How to restore firefox to its default settings and start fresh

Chris Hoffman is Editor-in-Chief of How-To Geek. He’s written about technology for over a decade and was a PCWorld columnist for two years. Chris has written for The New York Times and Reader’s Digest, been interviewed as a technology expert on TV stations like Miami’s NBC 6, and had his work covered by news outlets like the BBC. Since 2011, Chris has written over 2,000 articles that have been read nearly one billion times—and that’s just here at How-To Geek. Read more.

Any browser can slow down and become cluttered over time as you install add-ons, build up history, and change settings. Firefox can “Refresh” your profile to quickly give you a clean slate while keeping your most important data. This would let you try the overhauled Firefox Quantum with a fresh profile, speed Firefox up if it’s become slow, or fix other browser problems.

What This Keeps, and What It Removes

The “Refresh” feature won’t delete everything. Firefox will keep your bookmarks and saved passwords. You’ll be prompted if you want to reopen your currently open tabs after the Refresh, too, so you won’t even lose your open tabs.

However, this will delete your installed add-ons and erase all their locally stored data. It will also reset your browser settings to their default values and clear the browser history and other cached data.

This ensures any problems caused by misbehaving extensions or issues with Firefox’s settings will be fixed by this process, speeding a slow Firefox up and fixing other problems. However, your important personal data will be kept—with the exception of any browser extensions and their data.

How to Refresh Firefox

To do this, click the menu button at the top right corner of the Firefox window.

Click the “Help” option near the bottom of the menu.

Click the “Troubleshooting Information” option in the Help menu.

Click the “Refresh Firefox” button at the top right corner of the Troubleshooting Information page.

You’ll be warned that this will remove your browser add-ons, reset your customizations, and revert other browser data to the default settings. Click “Refresh Firefox” to confirm you want to make these changes.

Firefox will close while it clears away the old data. After a few moments, it will reopen with a fresh browser and ask if you want to restore the tabs you had open before it closed.

If you’re having problems with Firefox, refreshing may help by restoring the browser to its default state while saving your essential information, like bookmarks and passwords.

1. Click the menu button , click Help and select More Troubleshooting Information .
2. Click Refresh Firefox… then Refresh Firefox in the confirmation window that opens. Firefox will close to refresh itself.
3. When finished, a window will list your imported information. Click the Finish button. Firefox will open.
4. Select whether you want Firefox to restore all or some windows and tabs and click the Let’s go! button.

1. Click the menu button , click Help and select Troubleshooting Information More Troubleshooting Information .
2. Click Refresh Firefox… then Refresh Firefox in the confirmation window that opens. Firefox will close to refresh itself.
3. When finished, a window will list your imported information. Click the Finish button. Firefox will open.

Firefox stores all your settings and personal information in a profile folder. The refresh feature creates a new profile folder and saves your important data.

The refresh feature removes add-ons normally stored inside the Firefox profile folder (such as extensions and themes). Add-ons stored in other locations are not removed (although any modified preferences are reset).

Firefox will save these items:

• Bookmarks
• Browsing and download history
• Passwords
• Cookies
• Web form auto-fill information
• Personal dictionary

These items and settings will be removed:

• Extensions and themes
• Website permissions
• Modified preferences
• Added search engines
• DOM storage
• Security certificate and device settings
• Download actions
• Toolbar customizations
• User styles ( chrome subfolder containing userChrome and/or userContent CSS files, if previously created.)

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Mozilla Firefox has an interesting new option for users of the popular web browser. The Firefox Uninstaller now has a ‘Refresh’ option which essentially restores factory settings and deletes corrupt profiles, without needing to uninstall and reinstall the web browser in the event of profile or data corruption.

The majority of Mozilla Firefox web browser users never intend to completely uninstall the web browser. In other words, the primary purpose of using the Firefox Uninstaller is to remove the web browser and reinstall the same quickly. Understanding the Firefox users’ need, Mozilla has added a new option to the Firefox Uninstaller.

Firefox Uninstaller Gets And Suggests ‘Refresh’ Option:

The Firefox uninstaller now asks to try the ‘Refresh’ feature instead. Mozilla has included the Refresh button in the Firefox Uninstall wizard because it wants to fix corrupt profiles without the needing to uninstall the browser completely.

The Firefox About:Support Page has the new option of ‘Refresh’ under the ‘Give Firefox a Tune-up’ heading. Mozilla claims most of the Firefox issues can be fixed using the Refresh button.

If you’re having issues with Twitter, being all flakey because of #TwitterLegacy & add-on issues, I found this fix.
It WON’T get it looking like it was, but it will be usable in the new format.
Click ‘refresh Firefox’ & in a few minutes you’ll be back..

A fresh install of Firefox, just like the installation of Windows OS, appears to make the platform work fast. In other words, users claim a fresh install makes Firefox feel fast and more responsive. However, over time, users install several extensions, themes, and many add-ons that can potentially bring down the performance. This causes Firefox to behave in a sluggish manner. There are several instances of malicious add-ons bringing down performance or corrupting Firefox Profile.

Under such circumstances, users opt for a complete uninstall and subsequent fresh install of Firefox to restore performance. Now users have another option of ‘Refresh’. Here’s how to use the same:

1. Open Firefox, click on menu > Settings > Help > Troubleshooting information

2. Click “Refresh Firefox” and click the Refresh button again

Firefox will remove the installed extensions, themes, and customizations, and restore the browser to its default or factory settings. Before the Refresh option, many users simply abandoned the Firefox Profile and created a new one. This method worked but it involved some difficult steps. The Refresh option condenses the entire process in a few simple clicks.

Interestingly, in addition to the Refresh Option being included in the Troubleshooting Window, Mozilla has also included the same within the Uninstall program. When users visit Control Panel > Programs > Programs and Features, select Firefox and click Uninstall, they will be greeted by the Firefox uninstall wizard. The wizard shows “Refresh Firefox Instead?” with the following message:

“If you’re having problems with Firefox, a refresh can help. This will restore the default settings and remove add-ons. Start fresh for optimal performance.”

Users have a choice of either using the Refresh option or clicking Next and using the Uninstall option. Incidentally, the option is being rolled out from Firefox v78. Hence, not many users will get the same.

Justin Pot has been writing about technology for over a decade, with work appearing in Digital Trends, The Next Web, Lifehacker, MakeUseOf, and the Zapier Blog. He also runs the Hillsboro Signal, a volunteer-driven local news outlet he founded. Read more.

You were messing around with the settings for a Mac app, and now that app won’t load. Is there some way to reset the application, start fresh, and get things working properly again?

As to turns out, yes. Your Mac, for the most part, stores settings for your applications in the Library folder, and they’re easy enough to delete. The application will re-create them from scratch, with its original default settings intact. Here are two ways to clear those settings.

The Easy Way: Use AppCleaner

AppCleaner is a simple free application that lets users completely uninstall any Mac app, without leaving files behind. It’s useful for that purpose, it’s a also quick way to remove all settings associated with a given application without uninstalling.

First, head to the AppCleaner website and download the most recent version compatible with your version of macOS.

The program comes in a ZIP file, which you can unzip by double-clicking. Install in the typical Mac fashion, by dragging the icon to your Applications folder.

Close the application you want to reset (we’ll use Twitter as an example), then open AppCleaner. Click the button at top-right to see your list of installed applications.

Find the program you want to delete settings for, by searching or scrolling. Click your application, and you’ll see a list of files to remove. Uncheck the application itself in this list–that way, AppCleaner will leave the app in place, but delete all its settings.

If you’re a confident power user, you can browse the list and make sure everything is related to your app. If not, don’t panic: AppCleaner is generally pretty good about only deleting things relevant to a specific app. Click “Remove” when ready, and everything will be sent to the Trash.

Fire up the application and you should see all settings restored to the default. This means that, if you were previously signed into an account, you’ll need to sign in again.

Hopefully whatever you won’t break things again, but we both know that’s not true. Power users break things; that’s just how it is, so you should keep AppCleaner handy.

The Manual Way: Search the Library Folder

If you don’t want to install AppCleaner just for this purpose, or if AppCleaner is having trouble finding the right files, you can also do this manually.

First, close the program you want to reset. Then head to your Mac’s Library folder, and search for the application’s name. Do not use spaces, even if the app in question has a space in its name. Then narrow your search by clicking “Library” in the toolbar above the results.

You’ll see a lot of results, most of them irrelevant. To narrow things down, I like to limit the results to folders. To do that, click the “+” icon below the search box, then set the second row to “Kind” is “Folder”. Like this:

Now, seek out the folders that are relevant to your app. In our example, Twitter’s Mac app, the proper folders are named “com.twitter.twitter-mac”, but this will vary depending on the application you’re trying to clear out.

Figuring out which folders to delete can be a puzzle. Sometimes, the correct folders will follow a pattern: com, followed by the name of the company who makes the app, followed by the name of the app itself. But sometimes the folders will have straight-forward names, like “Firefox.” Use your best judgement, and try to avoid deleting folders that reference other applications. For example: the the above list, I didn’t delete the “TweetDeck” folder, because that’s another app entirely. You’re going to have to use similar judgement.

