How to Disable Update Checks in Mozilla Firefox Browser

[The AchieVer]

How to Disable Update Checks in Mozilla Firefox Browser 

 

Updating your software to the latest versions is one of the best practices to remain secure, especially on a computer connected to the Internet, and when it comes to browsers, this thing should always be considered a priority for each and every one of us.

Because of this, browser developers have implemented automatic updating systems that take care of the whole thing for you, basically making the process of downloading and installing the latest version of the application a seamless process.

As the world’s number two browser, Mozilla Firefox also comes with such a feature built-in, so whenever a new version is released as an automatic download, the browser is updated with minimal input from users.

However, should you for any reason not want to have the latest version of Firefox downloaded using this built-in system, there’s not much you can do using just the settings that the browser comes with.

For example, Firefox now allows you to configure the browser to automatically install updates, check for updates but wait for user approval to install them, use a background service to install updates, and automatically update search engines.

While these options do come in handy, you can’t actually block the download of new versions. The best you get is the option that instructs the browser to download get the new releases but then wait for your input to install them.
 

 

 

Fortunately, a method to block the download of new Firefox versions does exist, only that it’s not necessarily the most convenient to use. And it all comes down to setting up a dedicated policy that would instruct Firefox not to download new versions of the browser.

If you haven’t configured a Firefox policy before, the first thing you need to do is to create the policy file. This file must use the JSON format, be called policies, and be placed in a folder named policies located in the main Firefox install directory.

In other words, your file must be called:

policies.json

And be placed at the following location (if you’re using the default installation path for Firefox on a Windows 10 computer):

C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\distribution

Once you create the policies.json file, you then need to define the policy by writing this code in it:

{
    "policies": {
        "DisableAppUpdate": true
    }
}

Firefox needs to be restarted after the policy is configured because this file is loaded on launch.

Once again, don’t forget that you are not supposed to block the updates, especially in a browser that is often targeted by cyberattacks.

If you think updates are too intrusive and happen too frequently, Mozilla offers a dedicated version of the browser that is called Firefox ESR, and which only receives the latest security patches, with no new features. This means your device will remain secure, but without you being bothered by new feature updates and anything like that.

Obviously, if you block the download of browser updates, you should also implement other security measures and following other practices to avoid threats typically found online. One way to do this is to simply stay away from links and downloads that come from untrusted sources.

On a side note, the next Firefox release is version 68 scheduled to go live on July 9. Beta builds are already available for testing for users and webmasters who want to prepare for this launch in advance.

 

 

Source

[patrickdrd]

old trick, see here:

https://portableapps.com/node/59514

[steven36]

Use Linux and update  via the systems  auto updater Linux builds have the internal updater removed even if you use the package Mozilla provide on there update page it wont work for updates because its sandboxed and needs root to update .

 

Really updates don't bother me for Firefox because its not my default browser,  it could be a problem if  you use there Release Channel and use Windows  your better off using the ESR Channel  if your worried about  changes and bugs . I use Waterfox ESR for my default  witch the Dev  will never force  updates on  his users. . Forcing  updates on users is another policy Mozilla adopted from there daddy Google. On Linux even Google cant even force updates on you .You update when you fell like it and can black list updates were it will never update again if you like.

 

They use Windows lack of security  to force updates on you in name the of security witch is a oxymoron . If you turn UAC off in windows browsers cant auto update even.  But don't do it  will break some stuff in Windows 8 and newer like being able to run a VM. 

[Karlston]

There's also a Firefox addon called Enterprise Policy Generator that makes it a little easier to maintain the policies.json file... Enterprise Policy Generator add-on