Most web pages these days are so chock-full of content that it is impossible to make everything fit the dimensions of your computer screen. Unless, of course, you reduce the font, in which case good luck squinting your way through the text. We scroll down to reveal more content and up to return to previous lines. We accomplish this by pressing the up and down directional bottom arrows on the keyboard. Those using desktop PCs can also use the mouse wheel to accomplish the same thing while laptop users can just plug in a USB mouse. Another method is to place the cursor on the narrow scroll bar at the right border of the page, then hold LMB as you move your hands up and down on your laptop trackpad.
Wouldn’t it be nice, though, if we could forgo these actions and just have the webpage autoscroll by itself? You can put your feet up while the webpage slowly flows up or down according to your reading speed. In case you have been searching for a way to enable this feature in Mozilla Firefox, this guide is for you. We will tell you about the tools you can use to enable autoscroll.
How to automatically scroll a web page down or up in Firefox?
With autoscroll, your web page becomes automated as it slowly scrolls up according to a set speed, allowing you to read at leisure without lifting a finger. Even though it is not natively present in Windows and Firefox, your computer still provides the next best thing in the shape of middle-scrolling with a mouse or three-finger clicking with your trackpad. There is also the Page Up and Page Down keys that allow you to jump the height of one screen up or down.
Naturally, none of these options is as satisfactory as true auto scrolling. Which is why developers in their wisdom have created browser extensions and other tools that trigger the autoscroll feature. Some of these tools can be used in any browser, be it Chrome, Firefox or Opera; some only work in a specific browser. We have compiled a list of tools that, when enabled, will allow pages in Firefox to automatically scroll up or down.
How to scroll automatically without using any extensions
Normally, you cannot automate your webpages in Firefox without extensions. This is just the way Mozilla developed the browser. They figured—wrongly, and not for the first time— they could get away with conventional scrolling. However, there is still a method using JavaScript that can unlock autoscroll in Firefox without you having to install anything.
This method takes advantage of the code injection technique to force autoscroll. By pressing F12 (your computer might require a different function key), you open the page console for the webpage. Then you must copy and paste the following code into the console:
“var scroll = SetInterval (function) ()
{ window.scrollBy (0,1000); }, 2000); “
Press F5 when you’re done. You should see your page scrolling automatically now.
How do I turn on Auto Scroll in Firefox?
Truth be told, the method above is incredibly dull and downright boring. Not to mention a simple refresh would reset the page to default settings. Injecting code each time you’re in need of the feature is just not a good way to go about things.
By installing an extension instead, you’ll be able to autoscroll much more comfortably. These add-ons come with preferences pages that offer you options for tweaking and personalizing autoscroll. You can set starting and ending parameters, scrolling speed, wrap options, etc.
Without further ado, let’s talk about the following autoscrolling tools:
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- HandsFread Bookmarklet
- Autoscroll
- FoxScroller
- ScrollyFox
- AutoScrolling
- ReScroll
HandsFread Bookmarklet
A bookmarklet is a small program stored in your web browser that brings added functionality to the page, and that is exactly what HandsFred Bookmarklet is. This software is saved in Firefox and enables you to autoscroll the current page. It is relatively straightforward to use. Just place the program on your bookmark bar and click on it whenever you want to use autoscroll.
The more times you click on HandsFread Bookmarklet, the faster the scrolling becomes. Sadly, there is no way to reverse the process. It is basically a start, speed and stop program. You press F5 or refresh the page to stop auto scrolling.
Autoscroll
Autoscroll by developer igor86 is, as the name pretty much implies, an autoscroll add-on. The download page describes it as a toggle button that can scroll long web pages, adding dynamic content. Autoscroll comes with a preference page where you can set the scroll interval. It also comes with the end detection timeout option which allows you to stipulate the maximum time of user inactivity after which the page stops scrolling.
FoxScroller
FoxScroller brings two-directional scrolling to Firefox. After installing, one click will enable autoscroll and the page will continue scrolling down until the add-on button is clicked again. Right-clicking the button brings up options to scroll up or down.
This Firefox extension comes with a settings page (accessed by right-clicking the button and selecting Options). In the Options menu you can adjust scrolling speed (in pixels per second), set end-of-page action, enable continuous scrolling after switching pages or reloading the current one. You can also set new pages to start scrolling automatically once they have finished loading. Best of all, you can set hotkeys for the more important actions.
ScrollyFox
This add-on is similar to FoxScroller in offering two-way scrolling. It also offers users the option to change scrolling speed in lines per minute. The default is 50. If default scrolling settings are retained, the page will start scrolling in reverse once it reaches the bottom.
AutoScrolling
This software by hizakazu is a simple scroller that enables autoscroll and nothing else. The automatic scrolling process is initiated by clicking the add-on button and stopped by clicking it again. Switching tabs will also kill automatic scrolling.
ReScroll
ReScroll adds an interesting dynamic to the Firefox autoscroller line-up. When this add-on has been installed and activated with a click, it scrolls to the bottom of the page, then reloads the page and restarts the automatic scrolling from the beginning. This process will continue indefinitely if it isn’t stopped by clicking ReScroll again.
There are a few other add-ons that enable you go hands-free while browsing web pages in Mozilla, but these are the most common. To find the one you want, visit Firefox’s extensions store at htpps://addons.mozilla.org and use the search bar to find the app. From here, you can go ahead and install it to Firefox.
While extensions make life a lot easier by enabling the use of otherwise unavailable or hard-to-get features, they can also be the source of much trouble for your Windows PC. Malware disguised as web extensions has been known to affect your browser and PC, crippling important functions. Extension code has also been targeted by hackers who rewrite their functions to perform unwanted actions on your computer. To be on the safe side when browsing with extensions installed, using a security program like Auslogics Anti-Malware is a must. Unlike other security software which come in bulky sizes and contribute to slowing down your system, Auslogics Anti-Malware is relatively small and works fast. With a single click, it will find and quarantine any malware, spyware or trojan skulking about in your browser or elsewhere on your PC. If your browser contains harmful extensions, it will notify you about it and remove them. Auslogics Anti-Malware will also prevent you from installing any harmful program or let you know if you already have it installed and active.
Are you a die-hard Firefox user? Do you use autoscroll? If your answer is yes, you can tell us about your favourite auto scrolling Firefox extension in the comments.