When you’re sure you’ve found the correct folders, go ahead and delete them. Fire up the application and everything should be set to default again.

You are now free to break things again with your excessive tweaking, fellow crazy person. Enjoy!

If you are a user of Microsoft Edge Chromium-based browser on Windows 10 or 7 and after some time you are feeling it gets slowed then reset it to give your Edge browser a fresh start…

Sometimes we got sluggish feelings after using the browser over time, the reason behind this could be any. However, the key thing behind this is the accumulation of more and more data, even if we have deleted history, cache, and cookies, in the worst case, this not only makes the browser slower but even unstable. Apart from this installation of unnecessary extensions can also make Microsoft Edge trigger unwanted behavior.

Yes, of course, we can uninstall and reinstall the Microsoft Edge browser, however, in newer Windows 10 versions where Edge is a default system browser and cannot be uninstalled just like any other system application without risking undesirable side effects. In such a situation, we can reset Microsoft Edge with just a few clicks to given it a fresh start and remove junk files by following the steps of this tutorial.

Simple Steps to Reset Microsoft Edge Browser, if not working

Fortunately, it’s still very easy to give a “fresh start” to Microsoft Edge. It only takes a few clicks. To reset it properly, we can perform two things first by resetting the browser from its own settings and by deleting the “User data” folder. Let’s see how to do this.

1. Open Microsoft Edge browser and click on the three dots given on the right top side.
2. Select Settings and then Reset Settings option.
3. There you will see “Restore settings to their default values“.
4. A pop-up will appear for your confirmation.
5. Just hit the Reset button.
   
6. Next, open “MyPC” or “My Computer” and go to the C drive of your system.
7. Press Alt+V, and then press two times H, H key. This will unhide all hidden folders.
8. Now, select Users then your system username, and then AppData⇒Local⇒Microsoft.
9. There, simply delete the Edge folder and this will reset your Microsoft Edge browser completely on Windows 10 or 7.
   

Note: Performing the second part of the tutorial, where we have deleted the “User Data” folder, this method will remove all Edge settings, extensions, bookmarks, passwords – everything will be gone. The next time you start Edge, it will present itself as if it was called up for the first time on a new PC. And you have to synchronize your Microsoft Edge browser again with Google or Microsoft account to restore history and other items. Or you can export your history and password from any other existing Chrome or Firefox to use on Edge.

Video Tutorial

Dave LeClair was the News Editor for How-To Geek. He started writing about technology more than 10 years ago. He’s written articles for publications like MakeUseOf, Android Authority, Digital Trends, and plenty of others. He’s also appeared in and edited videos for various YouTube channels around the web. Read more.

In a move that’s sure to make no one happy, Firefox is getting sponsored address bar suggestions. This is sure to upset many Firefox users, and it’ll be interesting to see what the move does to Mozilla’s market share in the browser space.

The new feature, which Mozilla calls Firefox Suggest, is currently available for a limited number of users in the US only. The company describes it as “a new feature that serves as a trustworthy guide to the better web, surfacing relevant information and sites to help you accomplish your goals.”

“When contextual suggestions are enabled, Firefox Suggest uses your city location and search keywords to make contextual suggestions from Firefox and our partners while keeping your privacy in mind,” a Firefox support page says.

That all sounds pretty useful, but it’s this part that’s sure to upset a ton of Firefox users:
“Beginning in Firefox version 92, you will also receive new, relevant suggestions from our trusted partners based on what you’re searching for. No new data is collected, stored, or shared to make these new recommendations.”

Mozilla

That means that you’ll see the browser history and all of the other stuff Firefox used to suggest, but now you’ll see results from Mozilla’s partners, which is basically an excellent way of saying that you’ll see ads in your navigation bar.

Based on the image shared by Mozilla, the results don’t look overly intrusive, as they appear right alongside the other options, but it’s still annoying to see even more ads when browsing the web.

Thankfully, you can turn this feature off quickly enough. In the menu on the top of the screen, click “Firefox,” then “Preferences.” Head to “Privacy & Security” and go to “Address Bar — Firefox Suggest.” Under this section, you’ll see “Contextual suggestions” and “Include occasional sponsored suggestions.” Turn these off, and you won’t see any more ads in your address bar.

Mozilla

You will also need to opt into Firefox’s “Allow suggestions” feature when prompted in Firefox 92, so this isn’t something you’ll have to worry about automatically happening to your web browsing experience.

With all that said, Firefox says this “helps fund development and optimization,” so if you want to support Firefox and you don’t find the suggestions to be too intrusive, you might want to enable the new feature.

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This is a guide on how to reset VS Code (Visual Studio Code) to the default settings for both Windows and macOS users.

The Steps

1. Go to View > Command Palette or press Cmd + Shift + P (macOS) or Ctrl + Shift + P (Windows).

2. Search for open settings json and select Preferences: Open Settings (JSON) which show ups from the result list.

3. If you’ve been working with VS Code for a while and installed a lot of things and made a lot of changes, you’ll find there’s a lot of stuff in this file:

Delete everything inside the root braces and save the file:

4. Relaunch your VS Code.

5. (This step is optional) In case you want to not only reset VS Code but also remove all installed extensions:

/.vscode/extensions folder if you’re on a Mac.

Further reading:

You can also check out our Visual Studio Code topic page for more tips and tricks to improve your producibility and coding experience.

In this article we’ll consider how to restore the previous session with open tabs in Mozilla Firefox. The problem of loosing all tabs as a result of Mozilla Firefox crash (due to different reasons: from power outages to running out of available memory and system hang) occurs quite often.

The mechanism of automatic Session Restore appeared in the second version of the browser already. Firefox saves all open windows and tabs, including urls of pages, the size and position of a window/tab and information entered into the text fields, into a special file (sessionstore.js). When the session has been completed incorrectly, Firefox tries to automatically restore the previous session based on the data in this file with all windows and tabs that had been opened before the browser failed. If the browser fails in the second time, the window with the following message appears after you start Firefox for the next time:

Firefox is having trouble recovering your windows and tabs. This is usually caused by a recently opened web page.

• Removing one or more tabs that you think may be causing the problem
• Starting an entirely new browsing session

Firefox can restore all windows and tabs open at the last exit or unexpected failure of Firefox. If you check the tabs opened earlier that have to be restored and click “Restore” button, Firefox opens these web-pages.

If the Session Restore window doesn’t appear automatically, you can try to call it by clicking History -> Restore Previous Session.

If Restore Previous Session menu is not active (as in the snapshot), something has gone wrong and you’ll have to use advanced means to restore the tabs.

Firstly, let’s talk about the backup mechanism of open tabs and windows in Firefox. Firefox saves the information about the current session in sessionstore.js, which is located in the user profile folder (C:\Users\username\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\xxx.default – in Windows 7 and 8, or c:\Documents and Settings\username\Application Data\Mozilla\Firefox\xxx.default in XP). If you track how its size is changed in process of working in Firefox, you can notice that when opening a new tab/window its size grows, and when closing a tab/window, it reduces.

After its failure, Firefox automatically tries to load the information about open tabs and windows from sessionstore.js. If this file is damaged, unavailable, has wrong format or browser doesn’t see it on some reason, Firefox starts a new clean session, and Restore Previous Session menu becomes inactive. However, there is no reason to give up — there are some other ways to restore the list of previously opened tabs.

The matter is that sessionstore.bak that contains information about the previous Firefox session is stored in the same profile directory. This file is a copy of sessionstore.js, which is automatically created if Firefox has failed in the previous time.

Close Firefox and rename sessionstore.bak into sessionstore.js (with replacement), then try to run Firefox again. Look, if the previous session restore has been successful.

If this means hasn’t helped, you can try to get a URL list from sessionstore.js files. The file format is quite specific. You can analyze file contents manually and find all open pages that are contained in the constructions starting from “url”:”http, but it’s quite hard and time consuming.

Let’s try to automate extraction of urls from this file:

• First of all, you need to install Firefox extension for developers Firebug (Firefox -> Add-ons – > Get Add-ons -> Firebug – > Install).
• Then find the previously copied file sessionstore.js and rename it into sessionstore.txt.
• Open this file in the browser (Firefox->New tab ->Open file, specify the path to the txt file).
• Run Firebug console (Firefox->Web Development->Firebug-> Open Firebug)
• In the bottom of the window there is a console prompt (it is marked with the red rectangle on the screenshot). Copy the next js-code into it: javascript:(function()/g,T,U;for(j=0;E=P[j];j++)t+=’[‘+(++i)+’]‘+T+’ (‘+U+’)
  ‘;>>with(window.open().document)>)(); And press Enter.
• After that a new tab appears that contains all the links the script has been able to extract from the session restore file.
• Open the links you need.

System Restore, System Reset, Fresh Start, and Factory Reset… What’s the Difference?

