I thought it might be interesting to share the list of my favorite Firefox extensions. These are the ones that are currently installed in my Firefox profile. I’ve tried others, but these are the ones that I use regularly. If you have recommendations for additional extensions, add a note in the comments. Be sure to include a link (in HTML format, if you know how) and a description of what the extension does.
Copernic Desktop Search Toolbar – After trying X1 again for a while, I’ve returned to Copernic. It’s free, fast, and seems to work better than just about any other desktop search tool.
AI Roboform Toolbar for Firefox – I can’t imagine using the Web without Roboform.
Tabbrowser Preferences – Adds a few nice options to the Tabbed Browsing Options dialog box, such as the ability to choose whether new searches open in their own tab in the background.
Tab Clicking Options – Allows you to redefine mouse actions for working with tabs. Fully compatible with TabBrowser Preferences.
IE View – Indispensable. For sites that require IE, you can right-click on a link or on the page itself and open the URL in an IE window.
FirefoxView – Adds a right-click menu option to IE so you can open the current page in Firefox.
PDF Download – Gives you the option to open a PDF link in a new tab, save the file, or view it as HTML. The best part is that you can see the file size before it opens – no more waiting while your browser tries to download a 50MB PDF file.
SessionSaver .2 – Another indispensable extension, this one saves all the tabs in your session so you can reload them on demand (it provides excellent crash protection, too). The SnapBack menu allows you to reopen a tab you closed accidentally.
All-In-One Sidebar – Lets you view bookmarks, downloads, extensions, and more in a sidebar tab similar to IE’s Explorer bars. The more I use this, this more I like it.
Download Manager Tweak – Fixes some annoyances in the default behavior for file downloads.
Google Toolbar for Firefox – The only reason I use this is for its on-the-fly spell-checker, which works brilliantly with Web forms.
ScrapBook – Save URLs and snippets from Web pages for reuse later. Handy.
PubSub Sidebar – Quick access to PubSub searches. I’m not using this one very much these days.
Copy URL + – Awesome. Adds the option to save formatted links, snippets of text, graphics, and other bits from the current Web page to the Clipboard. If you blog, this is a must. Be sure to read the documentation on how to extend it.
ChromEdit – A nice front end for editing the Firefox user profile. I don’t use it often but appreciate it on the rare occasions when I do need it.
1-ClickWeather – Puts current weather forecasts from Weather.com in the toolbar, status bar, or sidebar. A different extension called ForecastFox uses Accuweather. I’ll try it out this week.
BugMeNot – You visit a Web page that wants you to provide a bunch of personal information just so you can view a news clip. Annoying, isn’t it? Instead, with this extension installed you right-click, choose BugMeNot, and fill in a user name and password from the public store at bugmenot.com. If the first one doesn’t work, try again. Amazingly useful.
eMusic Toolbar – Very handy if you’re an eMusic.com subscriber.
Ed Bott 
In addition I would add:
Adblock
Copy Plain Text
And: All-in-one Gestures – I’ve gotten so used to using mouse gestures because it’s so fast that when I go to IE I’m lost without them.
John
If you like IE View, try IE Tab, which opens IE as a tab inside Firefox. I just stumbled across this & blogged it.
Ed,
Where is the Snapback Menu in Session Saver .2?
Mark
Mark,
The SnapBack menu is on the Tools menu in Firefox, just under Session Saver. If it’s not visible, try this:
Go to Tools, Session Saver, Preferences, and then click the “Allow me to re-open Closed tabs” checkbox. Click OK to close.
You may need to restart FF.
Interesting – I only use one of the extensions (BugMeNot) on your list.
I do have quite a few extensions but here are those I use most:
undoclosetab – allows you to re-open closed tabs, in case you close one accidently. Works with Fx 1.0.x and the 1.5 betas (but not 1.5 RC1 😦 )
Disable Targets for Downloads – stops web pages from opening blank new windows/tabs for file downloads
FireFTP – a good, basic FTP client
Ed,
I have no listing under Tools for Session Saver. I only have the options box under Tools/Extensions/Session Saver and that only offers me two options: automatically store session at shutdown and automatically restore session at startup. I’m running Firefox 1.07 and 0.2 of Session Saver.
