Windows Only

Firefox Nightly Windows (especially those on 64-Bit) users who monitor their tasks/processes may notice extra plugin container processes lingering for quite some time after use. Nightly opens extra plugin containers for additional activities such as viewing a YouTube video, displaying a PDF within the browser, etc. For whatever reason the extra plugin containers don’t get released from memory right away when the user closes the tab or navigates away from the activity. Also, there have been reports that if Nightly is improperly shut down (browser crashes, BSOD, power failure, etc.) that upon restart there will be double the amount of plugin container processes open. Also there may be some compatibility issues with the Turn Off the Lights add-on which can cause there to be multiple plugin container processes.

For Windows, there is a hidden preference that will essentially release the extra plugin containers (thus freeing up memory) as soon as a plugin container is no longer in use. Add this new about:config entry:

• Type: Boolean
• Preference Name: plugins.unloadASAP
• Value: True