We recently helped someone who had to reinstall all her programs because she ran a Windows 10 System Reset instead of a System Restore. And right then, we realized how confusing all the Windows 10 recovery options can be at times, especially if you’re upset, frustrated or in a hurry. We’re going to clarify each of these Windows 10 recovery options and give you some suggestions. And we’ll include links to our articles showing you how to access and run each of these Windows features.

System Restore

Think of System Restore as a time machine. Let’s say this morning you installed Uncle Bill’s Desktop Whirly Gig and it really messed up your computer. System Restore is your best option. System Restore lets you go back in time, back to a time before you installed Uncle Bill’s crummy software. System Restore puts your computer back to the state it was in before your computer got all messed up. System Restore keeps all of your programs and settings up to the date/time of the Restore Point you choose. Additionally, it keeps all of your personal files and folders regardless of the Retore Point you choose. System Restore is a good first option when something goes wrong because it makes the least changes to your computer. To learn how to use System Restore see this Cloudeight article.

System Reset

System Reset is a powerful tool that comes with every version of Windows 10. System Reset gives you two options:

1. Reset your computer and keep all your personal files.

2. Reset your computer and remove everything.

When you do a System Reset and choose the option to keep your personal files, Windows saves all of your personal files (documents, pictures, videos, music, etc.) and then removes all your programs and settings. Windows generates a list of programs that it removes. After Windows has saved all of your personal files and removed all of your programs, it reinstalls Windows. Any programs you installed are removed, but any apps that came with Windows and manufacturer’s bloatware will be reinstalled.

After the Reset is done, all your personal files will be right where they were before you did the reset. But you’ll need to reinstall any programs that you installed because all you’ll have after a Reset are Windows apps like Edge, Mail app, etc. and any manufacturer’s software that came with your computer. Our advice: The first program you should re-install after a system Reset is your security software.

When you do a System Reset and choose not to save your personal files and folders, Windows will remove everything, reinstall Windows with Windows apps and any manufacturer’s software.

A System Reset is the best option when your computer has so many serious unrelated problems that using your computer becomes very difficult or very annoying. To learn how to use System Reset to reset your PC and keep all your personal files, see our article here .

Fresh start

Fresh start is a new feature of Windows 10 that was introduced with Windows 10 Creators Update. Fresh start is very similar to System Reset with one big difference. When you run a Windows 10 Fresh start, it saves your personal files and folders, and some of your Windows settings. It uninstalls all of your programs. Then Fresh start clean installs Windows, which means none of the manufacturer’s bloatware is installed. You get a fresh, clean copy of Windows, and all your personal files are restored. Fresh start is a good choice if you are having many substantial and serious problems with your PC. You can get more information about Fresh start by visiting this page .

Factory Reset

Most computer manufacturers include a (sometimes hidden) recovery partition on your hard drive. This recovery partition allows you to restore your computer to the state it was in the day you bought it – in other words just like it was when it was brand new.

Each computer manufacturer has its own procedure for performing a factory reset. Since doing a factory reset wipes everything off your computer and puts it back to exactly the way it was the day you bought it, it should be your very last choice if you are having serious problems with your computer.

IMPORTANT: If your computer came with Windows 7 or Windows 8x on it when you purchased it, and you then upgraded to Windows 10, if you do a factory reset, your computer will be running Windows 7 or Windows 8x a whichever was on your computer the day you bought it.

Always use System Restore, System Reset, or Fresh start before resorting to a factory reset. If you want to know how to do a factory reset, check your computer manufacturer’s website. Each manufacturer has its own method of doing a factory reset.

One thought on “ System Restore, System Reset, Fresh Start and Factory Reset… What’s the Difference? ”

May I add to your System Restore, Factory reset, etc piece….
I have a summary note/file which lists all the apps/prgms/ and special configuration information about my machine which I update whenever I make changes. It even logs installation instructions, download links, and license/activitation codes in each app.
What used to take me many, many days to do whenever my system crashed or needed reset, now can be done in a matter of hours all in one day.
A marvellous and practical time saver .
Richard

This brief tutorial shows students and new users how to completely reset Microsoft Edge browser to its default settings in Windows 10.

The new Microsoft Edge browser has adopted the Chromium open source project code base and offers better web compatibility and performance over the legacy edge.

Edge browser is a cross-platform which supports all of Windows, MacOS and Linux systems.

Once in a while, Edge browser will stop working properly. This can occur because of browser settings changes, new extensions, profile settings, browsing data and others. If you find your Edge browser behaving this way and can’t resolve the issues, it’s best to reset to its default settings.

When you reset Edge, will reset all settings back to its default, and delete all profiles, favorites and extensions.

To get started with resetting Edge, follow the steps below:

Reset settings in Edge

Microsoft Edge comes with a built-in reset tool that will reset your startup page, new tab page, search engine, and pinned tabs. It will also disable all extensions and clear temporary data like cookies. Your favorites, history and saved passwords will not be cleared.

This might be something you want to do first, before completely resetting Edge to default values.

To reset settings in Edge, open Microsoft Edge and click the 3 horizontal dots ( … ) at the top right corner of your screen as shown in the image below.

When the Settings page opens, click on Reset settings on the left side, and click on Restore settings to their default values on the right side.

This will bring up a confirmation page asking if you want to reset and that resetting will make some changes, including disabling all extensions and clearing temporary data like cookies.

Click Reset to complete the process.

Completely Reset Edge

If the above steps don’t work for you or you simply want to just blow out Edge browser entire settings and start over, then use the method below.

Close out Edge browser, then in the search box at the bottom left, type in the commands below:

Or use the Run app and paste the command above, then press Enter to open your profile path.

This will open Microsoft folder in your profile.

When the folder opens, delete Edge folder as shown below.

During this will completely delete all data and start over with Edge.

Conclusion:

This brief tutorial showed you how to reset Microsoft Edge to its default settings. If you find any error above, please use the comment form below to report.

Published by Richard

Hi, I’m Richard. In my spare time, I research topics that are interesting and worthwhile for users and students who want to try something new. I, too, am a student and my focus here is to help other students and new users get started with managing Ubuntu Linux, Windows, Content Management Systems (CMS) and others. I try to do my best explaining the topics and detailing the instructions so that anyone can understand. These tutorials may not work in all situations and for all users. However, if you run into trouble, please ask your questions below and I or someone from the community may help you resolve. Thanks for reading and hope you come back.

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Use Chrome Advanced Settings to reset the browser

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What to Know

• Launch Chrome and select Menu (three dots). Select Settings >Advanced >Restore settings to their original defaults.
• A confirmation dialog will appear, detailing the components that will be restored to their default state. Click Reset Settings to continue.
• After the reset, you’ll lose extensions, themes, custom home page URLs, custom startup tabs, your browsing history, website data, and more.

This article explains how to use Chrome Advanced Settings to reset the Google Chrome web browser to its default state. Instructions cover Chrome OS, macOS, Linux, and Windows platforms.

Advanced Settings: Reset Google Chrome

Follow these instructions to reset the Chrome browser to the state it was in when you first installed it.

First, open your Google Chrome browser.

Select Chrome’s main menu button in the upper-right corner of your browser window.

When the drop-down menu appears, select Settings.

Scroll to the bottom of the page and press Advanced.

Scroll down and select Restore settings to their original defaults.

A confirmation dialog will appear, detailing the components that will be restored to their default state, should you continue on with the reset process.

Click Reset settings to comtinue.

What Can Happen

If resetting Chrome makes you nervous, it’s with good reason. Here’s what can happen if you decide to reset:

• Extensions and themes will become inactive.
• If your home page button is currently visible on Chrome’s main toolbar, it won’t be after the reset.
• Chrome will delete custom homepage URLs.
• Changes made to Chrome’s default search engine, and any other installed search engines, will return to their original state.
• You will lose custom start-up tabs.
• Chrome will clear the New Tab page.
• The reset will delete your browsing history, cookies, cache, and other website data.

If you’re okay with these changes, press Reset Settings to complete the restoration process.

When resetting Chrome’s browser settings, it shares the following items with Google: locale, user agent, Chrome version, startup type, default search engine, installed extensions, and whether or not your home page is the New Tab page. If you don’t feel comfortable sharing these settings, remove the checkmark next to the Help make Google Chrome/Chromium better by reporting the current settings option prior to clicking Reset.

About Resetting Chrome

As Google’s Chrome browser continues to evolve, so does the level of control you have to modify its behavior. With dozens of customizable settings available, including tweaking its homepage functionality and utilizing web and prediction services, Chrome can provide a browsing experience tailored to your liking.

With all of this virtual dominion, however, come some inherent pitfalls. Whether the changes you’ve made to Chrome are causing problems or, worse yet, happened without your consent (for example, due to malware), resetting Chrome to its default state often solves these issues.

Are you having problems with your Wi-Fi on Windows 10? Is your Windows 10 PC unable to connect to Wi-Fi networks? In this guide, we will see how to fix common Wi-Fi issues by reinstalling the Wi-Fi driver.

On your Windows 10 PC, you might encounter issues while connecting to a Wi-Fi network or Windows 10 might intermittently disconnect from the connected Wi-Fi network. Your PC might not detect available Wi-Fi networks or fail to connect to a wireless network. At times, the Wi-Fi adapter might refuse to turn on or off.

