Basically, Waterfox probably fixed a bug that the website was, lol,
using to work properly. So the update made Waterfox "correct," and the website broke. Classic. Even if your settings
look the same as Firefox, Waterfox is its own weird cousin and has secret settings.
Here’s how to fix that hot mess, starting with the easy stuff.
Part 1: Let's Try the Easy Fixes First
These solve the most common probs and won't nuke your browser.
1. Ditch the Website's Old Data
Your browser saves old files to be fast, but now they're just causing drama with the new update. Time to tell them "thank u, next."
- Go to the broken F95 site.
- See the little padlock icon in the address bar? Click it.
- Find "Clear Cookies and Site Data" and just yeet that stuff.
- Then, do a "hard refresh." Hit Ctrl + F5 (or Cmd + Shift + R on a Mac). It’s like, really reload the page.
If it's still broken, let's clear the
whole cache:
- Go to Waterfox Settings > Privacy & Security.
- Scroll down to "Cookies and Site Data" and click "Clear Data..."
- Just make sure "Cached Web Content" is checked, then click Clear.
- Restart Waterfox and pray.
2. Check Your View Settings
Sometimes it's just a simple setting being weird.
- Fix your zoom: On the broken site, hit Ctrl + 0 (that's a zero). It just resets the zoom to 100%.
- Check your fonts: Go to Settings > General > Language and Appearance. Click the "Advanced..." button and make sure "Minimum font size" is set to "None." This can mess up layouts bad.
- Check the style: This one's weird. Press the Alt key (on your keyboard) to make the top menu bar pop up. Click View > Page Style. Make SURE it says "Basic Page Style." If it says "No Style," that's totally your problem. Click "Basic Page Style."
Part 2: Find the Real Troublemaker (This is the Main Test)
If the easy stuff didn't work, it’s probably one of your add-ons or a graphics setting.
1. Use Troubleshoot Mode (aka Safe Mode)
We're gonna restart Waterfox "clean" to see if your add-ons are the problem.
- Click the Waterfox menu (three lines) in the top-right.
- Go to Help > Troubleshoot Mode... and click Restart.
- Waterfox will restart all basic, with no add-ons running. Now, go check the F95 website.
2. So, What Happened?
This is the "choose your own adventure" part:
- If the site is STILL broken: UGH. This is a deeper problem. You can skip the rest of Part 2 and jump straight to Part 3.
- If the site WORKS: Yesss! Okay, this means it's 100% one of your add-ons or this "hardware acceleration" thing.
3. If Troubleshoot Mode Fixed It, Let's Find the Villain:
First, let's check the graphics thing:
- Check Hardware Acceleration:
- Go to Settings > General.
- Scroll way down to Performance.
- Uncheck the box for "Use recommended performance settings."
- Another box will appear. Uncheck "Use hardware acceleration when available."
- Restart Waterfox (normally!) and check the site. If it works, you're done! Go live your life.
- Check Your Add-ons (Extensions):
- If that didn't work, it's an extension. This part is tedious, sorry.
- Go to Menu > Add-ons and Themes.
- Click "Extensions" and turn off EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. (Click the blue switch for each).
- Restart Waterfox. The site should work now.
- Now, go back and turn them on one by one. Restart. Check the site. Turn on the next one. Restart. Check the site.
- When the site breaks again, the last extension you turned on is the guilty one. You have to disable it or check its settings.
Part 3: The "Ugh, Fine" Advanced Fix
Only do this if that website was still broken even in Troubleshoot Mode. This means the problem is deep in Waterfox's secret settings.
- Type about:config into your address bar and hit Enter.
- It'll give you a scary "this might void your warranty" warning. Just click "Accept the Risk and Continue."
- You'll see a massive list of settings. The "pro" move here is to open Firefox (where it works) and go to its about:config page too, then literally compare the settings between them.
- Honestly? This is a huge pain. Maybe just skip to Part 4 unless you're feeling really nerdy.
Part 4: The Last Resorts (aka "Nuke It")
If
nothing has worked, your browser's data or the app itself is probably just corrupted.
1. Refresh Waterfox (The "Nice" Reset)
This is the best "last try." It gives Waterfox a fresh start but
saves your important stuff (bookmarks, passwords, history). It
will delete your add-ons and settings, so you'll have to reinstall those.
- Go to Menu > Help > More Troubleshooting Information.
- On the right, you'll see "Give Waterfox a tune up." Click the "Refresh Waterfox..." button.
- Follow the steps. It'll restart, and hopefully, your problem is gone.
2. A "Clean" Reinstallation (The "Mean" Reset)
This is the final boss. We're gonna completely delete and reinstall it.
- BACKUP YOUR STUFF! Seriously. Go to Menu > Help > More Troubleshooting Information. Find "Profile Folder" and click "Open Folder." This opens a folder. Go up one level, and copy that whole profile folder (it has a weird name) somewhere safe, like your desktop.
- Uninstall Waterfox from your computer's settings.
- This is the most important part: After it's uninstalled, go to your C:\Program Files folder and DELETE the "Waterfox" folder if it's still there.
- Go to the official Waterfox website, download a brand-new copy, and install it.
- Check the site. It has to work now. (If it doesn't, the website is just broken, lol). You can then try to move your backed-up data back, but be careful not to bring the problem back with it.
