Turn Off Firefox Hello and Pocket: A How-To

Firefox Hello and Pocket are two features that many users find unnecessary or distracting. Firefox Hello is a built-in WebRTC video chat tool that was discontinued by Mozilla in 2016, but its icon and menu entry may still appear in older versions. Pocket is a read-it-later service integrated into Firefox that saves articles and videos for offline viewing. This guide shows you how to disable both features, either by removing their buttons from the toolbar or by completely disabling them in the browser’s configuration settings. You don’t need any special tools—just your Firefox browser and a few minutes of time.

What You’ll Need

• A computer with Mozilla Firefox installed (this guide covers Firefox versions 38 through 100+; the basic steps are the same for all).
• Access to the Firefox menu (the three horizontal lines icon in the top-right corner).
• Administrator rights on your computer if you want to change system-wide settings (optional, only for some advanced configuration changes).

Step-by-Step

Part 1: Turning Off Firefox Hello

1. Open Firefox. Launch the browser on your computer.
2. Access the menu. Click the menu button (three horizontal lines) in the top-right corner of the window.
3. Open Customize mode. From the dropdown menu, click “Customize…” (or “Customize Toolbar…” in some versions). This opens a special customization tab where you can drag and drop items.
4. Find the Hello icon. Look for the Hello icon (it looks like a small speech bubble with a smiley face) either in the toolbar or in the overflow menu (the >> arrow at the end of the toolbar). It might be labeled “Hello” or “Firefox Hello.”
5. Remove the icon. Drag the Hello icon from the toolbar and drop it into the gray area on the right side of the customization screen (where it says “Drag and drop items here”). This removes the button from your toolbar, but it doesn’t disable the feature entirely.
6. Disable Hello completely (optional). If you want to turn off the feature so that it cannot be used at all, type about:config in the address bar and press Enter. Click “I accept the risk!” if prompted.
7. Search for Hello settings. In the search box at the top of the about:config page, type loop (the internal name for Firefox Hello). You’ll see a list of preferences.
8. Disable the feature. Find loop.enabled and double-click it. The value should change from true to false. This completely disables Firefox Hello. You can also set loop.throttled to false if you want to prevent any background activity.
9. Close the tab. Once you’ve made the change, close the about:config tab. The Hello feature is now off.

Part 2: Turning Off Pocket

1. Open Firefox. If you haven’t already, launch Firefox.
2. Access the menu. Click the menu button (three horizontal lines) in the top-right corner.
3. Open Customize mode. Click “Customize…” again.
4. Remove the Pocket icon. Find the Pocket icon (it looks like a small white “P” on a red background) in the toolbar or overflow menu. Drag it to the gray area on the right to remove it from the toolbar.
5. Disable Pocket in about:config. Type about:config in the address bar and press Enter. Accept the risk if prompted.
6. Search for Pocket settings. In the search box, type extensions.pocket. You’ll see a list of preferences related to Pocket.
7. Disable the extension. Find extensions.pocket.enabled and double-click it to set it to false. This disables the Pocket integration entirely.
8. Remove Pocket from the address bar (optional). If you see a Pocket icon in the address bar (a small pocket-shaped icon), you can remove it by right-clicking it and selecting “Remove from Address Bar.”
9. Close the tab. Close the about:config tab. Pocket is now disabled.

Common Mistakes

• Only removing the icon, not disabling the feature. Dragging the Hello or Pocket icon off the toolbar hides the button, but the underlying code still runs in the background. To fully disable, you must change the about:config preferences as shown above.
• Changing the wrong preference. In about:config, there are many similar-sounding preferences. For Hello, make sure you change loop.enabled, not loop.throttled (though you can change both). For Pocket, change extensions.pocket.enabled, not extensions.pocket.site or other settings.
• Forgetting to restart Firefox. Some changes take effect immediately, but others require a browser restart. If the feature still appears after changing the settings, close and reopen Firefox.
• Using an outdated version. If you’re using a very old version of Firefox (before version 38), the steps may differ slightly. Consider updating Firefox to the latest version for better security and functionality.

Tips

• Use the overflow menu. If you don’t want to completely remove the icons, you can drag them to the overflow menu (the >> arrow) instead of the gray area. This keeps them accessible but out of the way.
• Create a backup of your preferences. Before making changes in about:config, you can right-click on a preference and select “Reset” to restore its default value later. This is handy if you change your mind.
• Use the search bar in about:config. It’s much faster to type the exact preference name (like loop.enabled) rather than scrolling through the list.
• Consider disabling Pocket via the extension manager. In some Firefox versions, you can go to about:addons, click on “Extensions,” find Pocket, and click “Disable.” This is an alternative to about:config.
• Keep Firefox updated. Mozilla periodically changes how features are integrated. Keeping Firefox updated ensures that the steps you follow match the current version.

Troubleshooting

• The Hello icon still appears after following the steps. Make sure you changed loop.enabled to false and restarted Firefox. If it still appears, try resetting the preference (right-click > Reset) and then setting it to false again. Also, check if you have any add-ons that re-enable Hello.
• Pocket still shows up in the address bar. Right-click the Pocket icon in the address bar and select “Remove from Address Bar.” If that doesn’t work, go to about:config and set extensions.pocket.enabled to false, then restart Firefox.
• about:config says “This may void your warranty!” This is normal. Click “I accept the risk!” to proceed. Be careful not to change other preferences unless you know what they do.
• Changes don’t stick after restart. Some preferences are overwritten by Firefox updates or by other add-ons. If this happens, reapply the changes. You can also create a user.js file in your Firefox profile folder to force these preferences to stay, but that’s an advanced technique.
• You can’t find the Hello or Pocket preferences. If you don’t see loop or extensions.pocket in about:config, it means those features are already disabled or not present in your version of Firefox. In that case, you don’t need to do anything.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I turn off Firefox Hello without using about:config?

Yes, you can simply remove the Hello icon from the toolbar via Customize mode. However, this only hides the button; the feature itself remains active. To fully disable it, you need to change loop.enabled to false in about:config.

Will disabling Pocket affect my saved articles?

No. Disabling the Pocket integration in Firefox only removes the built-in features (like the toolbar button and the address bar icon). Your saved articles are stored on Pocket’s servers and can be accessed via the Pocket website or app.

Is Firefox Hello still available in current versions?

No, Mozilla discontinued Firefox Hello in 2016. If you’re using a recent version of Firefox, you won’t see the Hello feature at all. The steps above are mainly for older versions or if you have a custom build that still includes it.

Can I re-enable these features later?

Yes. Simply go back to about:config and set loop.enabled or extensions.pocket.enabled back to true. You can also drag the icons back to the toolbar via Customize mode.

Why does Pocket keep coming back after I disable it?

Firefox updates may reset some preferences. If Pocket reappears, reapply the about:config change. Also, some third-party add-ons or enterprise policies might force Pocket to be enabled. Check your add-ons and policies.

Is it safe to change these settings?

Yes, changing loop.enabled and extensions.pocket.enabled to false is safe and won’t break other Firefox functionality. Just be cautious when changing other about:config preferences, as some can affect browser performance or security.

Related

• Fix Credential Manager Not Working in Windows 11
• Google Maps Plus Codes: What They Are & How to Use Them
• How to Normalize Data in Google Sheets