SOLUTION: Force Firefox 3 to autofill username and password!
NOTE: this technique applies to FireFox 3, not later versions. As Peter noted in the comments, later versions of FireFox do not contain the applicable .js files.
Q. Some websites (like Chase, Gmail, WordPress) won’t autofill my login credentials even though I saved them with FireFox 3. What’s up with that?!
A. Good question. Sites can specify autocomplete=”off” to prevent browsers from filling in login info. This is what is causing your problem, though it is meant to be a beneficial security feature to prevent someone from logging into with your saved/remembered info. However, it can be really annoying if you have to start typing your username password in each time! It is especially annoying if you’re using an autologin script (b/c that script won’t work if the login info isn’t autofilled).
So, here’s how to fix it by making FireFox 3 ignore the “off” setting:
WARNING: after this modification, anyone using your browser may have your login info filled in if they visit a site where you’ve saved the info!
use your favorite text editor to edit the nsLoginManager.js fil located in C:\YOUR FIREFOX FOLDER\components\ folder (or C:\FirefoxPortable\App\Firefox\components\ for portable firefox)
Locate the following lines of code (use the find feature of your text editor), and comment out three lines by adding // (double slash) in front of the lines.
Before the change (honors autocomplete “off” setting)
if (element && element.hasAttribute(“autocomplete”) &&
element.getAttribute(“autocomplete”).toLowerCase() == “off”)
return true;
After the change (always sets autcomplete to “on”
// if (element && element.hasAttribute(âautocompleteâ) &&
// element.getAttribute(âautocompleteâ).toLowerCase() == âoffâ)
// return true;
More info…
Where I first heard about this solution:
The opposite problem:
- firefox force autocomplete (138)
- firefox not filling in passwords (86)
- force autocomplete firefox (57)
- firefox autofill password (41)
- autofill password firefox (35)
- firefox autofill login (31)
- autofill username and password (31)
- firefox force autocomplete on (29)
- firefox autocomplete on (29)
- firefox autofill passwords (28)
Uh, yeah no such file exists in Firefox, certainly not in v 4!
Dunno what Brad’s smokin’ but this FireFox tip worked perfectly for me. Thank you for the great tip!
The file does not exist in Firefox 9 or 10 either. C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\components contains zero .js files.
Thank you for your comment Peter. The article will be updated to reflect this information.
Best regards,
-JD