Mark
Mark, I am also running Firefox 1.0.7. have version 0.2 nightly build 28 of Session Saver loaded. Sounds like you might have an older build.
Try the link in the post above. If that doesn’t work, try this one (I just upgraded to it; it’s nightly build 30 from October 14, 2005, and has a few slightly different options):
http://adblock.ethereal.net/SessionSaver/
Ed,
Thanks, I tried your link and that did indeed install a newer build with the options you mentioned. Thanks!
A couple of my favourites among the dozen or so I have loaded:
Autocopy allows me to select text and copy it to the clipboard in one motion (something I do dozens of times a day).
Plain Text Links allows me to right click selected text and have it open in a new tab or window.
TinyURL Creator is an extension that I use countless times during a day. Very handy for those multi-line URLs that often don’t display correctly in IM windows or email programs.
I wonder how I ever could surf the net without Go Up:
Allows you to quickly move up a level in a site by pressing Alt + Up arrow. This removes the last segment from the url of the current page, e.g. http://mozilla.org/products/ goes to http://mozilla.org/, and http://store.mozilla.org/ goes to http://mozilla.org/. If the address bar has focus when you press Alt + Up arrow then the address will be changed without loading the new address, otherwise the new address will be loaded.
Now includes a toolbar button too.
And if you are an Web-Developer, you can’t live without Web Developer Toolbar
Ooh, I had forgotten all about Go Up! I’ve used it before, and there were at least three times this week when I wanted it!
Danke, Giesbert!
FoxyTunes lets you control your favorite media player without having to leave Firefox.
I extoll the virtues of Firefox and ForecastFox to my customers when I rebuild their computers after spyware infestations. But I’m now having second thoughts about installing ForecastFox. Seems that the Accuweather page is pretty good about delivering pop-ups to a fresh install of Firefox 1.0.7. Also on the main weather page that you get I see an ad for freeze.com’s screensavers which are known to contain spyware.
Some of the most useful (and used daily) extensions… Quicknote (tabbed,kills Notepad as it retains notes without having to save), SEOpen (great for checking backlinks, getting a quick Whois, etc.), Plain Text Links, TinyURL Creator, Translate, and ChatZilla (much improved irc client, used to be very basic).
Incidently, QuickNotes gives pretty much the same options (from the right click menu) as Copy URL and Scrapbook. Very handy for blogging.
there is firefox extension called clipmarks that has solved a problem I often experience online. basically, i find the depth and breadth of content on any given page to be quite overwhelming. Often, I only want to save a specific piece of content on a given page without having to add the whole page to my favorites or make a bookmark.
clipmarks solves this problem by allowing me to clip and collect that specific piece of content. for example, I read a lot of blogs and often want to retain a specific post. with clipmarks, i simply clip, tag and save that specific post and now its super easy for me to reference later.
during the save process, i can choose to add my clips to my own private space on clipmarks.com or I can add to the public exchange at clipmarks.com. personally, I love this public exchange because it fosters a discussion based on what I have clipped and I am gaining tons of new perspectives there.
So now I have an easier way to manage the stuff I find online while enjoying stimulating conversations based what interests me. But be carefull, this public exchange becomes a very addicting forum…
I won’t go into specific details as th links are provided, but here’s my list of extensions.
