Allows the Add-ons and/or Download Managers to be opened in a sidebar instead of pop-up window
Compatibility 
Works with: Firefox 3.6
Background
By default Firefox displays the Add-ons as well as the Downloads managers in a pop-up window. With this tweak these managers can be displayed in the sidebar by creating bookmarks to these managers. See example here.
The Tweak
To make it even easier to access the Add-Ons and/or Download Managers, drag the bookmarks created below from the Bookmark Menus onto your Bookmarks Toolbar.
Add-Ons Manager
- Open a new tab and go to chrome://mozapps/content/extensions/extensions.xul
- Press CTRL+B or from the Bookmarks menu select Bookmark This Page
- In the name field type Addons and click Done (Firefox 2 OK).
- Locate the newly added bookmark in the Bookmarks menu, right-click and select Properties
- Check the box: Load this bookmark in sidebar
- Click OK
Downloads Manager
- Open a new tab and go to chrome://mozapps/content/downloads/downloads.xul
- Press CTRL+B or from the Bookmarks menu select Bookmark This Page
- In the name field type Downloads and click Done (Firefox 2 OK).
- Locate the newly added bookmark in the Bookmarks menu, right-click and select Properties
- Check the box: Load this bookmark in sidebar
- Click OK
Notes
- The new User Interface in Firefox 4 and beyond puts the Add-ons Manager in its own tab, making this tweak no longer practical. However, this tweak can still be used to open the Downloads Manager in the sidebar via a bookmark.
Updated: November 15, 2025