Most of the Wi-Fi related issues on your PC can be fixed by reinstalling the Wi-Fi driver on your PC. In fact, it’s the ultimate solution out there to fix Wi-Fi issues. Reinstalling the wireless driver includes downloading a fresh copy of the driver, uninstalling the current driver from your PC, and then installing the fresh copy of the driver.

Complete the given below directions to reinstall the wireless or Wi-Fi driver on your Windows 10 PC.

IMPORTANT: When you reinstall the Wi-Fi driver, Windows will delete all saved Wi-Fi network passwords. That means, after installing the Wi-Fi driver, you will have to enter the password again to connect to a wireless network. If you have forgotten the Wi-Fi password, please refer to our how to view saved Wi-Fi password in Windows 10 guide to back up all Wi-Fi passwords before uninstalling the driver.

Reinstalling the Wi-Fi driver in Windows 10

Step 1: Open Device Manager. To do so, right-click on the Start button and then click Device Manager.

Step 2: In the Device Manager, expand Network Adapters to see all network adapters, including the wireless adapter. The Wi-Fi adapter usually has the term “wireless” in its entry.

Note down the wireless adapter name and number as you will need to download the adapter driver before uninstalling the present driver. Once you uninstall the present wireless driver, your Wi-Fi adapter will stop working, so you cannot download the new driver unless you have an Ethernet connection.

To check the version number of the driver, right-click on the wireless driver entry in Device Manager, click Network adapters, click Properties, click the Driver tab.

Step 3: Visit the wireless adapter’s official website or your PC manufacturer’s website, and download the right Wi-Fi driver. We repeat, make sure that you have downloaded the right wireless adapter driver.

Step 4: Now that you have downloaded the Wi-Fi driver, it’s time to uninstall the current driver. In the Device Manager, right-click on the wireless adapter entry, and click the Uninstall device option.

In the older versions of Windows 10 (build 10240), you will see only Uninstall instead of Uninstall device option.

Step 5: When you see the following confirmation dialog, please select Delete driver software for this device checkbox and then click the Uninstall button to uninstall the driver as well as the device.

Step 6: Once the driver is uninstalled, save your work, and restart your PC once. Please reboot your PC once to avoid driver issues later.

Step 7: Launch the setup of the new driver that you downloaded previously (as mentioned in Step 3), and follow the on-screen directions to install the driver. That’s it!

If asked, perform a reboot to complete the driver installation.

You can now click on the Wi-Fi or wireless icon on the taskbar to see all available wireless networks. If the icon is missing, please refer to our fix to wireless icon missing from Windows 10 taskbar guide.

Problems with the PC Settings app? Resetting will help solve them. Follow these steps to quickly reinstall or reset the PC Settings app.

For the past few versions of Windows 10, the PC Settings app has gone through a lot of improvements in aesthetics, stability, categorization, and ease of use. Though the Control Panel is still supreme when it comes to discoverability and ease of use, the Windows 10 Settings app is slowly getting there. Simply put, whether you like it or not, the PC Settings app is your Control Panel in Windows 10. That’s one of the reasons why Microsoft chose to remove the Control Panel in the WinX menu.

Though the Settings app’s stability and reliability has been improved greatly over time, it can still act finicky from time to time like any other program. For example, the other day I’m trying to change the mouse cursor size. No matter how many times I drag the slider, there is no result.

In cases like that where the app is behaving abnormally, resetting will help. So, in this quick article, let me show how you can reset the PC Settings app in Windows 10 with just a few clicks.

Steps Reset or Reinstall PC Settings App

The PC Settings app is just like any other app on Windows 10. However, it is tightly integrated into Windows and has special privileges when compared to other applications. As such, you cannot see its own entry in the “Apps” page in the Settings app. It is hidden by default and there is no simple way to show it in the apps list.

However, there is still a way to access the Settings app’s settings page. Once you have access to the settings page, you can reset it like any other store app.

1. Open the start menu. On the bottom left corner, you can see the Settings (gear) icon. Right-click on the icon and select “More → App Settings”.

2. The above action will open the settings page. Here, scroll down and click on the “Reset” button.

3. To confirm your action, click on the “Reset” button again in the pop-up.

As soon as you click on the button, the PC Settings app will close itself and gets reset in the background. In addition to that, if the PC Settings app is pinned to the taskbar, the icon will disappear too.

You can instantly open the PC Settings app by searching for it in the start menu or by pressing the Win + I keyboard shortcut.

What Does App Resetting Do?

When you reset an app in Windows 10, doesn’t matter what app it is, all the data, cache, settings, and modifications are instantly deleted. The app will essentially look like you just installed it.

Hope that helps If you are stuck or need some help, comment below and I will try to help as much as possible. If you like this article, do check out how to open the Settings app from Command Prompt and how to pin any page from the Settings app to the taskbar.

We’re excited to bring all that you love about Firefox, the web browser, to Windows 10. When you upgrade to Windows 10 or get a device that already has it installed, you may be surprised to find that your default browser is set to Microsoft Edge by Windows. Microsoft has changed how to set default applications in Windows 10 and to help with the process, we have illustrated below all the steps you need to set or change your default back to your intended choice.

1. When you open Firefox for the first time, you will be asked if you’d like to make it your default browser. To do so, click the “Use Firefox as my default browser” button.
2. The Windows Settings app will open with the Choose default apps screen. Scroll down and click the entry under Web browser. The Web browser icon will say either “Microsoft Edge” or “Choose your default browser”. It may not be intuitive, but you need to click on the Microsoft Edge logo to open the window that will let you choose another Web browser as your default.
3. This will open the Choose an app screen. Click Firefox in the list to set it as the default browser.
4. Firefox is now listed as your default browser. Close the window to save your changes.

Here’s a video walkthrough of this process.
If you need more help, please go to our support page.

Help Test Firefox Beta on Windows 10

We wanted to make sure that Firefox showed up on Windows 10 as a first-class experience, so we’ve made a lot of subtle tweaks to the look and feel that both sit well in the Windows 10 context and are definitively Firefox. We’re taking visual cues from style changes appearing in Windows 10 and we’re also reducing the overall browser UI footprint to increase space for viewing the Web. Download Firefox Beta now to help test out these updates or watch out for them coming soon in the general release of Firefox!

Resetting your computer to factory settings might be necessary if the operating system is damaged, the hard drive is corrupted, the computer is infected by a virus, or you are transferring ownership of the computer. HP System Recovery removes all hard drive data and reinstalls the original operating system.

HP Cloud Recovery is available for HP PCs manufactured in 2016 and later. HP Cloud Recovery allows you to download recovery software to a USB flash drive. If your computer is not supported by HP Cloud Recovery, go to HP PCs – Reset the computer for more information.

Preparing for system recovery in Windows

Before performing a system recovery, review the topics that might prevent the need to run a recovery or might help to ensure a successful recovery.

Correct startup or boot issues

Many startup or boot issues are caused by minor problems that are easily corrected. Before recovering your computer, try to determine if other, non-destructive, corrective actions will fix the problem.

Back up important files

HP recommends that you back up your files on an external drive or CD/DVD on a regular basis. Scheduled backups can help you recover some, if not all, of your information in the event that something happens to the original files on your computer.

Factory resetting your computer destroys all the files on the hard drive. If you did not back up your files before running a factory reset, the computer might display a prompt to make a backup copy of your files before the reset performs any action that erases or deletes files.

For more information on backing up your important files, see HP PCs – Backing Up Your Files.

Complete a Microsoft System Restore

If your computer develops a problem, perform a Microsoft System Restore before performing a system restore.

The Microsoft System Restore function returns the computer to a restore point, which resets all of the settings for the operating system to those settings that existed at the time the restore point was created. No personal data files, such as email, documents, or pictures are lost. For more information on Microsoft System Restore, see HP PCs – Using Microsoft System Restore.

Know which type of recovery to perform

There are several different types of recovery. See the following tables for more information on recovery options.

HP Cloud Recovery

Restores the original OS from HP.

Restores the release to manufacturing (RTM) state of the currently installed version of Windows.

Restores the original drivers from HP.

Only INF (setup information) based drivers are kept. Device applets installed outside of INF are discarded.

User data (picture, documents, music, videos, desktop shortcuts)

Options to backup user data on separate disk or keep nothing.

Options to keep user data or keep nothing.

Store apps (HP preinstalled)

Built-in Store apps are reverted to factory state.

Built-in Store apps are kept.

Store apps (User installed)

All user-installed Store apps are discarded.

All user-installed Store apps are discarded.

Desktop apps (HP preinstalled)

All preinstalled desktop apps are reverted to factory state.

All preinstalled desktop apps are reverted to factory state.

Keeps preinstalled antivirus program as default.

Desktop apps (User-installed)

All user-installed desktop apps are discarded.

All user-installed desktop apps are discarded.

Personalized Windows settings

Personalized Windows settings are saved in the cloud through your Microsoft account.