Although I will add, if you’re not using Tab Mix Plus and Tab history for enhancing tab functionality and control, you’re using the wrong extensions. 😉
Adblock Plus 0.7.2.2: http://adblockplus.org/
Add Bookmark Here 0.5.5: http://gorgias.de/mfe/
AI Roboform Toolbar for Firefox 6.8.1: http://www.roboform.com
Allow Right-Click 0.4: http://roachfiend.com
ColorZilla 0.8.3.1: http://www.iosart.com/firefox/colorzilla/
CoLT 2.2.1: http://www.borngeek.com/firefox/colt/
Context Search 0.2.1: http://www.cusser.net
Copy as HTML Link 1.1: http://justinsomnia.org/
Copy Plain Text 0.3.2: http://mozmonkey.com/
CuteMenus – Crystal SVG 1.7.2: http://www.cutemenuproject.com/
Download Embedded 0.5: http://extensions.aeruder.net
Download Statusbar 0.9.4.5: http://downloadstatusbar.mozdev.org/
Drag de Go 0.2.5: http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?t=440259
DragToScroll 0.4: http://dragtotab.mozdev.org/dragtoscroll/
ErrorZilla 0.2: http://roachfiend.com
Fasterfox 2.0.0: http://fasterfox.mozdev.org/
Favicon Picker 0.3.0: http://www.google.com/search?q=Firefox%20Favicon%20Picker
File Title 1.2: http://www.jasnapaka.com/mozilla/filetitle/
FireFoxMenuButtons 1.5.3: http://www.addonzilla.com
FirefoxView 0.31.3: http://www.iosart.com/firefox/firefoxview/
Flashblock 1.5.2: http://flashblock.mozdev.org/
Google Images Re-Linker 0.4: http://roachfiend.com
IE Tab 1.2.0.20061106: http://ietab.mozdev.org/
IE View Lite 1.2.5: http://www.graysonmixon.com/extension/
Image Zoom 0.2.7: http://imagezoom.yellowgorilla.net/
imagepref 2005.11.28: https://addons.mozilla.org/extensions/authorprofiles.php?application=firefox&id=383
Menu Editor 1.2.3: http://menueditor.mozdev.org/
MR Tech Link Wrapper 2.1: http://www.mrtech.com/extensions/
MR Tech Local Install 5.3.1.1: http://www.mrtech.com/extensions/local_install/
Nuke Anything Enhanced 0.54: http://www.google.com/search?q=Firefox%20Nuke%20Anything%20Enhanced
OpenBook 1.3.4: http://www.chuonthis.com/extensions/
PageZoom 0.3.3: http://pagezoom.sourceforge.net/
PlainOldFavorites 0.5.6.1: http://www.iosart.com/firefox/plainoldfavorites/
Popup Allow 0.2.3: http://www.pikey.me.uk/mozilla/
PopupMaster 1.2: http://www.beggarchooser.com/firefox/
PopupSound 0.1.5: http://dragtotab.mozdev.org/popupsound/
Resizeable Form Fields 0.2.1: http://justinsomnia.org/2006/10/resizeable-form-fields-for-firefox/
SaveWithUrl 0.2.3: https://nic-nac-project.de/~kaosmos/index-en.html
Search Engine Ordering 0.9.6: http://maltekraus.de/Firefox/Search-Engine-Ordering/
Sidebar Icons 0.6: http://www.geocities.com/max1million/firefox.htm
Smart Middle Click 0.3: http://www.google.com/search?q=Firefox%20Smart%20Middle%20Click
SmoothWheel 0.44.7.20050605: http://smoothwheel.mozdev.org/
Split Pannel 0.3: http://www.geocities.com/max1million/firefox.htm
Stop-or-Reload Button 0.2: http://v2studio.com/k/moz/
SubmitToTab 0.3.5: http://dragtotab.mozdev.org/submittotab/
Tab Catalog 1.1.2006110601: http://piro.sakura.ne.jp/xul/tabcatalog/
Tab History 1.0.3: http://www.penguinus.com/dev/tab_history
Tab Mix Plus 0.3.5: http://tmp.garyr.net
Text Link 1.3.2006100702: http://piro.sakura.ne.jp/xul/_textlink.html.en
TinyUrl Creator 1.0.1: http://mozmonkey.com/
Update Notifier 0.1.5.1: http://www.longfocus.com/firefox/updatenotifier
Uppity 1.4.11: http://firefox-extensions.arantius.com/uppity
URL Suffix 0.3.1: http://heygom.com/extensions/
Web Marker 0.6: http://liveurls.mozdev.orgry