Author: Jason Cameron

Passionate about design and web

With previous versions of Firefox, it was a pain in the neck to visit various sites and download add-ons and install them. With version 3, Mozilla created a centralized manner for managing add-ons. For those who are completely new to Firefox, add-ons are small applications such as toolbars, and other features to truly customize the browsing experience.

Managing Add-ons in Firefox

Go to: Tools > Add-ons. You will see a screen that looks like this:

These are recommended by Firefox, and these recommendations are default. If in scrolling through the list you see any you'd like to add, simply click the Add to Firefox button. This will bring up a dialog box that will allow you to install the add-on. Click Install Now. Restarting browser is required for new add-ons to work and Firefox will prompt you to do so after adding any new add-on.

Use the Search All Add-ons box to find add-ons for specific purposes. For the sake of this tutorial, we'll search for Twitter to find add-ons to make using Twitter easier, directly from our browser. If we search for Twitter, this is the screen that shows up:

We can click on each add-on to learn more about it and to decide which we want to use. Once we have decided, we can click the Add to Firefox button to install the add-on and begin using it. If you want to disable an add-on, follow the steps to return to the Manage Add-ons box, and click the Extensions button. This will provide a list of all add-ons installed on the system. Click Disable to stop using them without removing them from the system. In Tools tab you will also be able to configure some of the specific options for each add-on separately in case they have them.

Managing Add-ons in Internet Explorer

To manage add-ons in Internet Explorer go to: Tools > Manage add-ons. To enable or disable existing add-ons, select Enable or Disable Add-ons. You will see a screen that looks like this:

Click the add-on name, and then click Enable or Disable to change the status. There are several menu options including:

• Add-ons currently loaded in Internet Explorer
• Add-ons that have been used by Internet Explorer
• Add-ons that run without requiring permission
• Downloaded ActiveX Controls

Where to Get Add-ons

In Firefox, you can search for add-ons to add right from the management box. You can also visit the Mozilla website to find more add-ons. There are also a lot of lists and reviews about Firefox add-ons dealing with specific needs. For example, there is a really good post about Firefox add-ons where they are categorized with review for each one.

In Internet Explorer, go to Tools > Manage Add-ons > Find More Add-ons. This will load the Microsoft Add-ons Gallery, where you can choose to download and install additional add-ons to your browser.

Note about Add-ons

Browsers running too many add-ons will be significantly slower than those that don't so reserve the use of add-ons for tasks you do often or keep the ones you don't use frequently disabled to keep the computer running at an optimal speed.

Marcel

I never realized that there are so many add-ons for IE. I guess I was using FF for ages and always thought IE6 was there just to make my life miserable occasionally to actually notice that there are some nice add-ons for it.

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