For details, from the Desktop, search for and open Settings > Accounts > Sync your settings .

Personalized Windows settings are saved in the cloud through your Microsoft account.

For details, from the Desktop, search for and open Settings > Accounts > Sync your settings .

Fresh Start (Creators Update)

Always on the latest version of Windows.

Fresh Start requires PC to be connected to the Internet to install updates and upgrades.

All drivers are kept.

Only INF (setup information) based drivers are kept. Device applets installed outside of INF are discarded.

User data (picture, documents, music, videos, desktop shortcuts)

Always keeps user data. No option to remove user data.

Store apps (HP-preinstalled)

Built-in Store apps are kept.

Fresh Start keeps Store contents modifier (SCM) to show recommended Store apps in Store.

Store apps (User installed)

All user-installed Store apps are discarded.

Desktop apps (HP preinstalled)

All preinstalled desktop apps are discarded.

Fresh Start makes Windows Defender your default antivirus program.

Desktop apps (User installed)

All user-installed desktop apps are discarded.

Personalized Windows settings

Personalized Windows settings are saved in the cloud through your Microsoft account.

For details, from the Desktop, search for and open Settings > Accounts > Sync your settings .

Bluetooth pairing info is kept for HID-class devices (keyboard, mouse, game controller, for example). Power settings are kept.

Perform a system recovery in Windows

Identify the correct recovery tool for your computer and find step-by-step instructions for performing a recovery or reset.

Select a recovery process for Windows

Use one of the following links based on the type of recovery or reset that you want to perform:

By Avram Piltch published 16 July 21

Get your Windows 11 PC back to a factory fresh state.

Sometimes you just need to start over and reset your Windows 11 operating system. Perhaps you made so many settings or registry tweaks that you forgot how to change them all back to the defaults. Maybe you installed some software that’s messing up your system. Or maybe you want to donate or sell your PC to someone else and don’t want them accessing your apps or data.

You could download a Windows 11 ISO and do a clean install, but that’s not necessary. Like Windows 10, Windows 11 has a built-in function that allows you to restore your computer to its factory settings, remove all installed apps and, if you choose, delete all your data too. You can even “clean the drive” so hackers who would attempt to undelete your files after you reset Windows 11 would not be able to.

How to Reset Windows 11

1. Open Settings.

2. Navigate to System->Recovery.

Recovery” onerror=”if(this.src && this.src.indexOf(‘missing-image.svg’) !== -1);this.parentNode.replaceChild(window.missingImage(),this)” data-normal=” data-srcset=” 320w, 650w, 970w” data-sizes=”(min-width: 1000px) 970px, calc(100vw – 40px)” data-original-mos=” data-pin-media=” Recovery” onerror=”if(this.src && this.src.indexOf(‘missing-image.svg’) !== -1);this.parentNode.replaceChild(window.missingImage(),this)” data-normal=” data-srcset=” 320w, 650w, 970w” data-sizes=”(min-width: 1000px) 970px, calc(100vw – 40px)” data-original-mos=” data-pin-media=” Recovery” onerror=”if(this.src && this.src.indexOf(‘missing-image.svg’) !== -1);this.parentNode.replaceChild(window.missingImage(),this)” data-normal=” data-srcset=” 320w, 650w, 970w” data-sizes=”(min-width: 1000px) 970px, calc(100vw – 40px)” data-original-mos=” data-pin-media=”

3. Click Reset.

4. Select either “Keep my files” or “Remove everything.” If you don’t want your data files erased go with the former. If you plan to give the computer to someone else, go with the latter to make sure they don’t get your data. Either way, make sure that any files you want to keep are backed up somewhere before you reset Windows 11.

5. Choose between “Cloud download” and “Local reinstall.” If your system is basically in good shape and you just want to clear out your settings and data and start over again, Local reinstall is the way to go. If you feel like you have some corrupted system files, going with Cloud download could help you.

6. Click Next if you are ok with the settings and don’t wish to “clean the drive.”

If you are removing all files and want to clean the drive (where the erased files will be a lot harder for a hacker to recover), you can click “Change settings” and enable “Clean data?” This will add many hours to the reset time so only do it if you’re really concerned that someone else is going to get this PC and run some kind of undelete software to look for your files. If you’re selling or donating your computer, it may be worth it.

7. Click Reset.

At this point, you can walk away for a while. The device will take a few minutes preparing before it automatically restarts.

The computer will restart and go through a resetting process that also takes a few minutes.

Eventually, the computer will start asking you the same questions you get during a clean install of Windows 11.

8. Follow the prompts to complete the reinstall process. These will include selecting your country, keyboard layout and privacy settings, along with logging in to your Microsoft account.

After a few minutes more, you’ll have your Windows 11 PC back at a factory state. Then, if you plan to keep using the computer (as opposed to donating or selling it), you can customize your OS by replacing the Windows 11 Start menu, bringing back the Windows 10 File Explorer in Windows 11, or changing the size of the Windows 11 taskbar.

It’s a simple thing and I was pretty sure it’s well described, but surprisingly it is not so obvious.

Here I’ve found a detailed description of settings file. As it states it should be setting.json file located %APPDATA%\Code\User\settings.json , but in my case it’s not there.

Can someone give me some help with restoring default settings in Visual Studio Code? I’ve hidden menu bar by accident and I can’t find no way to show it back.

12 Answers 12

You can get your menu back by pressing/holding alt , you can then toggle the menu back on via the View menu.

As for your settings, you can open your user settings through the command palette:

1. Press F1
2. Type user settings
3. Press enter

Click the “sheet” icon to open the settings.json file:

From there you can delete the file’s contents and save to reset your settings.

For a more manual route, the settings files are located in the following locations:

• Windows %APPDATA%\Code\User\settings.json
• macOS $HOME/Library/Application Support/Code/User/settings.json
• Linux $HOME/.config/Code/User/settings.json

Extensions are located in the following locations:

• Windows %USERPROFILE%\.vscode\extensions
• macOS

If you want to reset everything, go to %userprofile%\AppData\Roaming\Code and delete the whole folder after you uninstall the VS code, then install it again.

Also in %userprofile%\.vscode delete extensions folder in case you want to delete all extensions.

This may be overkill, but it seemed to work for me (on a Mac):

After I ran that, and restarted VSC, it showed the the “Welcome” screen, which I took to mean that it was starting from scratch.

If you want to start afresh, deleting the settings.json file from your user’s profile will do the trick.

But if you don’t want to reset everything, it is still possible through settings menu.

You can search for the setting that you want to revert back using search box.

You will see some settings with the left blue line, it means you’ve modified that one.

If you take your cursor to that setting, a gear button will appear. You can click this to restore that setting.

You can also use the drop-down below that setting and change it to default.

By: Waseem Patwegar

The BIOS/UEFI can get corrupted due to malware, unfinished or stuck updates and malware. Hence, it is important to know the steps to reset BIOS or UEFI on your computer.

Reset BIOS or UEFI to Default Settings

Irrespective of the operating system (Windows or macOS, Linux), the motherboard of all computers comes with a built-in firmware known as BIOS, which stands for Basic Input Output System.

This firmware performs Hardware initialization during the boot up process and provides run time services for operating systems and programs.

On newer computers, BIOS has been replaced with UEFI or Unified Extensible Firmware Interface.

The terms BIOS and UEFI are used interchangeably by computer users and they both perform the same functions.

The UEFI BIOS on newer computer has more security features and is rated to be faster than BIOS.

How to Enter BIOS or UEFI Settings?

In general, BIOS can be accessed by repeatedly pressing a dedicated function key as your computer is booting up.

The designated function key to enter BIOS can vary, depending on the manufacturer and the model of your computer.

As manufacturer are not required to follow any standard, they have been assigning different function keys to access BIOS/UEFI Settings.

In addition to using the Function key, there are various other methods to enter BIOS or UEFI on a Windows 10 Computer.

BIOS/UEFI Settings can be used to change the boot order, change keyboard control and troubleshoot problems on a computer.

Reset BIOS to Default Settings

If the BIOS or UEFI Firmware on your computer has become corrupted, you can follow the steps below to Reset BIOS to Factory Default Settings.

The easiest way to Enter BIOS is to Restart your computer while holding down the Shift Key. If this does not work, you will have to use some other method to access BIOS on your computer.

1. Press and hold down the Shift key on the keyboard of your computer and click on Restart .

2. On the next screen, select the Troubleshoot option.

3. From Troubleshoot screen, navigate to Advanced options and select UEFI Firmware Settings option.

4. On the next screen, select the Restart option to enter BIOS settings on your computer.

5. On BIOS Settings screen, click on Restore Settings button to Reset BIOS on your computer.

If you do not see Restore Settings button, press the F9 key to bring up Load Default Options prompt and click on Yes to Restore BIOS to default settings.

6. Make sure you click on the Save option, before clicking on Exit to close the BIOS Settings screen

Note: Your computer may have its own menu option to Reset BIOS.

