---
title: >
  Remove Close Buttons from Tabs
date: 2009-03-03 21:04
status: published
description: >
  A self-explanatorily–named Firefox add-on.

tags: Firefox, extensions, add-ons, tabs, close buttons, software, simplification, downloads, design, user interface

links:
  - url: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/10964/
    title: >
      Remove Close Buttons from Tabs at Mozilla Add-ons
    description: >
      
    rel: related
    type: text/html

---

<p>Having a close button on each tab in Firefox makes closing tabs discoverable, but at the expense of accidental clicks.</p>

<p>When the tabs get too small the close buttons on inactive tabs are removed, again as a trade-off between discoverability and accidental clicking, but there's still the off-chance.</p>

<p>So for those of us who're comfortable with closing tabs by middle-clicking them, <a href="https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/10964/">Remove Close Buttons from Tabs</a> removes the close button from every tab, all the time.</p>

<p><a href="/removeclosebuttons/scrot.png" class="inset" title="The obligatory screenshot"><img src="/removeclosebuttons/scrot.png" alt=""></a> Hence the name.</p>

<p>You can get it <a href="https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/10964/">from Mozilla Add-ons</a> or, if you really trust me that much, <a href="/removeclosebuttons/removeclosebuttons-1.xpi">directly from me</a>.</p>

<p id="licence">It's licensed under the ISC licence:</p>

<blockquote id="licence">
<p>Copyright © 2009, Greg K Nicholson</p>

<p>Permission to use, copy, modify, and/or distribute this software for any
purpose with or without fee is hereby granted, provided that the above
copyright notice and this permission notice appear in all copies.</p>

<p>The software is provided "as is" and the author disclaims all warranties
with regard to this software including all implied warranties of
merchantability and fitness. In no event shall the author be liable for
any special, direct, indirect, or consequential damages or any damages
whatsoever resulting from loss of use, data or profits, whether in an
action of contract, negligence or other tortious action, arising out of
or in connection with the use or performance of this software.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Mmm… shiny simplicity.</p>

<p><ins datetime="2009-03-11T16:58Z">Red Head points out that you <em>could</em> just set <code>browser.tabs.closeButtons</code> to <code>2</code> instead, if you'd rather use <code>about:config</code> than install an add-on.</ins></p>