The classic download confirmation prompt in Firefox enables you to manage and control the flow of the download. It enables you to allow or cancel the downloads, select the location to save the downloads and open a file with another program.

Although this sounds handy, the versions of Firefox 98.0 and above introduced the Optimized Download Flow feature. Due to this feature, you do not need to specify the confirmation for downloads.

However, Firefox has not removed this feature completely off the browser. You can disable the new download improvement flag in the browser to restore the classic download prompt.

This post will walk you through the process of how to do it.

What is the Firefox Optimized Download Flow?

Firefox Optimizes Download Flow is one of the many reasons for Mozilla Firefox being a popular web browser among users. This new feature of Firefox completely skips the step of the download confirmation prompt and downloads the files automatically.

This feature will be useful if you don’t want to specify the download action for each file you are downloading. You can also assign a default application to open the same type of files automatically using this feature.

Restoring the Classic Download Confirmation Prompt in Firefox

If you want to control the download options for each file, then the new downloading options would not satisfy you. If that’s the case, you can disable the new download management flag and force Firefox to show the download confirmation prompt.

Follow the below steps to restore the classic old-school download confirmation prompt in Firefox:

1. Launch the Firefox app.
2. Type about: config in the address bar.
3. Press Enter to open the advanced configuration preferences panel.
4. Click Accept the Risk and Continue.

5. Then, type the following in the search preference bar:

6. This preference is set to True by default. Click the Toggle switch (the ⇌ icon) on the top-right corner to change it to False.

7. You can also right-click on the preference and change it from true to false.
8. Then, relaunch the browser.

After following these steps, Firefox will show the download confirmation prompt every time you download a file from the web. If you want to restore the new default optimized download flow, set the browser.download.improvement_to_download_panel to True.

If you want to set Firefox to only ask you the location when saving a file, then follow the below steps:

1. Launch the Mozilla Firefox browser.
2. Click the Application Menu icon on the top-right corner.
3. Select Settings.

4. Scroll down to Files and Applications in the General tab.
5. Select Always ask you where to save files from here.

After this, Firefox will ask you to select a location when you attempt to download a file.

Forcing Firefox to Show the Classic Download Confirmation Prompt

If you are an old-school Firefox user, then you’d surely prefer the classic download confirmation prompt of the Firefox browser that enables you to specify certain information on the downloading files such as the file type and saving location. While this feature is sometimes advantageous, the new downloading optimization feature too saves up your time and makes it easy to handle.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where can get Mozilla Firefox from?

You can download the Mozilla Firefox web browser by visiting the official website of Firefox or by clicking here.

Is Mozilla Firefox safe to use?

Mozilla Firefox is a popular web browser among users due to its greater extension compatibility and easy-to-use build-up. It is also voted as one of the safest among mainstream browsers in 2022.

What is the best web browser?

Among many web browsers that are leading the lists of users, Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge seem to hold their place steady. In addition to them, Mozilla Firefox and Opera browsers are becoming popular among users due to their functionality as well.