Give yourself a fresh start without having to buy a new router

May 23, 2022 | Share
How-To, Technology

For most modern routers, doing a complete factory reset requires only a few steps:

1. Make sure your router is plugged in.
2. Find the reset button (usually inside a tiny hole on the back).
3. Insert a paperclip into the hole to hold down the button for 30 seconds.
4. Release the button, and wait for your router to power back on.

This should reset all your router settings to what they were when it first came out of the box.

Still having some issues or not sure if a full reset is what you need? Let’s go into some more detail about how and why to reset your router.

Looking to upgrade to a faster, stronger, or more reliable router? Check out our review of the best routers you can get for your home network.

Why reset your router?

Resetting your router to its factory default settings isn’t something you need to do on a regular basis, but it can be a useful troubleshooting tool in certain situations. This is a much more drastic step than simply restarting it. You can think of a factory reset as erasing all the data and settings on the device and starting from scratch.

You might want to reset your router in these situations:

• You’re troubleshooting a problem on your home network and other methods like power cycling haven’t worked.
• You’ve been locked out of your device’s administrative web interface.
• You plan on selling, giving away, or otherwise disposing of your device.
• You think there might be malware on your device.

There are some downsides to performing a full factory reset. It removes all of your custom settings and information, including passwords and network names. So you have to set up your home network all over again once the reset is complete. Most routers allow you to back up your data, which can make the process a bit faster.

Pro tip:

Once you reset your router, you won’t be able to use it to connect to the internet until it’s set up again. It’s a good idea to download any manuals, instructions, or other materials beforehand or make sure that you have a device, like a phone, that can connect to the internet using something other than your home network.

What else can you try?

Before you try to do a full factory reset on your router, there are a few things you should try first. These procedures are much easier to perform and won’t erase your data and settings.

Reboot your router

A full factory reset is different from simply rebooting your device (also known as power cycling), though both deal with clearing your device’s memory.

When you reboot your router by powering it down, it clears all the information in volatile memory, or RAM. This works the same way as if you experienced a power outage while writing an essay on your computer. When the power comes back on, everything you had written recently would be gone, but anything saved to your hard drive would still be there.

The problems with your router are often caused by errors in the programs currently running. When you reboot the router and those programs start up again, the errors are gone, just like our example of the essay. That’s why it’s always a good idea to try rebooting your router first to see if that fixes your problems.

If a reboot doesn’t fix the problem, you might need to reset. A reset not only clears your volatile memory, but your non-volatile memory, or hard drive, as well. It’s like erasing your essay (and everything else) from your computer’s hard drive. The entire essay would be gone from your computer (though you could still have it backed up elsewhere).

When the problem with your router isn’t just with the software currently running, but with some bad data saved on the device (or a saved password that you can’t remember), that bad data doesn’t go away when you turn the power off. To clear it out, you need to erase it by resetting the device.

Update your firmware

If a reboot isn’t fixing your problem and you’re considering the nuclear option, there is one more step you can try first: updating your firmware. Firmware is the built-in software that controls the router and allows it to manage your home network. Just like computer operating systems, firmware is occasionally updated to fix bugs or improve performance.

If your router hasn’t been running as well as it used to or it has begun to develop small problems, this problem might have already been fixed in a firmware update. To update your firmware, go to the manufacturer’s website and look up your device for updates and instructions. Some routers also allow you to update firmware or set up automatic updates from their settings menu.

A firmware update won’t fix every problem, such as forgetting your password or removing malware, but it’s a good thing to check when you’re dealing with unidentified router issues.

How do you reset your router through its settings menu?

If your router doesn’t have a reset button, you can still reset it to factory settings by logging in via the web interface. Most routers also allow you to back up your settings from the web interface.

To reset your router through the web interface, follow these steps:

1. Find your router’s IP address.
2. Type the address into your browser.
3. Log in using your username and password.
4. Find the factory reset option (usually found under Settings or System).

If you saved your settings before resetting, the option to restore those settings is usually located in the same menu.

I reset my router. What next?

Once you’ve reset your router to factory settings, you need to set it up like it’s a brand new router. You can do this by logging into its settings menu. It’s helpful to have the manual, but routers also often have the default username and password (often simply “admin” and “password,” but this varies by brand) printed on a sticker stuck to the back or underside of the router.

During this process, you also set up your home network’s name and password and reconfigure any built-in parental controls or other network management tools.

This is also a good time to update your router’s firmware to the most recent version. A factory reset sends your router back to the earliest version of its firmware, so it’s likely your firmware will be out of date. This is especially true for older routers.

Looking for tools to find out how much internet speed you’re getting on your home network? Check out our internet speed test to get info on download speed, upload speed, and latency.

Kodi builds offer a fairly handy approach to the glamorous media streaming world, but they can also provide outdated and not working addons and even generate problems on your streaming device. To help you uninstall unwanted Kodi builds, this page is the step-by-step guide on how to uninstall Kodi builds in 2022, to reset Kodi and give it a fresh start for rejuvenated performance. Two methods are provided for you to uninstall Kodi builds on any device.

What’s more, an all-in-one program is also recommended, which combines online video downloader, format converter, video compressor, screen recorder and more into one. Free Download here:

Why You Should Uninstall Kodi Builds

The thing is, most Kodi builds you can find on the internet are either not working or outdated and that’s why Kodi builds can be bittersweet.

It takes a tremendous amount of work for a build developer to keep a builds working and updated and many of the developers are doing the whole thing just out of interest. But when there’re more toils than fun in the work of updating builds, and the developer isn’t seeing any lucrative opportunities (and most of them don’t) out of it, isn’t it reasonable that the guy gives up the whole thing and leave all the ignorant users a timebomb?

Obsolete Kodi builds encompass massive discontinued or dead Kodi addons and repositories, which not only are messes throughout your Kodi experience but also take up excessive storage space and bog down your device. What’s worse, outdated builds pose threat to your Kodi device and home network system, as they always leave the backdoor open.

To use Kodi cleanly, we recommend the manual Kodi setup for unimpeded troubleshooting during use, and manual installation of updated addons and repositories. See our Best Kodi Addons in 2022 and Best Kodi Repositories in 2022 for best streaming choices, and Best Kodi Skins in 2022 for awesome Kodi looks. These are all your need to create your own Kodi build.

Meanwhile, we do understand that non-tech savvy Kodi users appreciate the ease of use of Kodi builds, thus we have round up the still working, updated and trustworthy ones on our Best Kodi Builds in 2022 list for your choice. Anytime a build goes belly-up, you can always uninstall it for another streaming option.

– Last updated on July 30, 2018 by VG

Windows 10 comes with many built-in apps bundled such as Mail, People, Photos, Maps, Calendar, Calculator, Movies, Music, etc. These apps are known as UWP (Universal Windows Platform) apps. Previously these apps were known as Metro or Modern apps. Sometimes these apps are also referred as Windows Store apps as these apps can be downloaded and installed via Windows Store.

Most of these apps run in background to provide better experience to the users. Sometimes you may need to terminate/kill/end task these apps so that these apps stop consuming your system resources.

Also many times some apps may not work properly. You may face issues and problems with these apps such as bugs or crashing problems. Sometimes these apps may throw error messages at startup.

To fix problems and issues related to these apps, Windows 10 allows users to reset these apps. If an app isn’t working right, you can reset the app to restore it to factory settings. Once you reset an app, Windows 10 will reinstall the app and will revert it to its default settings. So you’ll get a brand new app as you got it when you clean installed Windows 10 for the first time.

If you also want to terminate an app so that it doesn’t run in background or want to reset an app to default factory settings, following steps will help you:

1. Open Settings app from Start Menu or by pressing WIN+I keys together.

2. Now go to “Apps -> Apps & features” section.

PS: Alternatively, You can directly launch this page using “ms-settings:appsfeatures” command in RUN dialog box as mentioned here .

3. In right-side pane, under “Apps & features” section, look for the app which you want to terminate or reset.

4. Once you find the app, click on it and Windows will show “Advanced options” link under app name. Click on the link.

5. Now you’ll get buttons to terminate or reset the app.

If you want to terminate the app, click on “Terminate” button. It’ll not remove or delete the app from your system. It’ll just close the app so that it stops running in the background. If you want, you can launch the app again from Start Menu.

If you want to reset the app to fix app related problems, click on “Reset” button. It’ll reinstall the app and will restore it to default settings. Now you’ll get a fresh app without any issues.

BONUS TIP:

On the “Advanced options” page, under “Specifications” section, you can check the version number of app installed in your computer.

Also Check:

You are here: Home » Windows 10 » [Tip] How to Reset or Terminate an App in Windows 10

Published in: Windows 10

About the author: Vishal Gupta (also known as VG) has been awarded with Microsoft MVP (Most Valuable Professional) award. He holds Masters degree in Computer Applications (MCA). He has written several tech articles for popular newspapers and magazines and has also appeared in tech shows on various TV channels.

Comments

NOTE: Older comments have been removed to reduce database overhead.

Don’t see any Terminate buttons, just the dumb reset ones.

