is hidden while Use recommended performance settings is selected.
Clear Use recommended performance settings in the Performance section to reveal the separate acceleration control.
If the option remains hidden, incompatible graphics drivers are another reason Firefox hides it, according to Mozilla. Entering about:preferences opens the same Settings page, so that route does not reveal a separate control. Use Troubleshoot Mode below for a temporary session with acceleration disabled.
Try a temporary session without acceleration
Open the ☰ menu.
Choose Help.
Select Troubleshoot Mode….
Click Restart to restart Firefox into the troubleshooting dialog.
Choose Open to begin the temporary session. Do not choose Refresh Firefox in this dialog, because refreshing resets preferences rather than permanently turning acceleration off.
Repeat the activity that was causing trouble. Hardware acceleration stays disabled during this session. Troubleshoot Mode also disables extensions and other features, so an improvement does not identify acceleration as the cause by itself.
Quit Firefox completely using Exit on Windows, Quit on Linux, or Firefox > Quit Firefox on macOS.
Launch Firefox normally to leave Troubleshoot Mode.
Change the permanent setting in Firefox’s Configuration Editor
The normal checkbox is the simplest route, but Firefox’s Configuration Editor also exposes the underlying preference, layers.acceleration.disabled. A value of true means acceleration is disabled.
Enter about:config in the address bar and press Enter or Return. Select Accept the Risk and Continue if Firefox displays the warning.
Search for layers.acceleration.disabled. Use the existing preference’s Toggle button to set its value to true. Leave it unchanged if it already reads true.
Quit Firefox completely using Exit on Windows, Quit on Linux, or Firefox > Quit Firefox on macOS. Reopen the browser to apply the change.
If this method fails because the preference is locked on a work or managed device, ask your administrator to change it. Administrators can lock the acceleration preference and prevent you from changing it yourself.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I turn off hardware acceleration in Firefox on Android or iPhone?
Mozilla says these performance settings are unavailable in Firefox for Android and iOS. The desktop Settings instructions do not apply to either mobile version.
How do I turn hardware acceleration back on?
Open Settings > Tabs and browsing or General, then find Performance. With Use recommended performance settings cleared, select Use hardware acceleration when available. Quit using Exit on Windows, Quit on Linux, or Firefox > Quit Firefox on macOS, then reopen Firefox.
Can I start Troubleshoot Mode if I cannot use Firefox’s menus?
Yes. With Firefox completely closed, hold Shift while launching it on Windows or Option while launching it on macOS. Choose Open in the troubleshooting dialog. On Linux, run firefox -safe-mode in a terminal, using the installation path if needed, then choose Open. Despite its older name, this command launches the current Troubleshoot Mode.
Why does my acceleration setting change again after a restart?
A user.js file in your Firefox profile can reapply the preference at startup. To locate it, enter about:support in the address bar. Under Application Basics, select Open Folder on Windows, Show in Finder on macOS, or Open Directory on Linux. Quit Firefox before editing the file. If it contains user_pref("layers.acceleration.disabled", true);, remove that line before reopening Firefox and re-enabling acceleration through Settings.
