Finally Some Good Use For The Firefox Home Button

Martin Brinkmann
Nov 28, 2009
Updated • Mar 12, 2017
Firefox, Firefox add-ons
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9

UsableHomeButton is a free browser add-on for the Firefox web browser that allows you to go to the home page of any domain.

The home button in the Firefox web browser - and actually in every web browser - opens the default homepage set in the web browser when it is activated. This can be a single homepage, or multiple homepages depending on how things have been set up by you.

Most users do not need that functionality because of better alternatives that are provided by browsers. It is for example possible to add the homepage to the visible bookmarks, use a keyboard shortcut to open that website, or to enter part of it in the address bar and load it then instead.

While some may be used to using the home button to open their homepage, most users probably ignore that button completely.

Usable Home Button

The developer of Usable Home Button for Firefox must have had similar thoughts. The add-on changes the standard behavior of the home button in Firefox so that it always leads to the root level of the active website.

So, if you are on a page like https://www.ghacks.net/2009/11/28/finally-some-good-news-for-the-firefox-home-button/ it will take you to https://www.ghacks.net/ automatically when you click on the button.

This can be quite handy as it is not always a given that a webmaster included a link back to the root page of the website on the page you are on. While you can modify the address manually by removing everything but the root domain, clicking the home button instead is definitely faster.

Firefox users who are interested in this functionality can download the Usable Home Button add-on for Firefox at the official Firefox website.

The add-on is compatible with all versions of the Firefox web browser including the very latest versions.

The most recent version offers another feature of interest. When you right-click on the home button, all directory levels of the site become accessible right from a context menu as well.

home button

Besides that, you can also use it to make Firefox forget about the page or site (which will delete it or the website from the browsing history), to unload the site and display an empty tab page instead, or to load the browser's start page (the home page configured in the browser).

Closing Words

UsableHomeButton is a handy extension for Firefox that offers two main features: go to the root of the site you are on, or another directory level, or use the forget about functionality to remove it from the browsing history.

Summary
Finally Some Good Use For The Firefox Home Button
Article Name
Finally Some Good Use For The Firefox Home Button
Description
UsableHomeButton is a free browser add-on for the Firefox web browser that allows you to go to the home page of any domain.
Author
Publisher
Ghacks Technology News
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Comments

  1. OAlexander said on November 30, 2009 at 12:15 pm
    Reply

    Why bloat the browser with an extension when a bookmarklet does the job? If you want to report on an interesting extension try Piro’s ContextMenu Extension ( http://piro.sakura.ne.jp/xul/ctxextensions/index.html.en ). Tons of smarts that can come handy. Runs on my machine since Firefox 1.0 or so without problems (despite list of bugs). Very configurable, includes, eg. Launchy’s functionality, just easier configurable.

  2. Megs said on November 29, 2009 at 8:18 pm
    Reply

    I actually USE my home button, standard functionality and all.

  3. Doc said on November 29, 2009 at 4:27 am
    Reply

    The Locationbar^2 (can’t do a superscript in the editor) addon creates a “breadcrumb trail” in the location bar…similar functionality, but even more useful.

  4. Dresandreal Sprinklehorn said on November 29, 2009 at 3:36 am
    Reply

    I like my Home button just the way it is.

    Besides you can use the Uppity addon to do what you are talking about.

    Also here is a bookmarklet for that too.

    javascript:location.pathname%20=%20%22%22;%20void%200

  5. neuroxik said on November 28, 2009 at 11:32 pm
    Reply

    @RG: To remove home button, simply click (in top menu) View->Toolbars->Customize
    Then simply drag the Home button out of the toolbar and into the newly opened window containing other icons.
    Close and taddam!

  6. Martin Aberastegue said on November 28, 2009 at 9:43 pm
    Reply

    And what about using a bookmarklet instead of an addon? i just made this with a piece of JS (for test functionality copy&paste into your browser address bar):
    http://pastebin.com/fd4b4b5a

  7. mike said on November 28, 2009 at 9:02 pm
    Reply

    Useful? Maybe so…
    Neccessary? No.
    Why? Because FF Extension Locationbar² provides the same functionality, however more comprehensively, and doesn’t waste vertical space for a button on the bar.

  8. RG said on November 28, 2009 at 7:57 pm
    Reply

    Interesting use for sure. Can also remove the home button altogether if needed.

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