^^ Did you check all built-in apps advanced options? The terminate option is available for me for all built-in apps.

my game angry birds 2 is crashing from 3 days, please suggest me something to overcome it as soon as possible,please

Restoring a browser’s default settings is often useful when you need to troubleshoot issues or want to refresh your browser without reinstalling it. Restoring default settings can improve browser performance.

To reset an Internet browser back to its default settings, select your browser in the list below and follow the instructions.

• Google Chrome
• Mozilla Firefox
• Microsoft Edge
• Microsoft Edge Legacy
• Microsoft Internet Explorer
• Opera
• Safari

Google Chrome

1. Open the Google Chrome browser.
2. Click the icon in the upper-right corner of the browser window.
3. In the drop-down menu that appears, select Settings.

1. On the left side of the screen, click Advanced to expand the menu, then click Reset and clean up.

1. In the Reset and clean up section, click the Restore settings to their original defaults option.

1. Click the Reset settings button in the pop-up window to confirm your choice.

Mozilla Firefox

1. Near the top-right of the page, under Give Firefox a tune up, click the Refresh Firefox button.

1. Click the Refresh Firefox button in the prompt window to confirm your choice.

Microsoft Edge

1. Under the Settings section on the left, click Reset settings.

1. Under the Reset settings section, click Restore settings to their default values.

1. When prompted, click the Reset button to confirm your choice.

Microsoft Edge Legacy

Microsoft Internet Explorer

1. In the Internet Options window, click the Advanced tab.
2. Under Reset Internet Explorer settings, click the Reset button.
3. In the pop-up window, click the Reset button to confirm your choice.

Opera

1. In the Settings window, click the button.
2. Scroll to the bottom of the expanded Settings window and, under the Reset settings section, click the Restore settings to their original defaults option.

1. Click the Reset button in the pop-up window to confirm your choice.

1. Open the Opera browser.
2. In the address bar at the top, type opera:about and press Enter .
3. On the About Opera page, find the Paths section and make a note of the folder path for Profile and Cache.
4. Close the Opera browser.
5. Open the Windows Explorer program and navigate to the folder path you noted in step 3 above. Go up one folder, then delete the folder designated in the Profile and Cache folder path.

For example, in the image below, the folder path is C:\Users\Tim\AppData\Roaming\Opera Software\Opera Stable. You would navigate to the Opera Stable folder, go up one folder to the Opera Software folder, and delete the Opera Stable folder.

Safari

Resetting Safari

Unfortunately, the “Reset Safari” option was removed from macOS. To restore the default settings, you need to clear the history, clear the browser cache, and remove any extensions.

Reports are coming in by Firefox users from all over the world that saved passwords are no longer available when they start the web browser.

Firefox, just like any other modern browser, supports the saving of authentication information to improve the sign-in process on websites. Instead of having to enter the passwords manually each time they are requested, Firefox would provide the password when needed.

Firefox saves the data in the file logins.json in the Firefox profile folder.

Reports suggest that Avast and AVG security applications cause the issue for Firefox users. It appears that the software programs somehow corrupt the login.json file so that Firefox cannot read it anymore.

It is possible that other security programs may cause the issue as well.

Good news is that the passwords are still there and that affected users should be able to recover them on their devices. Bad news is that this is only a temporary solution as the files will be corrupted again unless Avast updates its software programs to address the issue.

In other words: the issue is not caused by Firefox, it is caused by third-party software that corrupts the logins file of the Firefox web browser.

Update: Here is the official bug by Mozilla that highlights the issue. (thanks Techdows)

Update 2: AVG provided the following statement:

Some AVG users recently may have been unable to access their browser passwords when using Firefox. This only applied to those who purchased the AVG Password Protection feature and the issue was fixed today at 12:20pm. Avast users were not affected. This happened because Firefox updated its certificates for sign in to the new version of the browser and AVG did not have this new certificate marked in its database as trusted.

The problem was fixed today for AVG users at 12:20 CET and an update was distributed immediately to our user base. AVG checks for updates every four hours, and users can also manually update their software under their AVG settings -> Update. Users with product version VPS 190614-02 and newer will not experience any issues.

For those affected, Firefox has not deleted the password file but will have renamed it to from ‘logins.json’ to something like ‘logins.json.corrupt’ (or ‘logins.json-1.corrupt’, ‘logins.json-2.corrupt’, etc.). This means the passwords are not lost, but the user will need to rename the file back to ‘logins.json’. We recommend the user does a backup of these ‘logins.json’ files, for example to another folder, before renaming them. The password file is typically stored in the Firefox profile directory: c:\Users\ \AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\ .default\logins.json

We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused to the affected users.

Update 3: Mozilla released an add-on to restore the passwords on affected systems.

Fixing the lost password issue

1. Open the Firefox web browser.
2. Load about:support.
3. Click on the “open folder” link near the top of the page that opens; this opens the profile folder.
4. Close Firefox.
5. Check if you see a file called logins.json.corrupt.
6. If you do, rename the file to logins.json to fix it.
7. Start Firefox. The passwords should be available again.

The fix is a temporary one as the logins file will corrupt again when you restart the system.

One option to fix the issue on the user’s end would be to exclude Firefox or the file from scans. Other than that, you either have to wait for AVG/Avast to issue a patch that addresses the problem or remove the software from the system.

Some Firefox users fixed the issue by rolling back to Firefox 67.0.1; AVG/Avast software appears to play fine with that version of the browser.

The incident is not the first time that AVG or Avast software caused issues in Firefox. When Firefox 61 was released in mid 2018, the browser suddenly threw Secure Connection Failed errors when attempting to connect to HTTPS sites. Then in February 2019, users would get SEC_ERROR_UNKNOWN_ISSUER when connecting to secure sites. Turned out that the issues were caused by the security software.

This guide walks through exactly how to reset and restore a Mac to original factory settings. Resetting a Mac to factory settings involves erasing the Mac hard drive and then reinstalling MacOS or Mac OS X system software onto the computer. The result is that all personal data will be removed from the computer completely and a fresh reset original version of Mac OS system software will be installed on the computer, just like the computer was new and how it originated from the factory again (thus why this is called a factory reset).

This reset and restore method is the same with every Mac computer out there, including iMac, MacBook Pro, MacBook, MacBook Air, Mac Mini, and Mac Pro, as long as the Mac is running a somewhat modern version of Mac OS system software with recovery mode support. You can also perform the exact same actions as described here from a boot USB disk if you have one.

Note the difference between a reset of the Mac and a simple reinstall of system software: a true factory reset of a Mac as we’ll show here, is that the computer is erased clean of any and all data entirely, and then a new factory installation of Mac OS X system software is installed on the computer. The initial erase and data removal process is how this primarily differs from simply reinstalling Mac OS X system software on the Mac without formatting the Mac to begin with, which would maintain files and apps and user data, whereas the factory reset completely removes everything and starts fresh.

WARNING: This will completely erase everything on the Mac, no personal files will remain, no apps, nothing, the Mac will be completely formatted and wiped clear, and the only thing left will be the factory reset stock version of MacOS or Mac OS X system software, just as if the Mac was new.

Be sure you backup any and all personal files and data that you care about before starting this process, if you do not back up your personal data and files they will be permanently lost as this process erases the Mac and resets the computer to factory default settings. Do not skip backups of your stuff!

How to Factory Reset Mac OS X to Original Default Factory Settings

If you want to completely erase the Mac and get a factory reset Mac OS X version that is blank and back to default settings as if the computer was brand new, this is the process to achieve that. This will reset Mac to the factory default version of Mac OS X on the computer, everything else will be removed in the process.

1. Reboot the Mac and right after the boot chime sound, hold down the Apple Silicon: POWER BUTTON or Intel: COMMAND + R keys together to boot into Recovery Mode
2. Once in Recovery Mode and at the “macOS Utilities” (or “OS X Utilities”) screen, select “Disk Utility”

Choose “Macintosh HD” (or what the Mac drive is named), then select the “Erase” button

That’s all there is to it, the Mac will finish installing Mac OS X onto the computer and when finished it will reboot automatically into the fresh factory reset version of everything. If you are giving the computer away or selling it or otherwise transferring ownership, you’ll likely not want to fill out any of the setup details and instead when the Mac has completed the factory reset you’ll want to just shut it down and let the new owner take over. On the other hand if you are setting it up yourself, go ahead and go through the initial setup process, it will be just like it was when the Mac was brand new, requiring setup of the user account and system software, setting up as a clean slate of factory default settings.

No personal data will remain on the Mac, no apps, no files, nothing, it is entirely wiped clean of all data and then a fresh factory version of Mac OS X system software has been installed.

This is not a reversible process, which is why it’s so important that any personal data you want saved was backed up first.

Google Chrome is a very popular Internet browser, but some times it runs into problems that make it unstable. In such cases, the only solution is to completely remove and re-install Chrome from scratch. This tutorial will show you how to remove Google Chrome completely from your computer and to re-install your favorite browser again.

This tutorial can fix many Chrome problems and issues, like:

• Google Chrome doesn’t open at all.
• Google Chrome runs into crashes or slow performance.
• Google Chrome displays a “Your preferences could not be read” error message at startup.
• Ads constantly appearing on Google Chrome after adware infection.

