Web browsers are widely used tools in the world of current information technology. These tools are used to browse websites, whether they are from a local area network, or the internet network of networks. With a browser we can access a web page to consult information, consume leisure content, or access an online email client to check our mailbox.
Web pages displayed by the web browser are implemented using markup languages, such as HTML. But, in addition, many web pages can include elements encoded in the JavaScript language. Your web browser is capable of interpreting this JavaScript language and displaying these elements to you. However, you can disable this feature. This is the goal of the following article, to provide you with a guide on how to disable JavaScript in Firefox, Mozilla’s web browser. I invite you to continue reading, we already started.
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What is JavaScript and what does it mean for the Firefox web browser
JavaScript is a programming language that is sometimes included within the coding of a web page. The use of JavaScript in web pages is aimed at various functions, for example, to render menus, sounds, animations and much more.
The Firefox web browser has a function activated by default to be able to interpret the JavaScript code embedded in web pages. This functionality does not require you to do any kind of extra installation, such as extensions or plug-ins, in the web browser so that it can interpret the JavaScript code.
In addition to the functions that I mentioned before, the JavaScript language can be used for other purposes by web page developers. This language is associated with pop-up windows dedicated to transmitting advertising and junk information. On the other hand, hackers can also use this feature to hijack your web browser and introduce some malware into your computer this way.
To protect yourself against these threats you can disable JavaScript in Firefox. However, you should be aware that if you disable JavaScript, many websites will stop working properly. It is likely that you will not have access to part of the content of the web page, as well as disable certain menus and buttons. You will also lose access to the use of JQuerywhich is a JavaScript library that provides interactive features.
Disable JavaScript in Firefox
The Mozilla Firefox web browser allows you to configure whether or not you want it to execute the code written in the JavaScript language contained in web pages. This setup process is pretty straightforward. An important matter is that we recommend thave updated the Firefox web browser. In this way you can avoid problems when changing some configuration that can cause a failure.
To disable this feature, you need to follow these steps:
- Opens the Mozilla Firefox web browser.
- In the Mozilla Firefox address bar, type “about:config” and press Enter.
- Click on the button Accept the risk and continue in the window that is displayed.
- In the next window we have access to a group of settings specific to the operation of Firefox. We scroll down until we find the one that says “javascript.enabled”. We can also write in the search bar of this window “JavaScript” and we will go directly to all the options related to JavaScript in Firefox.
- In the option mentioned above, “javascript.enabled”we press on the double arrow button which is at the end of this line. We make sure that the value of the state of this property has changed from true to false.
- We close the window, and all set. JavaScript has been disabled from the Firefox web browser.
What to do if a web page does not work correctly
As I already mentioned, by disabling JavaScript in Firefox it is likely that when some web pages are loaded they will not work correctly. Most of all, you can find malfunctions in loading buttons, menus, animations, video and images.
This is mainly because these components are loaded from JavaScript code written in the programming and design of the web page. Since this feature is disabled in Firefox, then the browser is unable to interpret this code.
To solve this problem you just have to access the window again “about:config” exactly the same as we explained before. looking for the option “javascript.enabled” and click on the double arrow button to change its status false to true. This way you are enabling the JavaScript function in the browser.
Security is probably the most important and careful aspect when browsing the internet. There are many risks that an Internet user can take with the simple action of entering a web page.
Among the measures you can take to mitigate these risks, the first of all is to keep your Mozilla Firefox web browser up to date. With each patch or new version of the web browser, new security mechanisms are included and bugs and vulnerabilities that have been found are solved.
Another important issue is having antivirus software installed and updated on your computer. Modern antiviruses include control and monitoring options for our online activity. Any virus or malware that is going to enter our computer in this way, the antivirus can detect and neutralize it.
On the other hand, we must have a lot of common sense when we navigate. Any advertisement telling you that you have won or obtained some special gift and costs is suspicious. This is a way many attackers use to introduce viruses to your computer. You should ignore any page, ad or notification that looks suspicious to you.