How to Work Offline in Mozilla Firefox

Co-authored by Stan Kats

Last Updated: July 22, 2021 Tested

Entering and exiting Offline Mode is done simply by going to settings (☰), selecting “Developer”, and turning “Work Offline” on. Offline Mode is a feature of Firefox that allows you to view cached webpages while disconnected from the internet.^{[1]
X
Expert Source

Stan Kats
Cybersecurity Expert
Expert Interview. 16 July 2021.} Although cached web content is limited to the information on the page at the time of viewing (sorry, no up-to-the-minute news!), it is still useful for continued productivity or just waiting out moments of poor connectivity.

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Enabling Offline Mode

1
Understand how Offline Mode works. Offline Mode removes Firefox's connection to the internet, instead fetching all information from the browser cache. While online, Firefox will automatically save websites you browse as cached web content. These cached versions of the sites can be accessed when offline, but additional browsing beyond the saved content is not possible (i.e. you can navigate to any site you previously visited, but any links on that site that are not already cached will return an error. Likewise, even if connectivity is restored, Offline Mode must be disabled to resume browsing non-cached sites).^{[2]
X
Expert Source

Stan Kats
Cybersecurity Expert
Expert Interview. 16 July 2021.}
- The storage size of the cache is limited. As a user browses, older content is removed from the cache and replaced with the most recent. By default, Firefox stores a cache of 350MB. This is a solid amount of web content, but if you want more (or less), you can edit the cache size by going to “☰ > Options > Advanced > Network” and selecting “Override automatic cache management”. This will allow you manually set the cache size.
2
Go to Firefox Settings. Press ☰. This opens a menu with various options for Firefox.

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3
Click on the More option from the drop-down menu.
4
Enable Offline Mode. Select "Work Offline" at the bottom of the list. A check will appear next to the menu option indicating that it is active. You can now browse cached pages.
5
Browse cached sites. You can visit recently visited sites, depending on your browsing habits and cache size. Go to "☰ > History” to see what is available to visit.

Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Disabling Offline Mode

1
Understand the reason for disabling Offline Mode. Offline mode disables Firefox's ability to communicate with the internet. When internet access is restored, you must disable Offline Mode in order to use your browser normally again. Attempting to browse non-cached pages on the web while in Offline Mode will return an error, even if your internet connection is working.
2
Go to Firefox Settings. Press ☰. This opens a menu with various options for Firefox.^{[3]
X
Expert Source

Stan Kats
Cybersecurity Expert
Expert Interview. 16 July 2021.}
3
Open the Developer menu. Press "Developer". This will open a menu with various developer tools, including Offline Mode.^{[4]
X
Expert Source

Stan Kats
Cybersecurity Expert
Expert Interview. 16 July 2021.}
4
Disable Offline Mode. Select "Work Offline" at the bottom of the list. The check next to the menu option will disappear indicating that the feature is now disabled.
5
Browse the internet normally. You can now browse the internet without receiving an error. Visiting webpages will now display the live version instead of the cached one.

Expert Q&A

Question

What does offline mode do?

Stan Kats
Professional Technologist
Stan Kats is a Professional Technologist and the COO and Chief Technologist for The STG IT Consulting Group in West Hollywood, California. Stan provides comprehensive technology solutions to businesses through managed IT services, and for individuals through his consumer service business, Stan's Tech Garage. Stan holds a BA in International Relations from The University of Southern California. He began his career working in the Fortune 500 IT world. Stan founded his companies to offer an enterprise-level of expertise for small businesses and individuals.

Stan Kats

Professional Technologist

Expert Answer

Offline lets you see pages in your browser cache, or pages you've already viewed before. You won't be able to see brand pages that you've never browsed.
Question

How do I turn off offline mode in Firefox?

Stan Kats
Professional Technologist
Stan Kats is a Professional Technologist and the COO and Chief Technologist for The STG IT Consulting Group in West Hollywood, California. Stan provides comprehensive technology solutions to businesses through managed IT services, and for individuals through his consumer service business, Stan's Tech Garage. Stan holds a BA in International Relations from The University of Southern California. He began his career working in the Fortune 500 IT world. Stan founded his companies to offer an enterprise-level of expertise for small businesses and individuals.

Stan Kats

Professional Technologist

Expert Answer

Go to the little hamburger menu in the upper right corner of Firefox. Then, go into developer tools. From there, you can access the offline settings.

Warnings

You will not be able to view the most up to date versions of web pages while working offline. A cached page displays whatever information was on it when you visited.

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