How to completely remove Google Chrome in Windows. (All Versions)

Important: Keep in mind that if you follow this procedure, then you lose all your personal profile information stored on Google Chrome, including Bookmarks, Passwords, Settings, etc. Follow this procedure at your own responsibility if any of the other solutions didn’t have any effect.

Suggestions before you continue to remove Chrome from your computer:

1. Delete your current Chrome profile, and see if this helps to resolve Chrome’s problems. Instructions on how to remove the stored Chrome profile can be found in this article.
2. Backup your bookmarks.

Step 1: Uninstall Google Chrome from your computer.

1. Navigate to Windows Control Panel & open Programs & Features (Add/Remove Programs if you have Windows XP). In case you don’t know how to do that, here is what you have to do:

1. Press “Windows” + “R” keys to load the Run dialog box.
2. Type “appwiz.cpl” and press Enter.

2. In the program list, select the Google Chrome and click Uninstall.

Step 2: Enable the Hidden Files View.

You must enable the hidden files view before performing the next step. To do that go to:

1. Start >Control Panel >Folder Options. (In Windows 10 look for “File Explorer Options”)
2. Click the View tab.
3. Click (check) the Show hidden files, folders, and drives option &
4. Uncheck the Hide protected operating system files option.
5. Press OK.

• How to Enable Hidden files View in Windows 7
• How to Enable Hidden files View in Windows 8

Step 3: Delete “Chrome” folders from your computer.

Navigate to the following locations and delete (or rename) the “Chrome” folder(s) that exist there.

Windows 8,7, Vista:

• C:\Users\ \AppData\Local\Google\Chrome
• C:\Program Files\Google\Chrome

Windows XP:

• C:\Documents and Settings\ \Local Settings\Application Data\Google\Chrome
• C:\Program Files\Google\Chrome

How to re-install Google Chrome.

Method 1. Using Chrome Download Center.

1. From any other browser that works (e.g. Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, etc.) navigate to

2. Click Download Chrome and then follow the on screen instructions to finish the installation.

Method 2. Install a fresh copy of Google Chrome for all user accounts on your computer.

1. From any other browser that works (e.g. Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, etc.) , download and run the Alternate (offline) Google Chrome installer for all user accounts.

2. When the installation is completed, run Google Chrome.

If Google Chrome isn’t behaving properly, or you’ve installed an annoying add-on you don’t want (like a third-party toolbar, for example), an easy solution may be to reset the browser to its original settings.

You can also encounter a situation like this if you install a problematic browser extension, or if you accidentally configure your settings in a way that makes your browser behave strangely.

The good news is that if you reset Chrome, you won’t lose any of your search history, saved bookmarks, or passwords. Here are the things that will change after the reset:

• The default search engine changes back to Google.
• All extensions will be disabled.
• Your tabs will be closed, and your homepage will become the New Tab page.
• Pinned tabs are closed.
• Preferences and settings are reset to their defaults.
• Cookies are deleted, so you’ll be logged out of all websites.

How to reset a Google Chrome browser

1. Start Chrome.

2. Click the three horizontal dots at the top-right of the window (often called the hamburger menu).

3. In the menu that appears, click “Settings.”

4. On the new page that opens, on the left side of the screen, click “Advanced.”

5. Under the Advanced options, click “Reset and clean up.” (On certain kinds of computers, like Chromebook and Mac, this may appear as “Reset settings.”)

6. On the right side of the screen, click “Restore settings to their original defaults.”

7. In the pop-up, click “Reset settings” to confirm this is what you really want to do. You’ll also be given the option to send your current setting configuration to Google for them to look at — this has no impact on how your browser resets.

Resolve performance issues with a clean slate

• Western Governors University

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What to Know

• From the Windows Start icon, choose Settings >Update & Security >Recovery, and under Reset this PC, select Get Started.
• Choose between resetting while saving your files or deleting everything and reinstalling Windows.

This article explains how to factory reset a Lenovo laptop running on Windows 10. Lenovo offers two options for factory resetting your device: You can keep your files or remove them.

How to Reset Your Lenovo Laptop While Saving Files

You may opt to delete just your files or wipe all files and clean the hard drive to start from scratch. Whichever route you choose, resetting also includes a fresh installation of Windows on your Lenovo laptop. To preserve your documents and files when you reset, follow these steps.

If you have a Lenovo IdeaPad or ThinkPad laptop, you may have the option of using the NOVO button to enter the Lenovo OneKey Recovery mode to factory reset your device. Instead of a button, your laptop may have a recovery button pinhole that you activate with a paper clip.

From the Start menu, go to Settings > Update & Security.

Choose Recovery and under Reset this PC, select Get Started.

Choose Keep my files to save your documents.

You’ll see a message saying This won’t take long as the system readies your machine for a reset.

Next, you’ll be prompted to review the changes, including removing all apps you’ve added, resetting the machine to system defaults, and reinstalling Windows.

Click Reset to confirm and start the process.

Factory resetting your Lenovo laptop may take a long time. To ensure it goes smoothly, keep your laptop is plugged into a power source.

Even if you choose the reset option that preserves your files, it’s best to first back up your files manually just in case something goes wrong. If you don’t have a file backup system, consider using a cloud-based storage service or an external hard drive.

How to Perform a Hard Reset and Remove Files

If you’ll be donating your laptop or you want to fix nagging issues with a clean slate, try a hard reset to wipe the machine of everything and sets it to zero.

From the Windows Start menu, choose Settings > Update & Security > Recovery.

Under Reset this PC, select Get Started > Removing everything.

If you’ll be keeping your PC, choose Just remove my files.

This option is the faster of the two, but it’s potentially less secure if you’ll be giving your laptop away. You may want to opt for the longer but more thorough option to remove all files and clean the drive.

If you are donating your laptop or prefer to perform a more detailed reset, choose Remove everything > Remove files and clean the drive to delete all apps and custom settings.

If you choose this route, there’s no way to walk it back. This choice resets your device to its original factory settings, which means the process will remove all applications and files.

Whichever option you select, once you’re ready to begin, click Reset.

Unsure about whether you need to reset your laptop or if a reboot could help? Dive deeper with this guide on the differences between rebooting vs. resetting your laptop.

Most antivirus programs identify Viafresh.exe as malware—for example TrendMicro identifies it as ADW_MultiPlug, and BitDefender identifies it as Adware.Agent.PZP.

The free file information forum can help you find out how to remove it. If you have additional information about this file, please leave a comment or a suggestion for other users.

Viafresh.exe file information

The process Viafresh.exe contains no information about its author.

Description: Viafresh.exe is not essential for Windows and will often cause problems. The Viafresh.exe file is located in a subfolder of “C:\Program Files”. The file size on Windows 10/8/7/XP is 441,856 bytes.
The file is a file with no information about its developer. The program is not visible. The file is not a Windows core file. Therefore the technical security rating is 84% dangerous.

Important: You should check the Viafresh.exe process on your PC to see if it is a threat. If Viafresh.exe has changed your browser’s search engine and start page, you can recover your browser’s default settings as follows:

Reset default browser settings for Internet-Explorer ▾

1. In Internet Explorer, press the key combination Alt + X to open the Tools menu.
2. Click Internet options.
3. Click the Advanced tab.
4. Click the Reset. button.
5. Enable the Delete personal settings option.

This will reset your Internet Explorer to its default settings. Your browser will start with the familiar start page and search engine—without popups, ads, cookies, but all browser add-ons are deleted too [1] . Make cleaning up your browser and your computer simpler and safer with Security Task Manager.

1. Copy chrome://settings/resetProfileSettings into your Chrome browser’s address bar.
2. Click Reset.

Chrome will then restart with an empty start page and with Google as the default search engine—without any popups, ads, cookies, themes or extensions [1] . If you want to re-enable some extensions, please enter chrome://extensions/ into your Chrome browser’s address bar. Make cleaning up your browser and your computer simpler and safer with Security Task Manager.

1. Copy about:support into your Firefox browser’s address bar.
2. Click Refresh Firefox.

Firefox now looks brand new. Bookmarks and saved passwords are retained, but all browser extensions and their related data are deleted [1] . Make cleaning up your browser and your computer simpler and safer with Security Task Manager.

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Best practices for resolving Viafresh issues

The following programs have also been shown useful for a deeper analysis: A Security Task Manager examines the active Viafresh process on your computer and clearly tells you what it is doing. Malwarebytes’ well-known B anti-malware tool tells you if the Viafresh.exe on your computer displays annoying ads, slowing it down. This type of unwanted adware program is not considered by some antivirus software to be a virus and is therefore not marked for cleanup.

A clean and tidy computer is the key requirement for avoiding PC trouble. This means running a scan for malware, cleaning your hard drive using 1 cleanmgr and 2 sfc /scannow, 3 uninstalling programs that you no longer need, checking for Autostart programs (using 4 msconfig) and enabling Windows’ 5 Automatic Update. Always remember to perform periodic backups, or at least to set restore points.