What is plugin-container.exe?

The extension plugin-container.exe wanted access to the internet. The file was located in my Mozzile folder, but I read somewhere that it is malware. Is this file supposed to be there, and is it normal for attempt to receive a connection? Is it safe?
== This happened ==
Just once or twice
== After the most recent update just a few hours ago.

Hello everyone.
If you have a problem with the plugin-container, you may be having a problem with some Firefox add-on that is hindering your Firefox's normal behavior. Have you tried disabling all add-ons (just to check), to see if Firefox goes back to normal?
Whenever you have a problem with Firefox, whatever it is, you should make sure it's not coming from one of your installed add-ons, be it an extension, a theme or a plugin. To do that easily and cleanly, run Firefox in [http://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Safe+Mode safe mode] and select ''Disable all add-ons''. If the problem disappears, you know it's from an add-on. Disable them all in normal mode, and enable them one at a time until you find the source of the problem. See [http://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Troubleshooting+extensions+and+themes this article] for information about troubleshooting extensions and theme. You can troubleshoot plugins the same way.
If you want support for one of your add-ons, you'll need to contact its author.

Similar Messages

May i know what is plugin-container.exe and why it need internet access , noticed that it started only when i visit any website has Flash containt ? is it adobe flash player plugin ? is it safe to use ?

May i know what is Plugin-container,exe and why it need internet access ? noticed that it starts only when visit any website has flash containt on webpage . is this adobe flash player plugin ? is it safe to use ?

See http://kb.mozillazine.org/Plugin-container_and_out-of-process_plugins

What is the plugin-container.exe file? How do I get rid of it?I keep getting a 70% usage message about this plugin. I tried to delete it but then Firefox won't work.

What is the plugin-container.exe file? It seems to be using 70% of usage of my computer's memory. How do I get rid of it?

Plugin-container is an "out-of-process plugins" crash protection, see for more info the link, and if you want to disable try the analytical info :
[http://kb.mozillazine.org/Plugin-container_and_out-of-process_plugins Plugin-container and out-of-process plugins]
thank you
Please mark "Solved" the answer that really solve the problem, to help others with a similar problem.

What is, how to fix, stop, small popup window from 'plugin-container.exe' with 3 digit number that won't stop re-appearing???

I get very small windows popping up on the screen on top of anything else I'm doing regardless of what apps I'm running or not running. If I R-click on the icon in the task bar, it's identified as "plugin-container.exe"
The window doesn't say why it's there, but only displays a 3 digit number (for example the on on the screen now says 587) and allows only the usual X to close, or an 'OK' button to close. But a short time later it pops up again.
I'm running Windows 7 64bit MS Security Essentials and Firefox, though it will pop up even if I just booted and haven't started Firefox yet.
It's really (really really) annoying. How can I fix it or disable it or whatever it takes to make it STOP.
Perhaps if I had some idea what it was I could attack it that way, but I haven't a clue. BTW, I've cleaned the registry, and done full scan's for virus and turned up nada.
Thanks.
D.

As per the web site:
There will be no update to Waterfox 25.0 as a bug causes Adobe Flash to crash on 64-Bit Windows 7 systems. Bug here. Although Firefox 25.0.1 is now available and we could build it, there would be no point of releasing a new version of Waterfox for only two weeks.
I mostly only use Waterfox and had no problem in the past. I suspect a flash problem may be at the root of my problem however.
As stated, I've performed (full) virus scans with MS Security Essentials. Also with Housecall, and also with HiJackThis. No problems detected.
Screen shot of popup window attached.

Firefox locks up and runs plugin-container.exe -- I don't start it and can't stop it. What does it do and can I stop it?

On some irregular intervals, plugin-container.exe suddenly starts, and takes command. Task Manager suddenly goes to 100% CPU usage and I am blocked from continuing. i.e., dead in the water for a few minutes.
Questions:
What does it do?
Why does it start?
Can I remove it?
Can I stop it?

Plugin_container.exe is an integral part of Firefox and acts like a kind of sandbox to isolate plugins which have crashed. See [[What is plugin-container]]
You mentioned in your system details that you're running Windows XP SP2. I'd recommend you install Service Pack 3 since Microsoft addressed a large number of issues in that service pack. You'll also need to have it installed to obtain current patches and Windows Silverlight which is similar to Flash. You can get SP3 from the Microsoft Windows Update site, link on your Start menu.

Plugin-container.exe : what is it, why is it necessary, can I delete it

Continued from the "plugin-container.exe : what is it, why is it necessary, can I delete it" thread:
1) When people say Firefox uses up a lot of CPU/Memory, they are telling the truth. Tools like Task Manager and Process Explorer show you how much CPU/Memory Firefox is using up. Stop calling people liars when they say Firefox is using up X Memory. Stop making baseless accusations like "you're running other programmes that are causing your CPU to skyrocket and Firefox to freeze". Task Manager and Process Explorer don't lie. Take yourself off the thread because you're not helping anyone, you're creating anger and hatred, you're basically trolling. If you have no valid advice to offer, keep your mouth shut and stay away instead of launching into the "you're a liar" nonsense.
2) Stop typing in caps
3) Refrain from using profanity and ad hominem attacks
4) If you claim you're abandoning Firefox for another browser, fine: now get off the board and go away instead of posting inflammatory hatred against Mozilla since you're no longer using Mozilla
5) Stop attacking and/or ignoring the advice of Mozilla representatives like Morbus
6) Morbus: the Firefox Safe-Mode advice you frequently dispense is the most rejected advice because most people do not want to mess with their browsers, especially people who are not not knowledgeable about safe-mode, add-ons, disabling, etc. I fully agree that people must learn how to diagnose the problems on their own and find solutions on their own, but not all people are capable of learning how to do that. Computers are easy for many people, but not all people. The Safe-Mode solution appeals to a '''minority '''of people who are comfortable with picking apart their browser and picking apart other things to find solutions, not the majority, who fear making things worse.
== This happened ==
Every time Firefox opened
== Today 6/22/2010

7) Stop telling people to remove add-ons and plug-ins and scripts. Firefox was made specifically to enable to build their own browsers. Firefox was made for the purpose of allowing people use all the add-ons and plug-ins and scripts they wanted. No other browser offers that range of add-on/plug-in/script support. Removing the add-ons and plug-ins and scripts eliminates the purpose of Firefox. If Mozilla representatives want to insist that removing add-ons and plug-ins and scripts are the solution, then Mozilla is telling us that its browser is no different from IE or Chrome, in which case Mozilla has given us a reason to stop using Mozilla.

When i try to attach files in hotmail, i get a message that silverlight plugin has crashed and error report indicates error about plugin-container.exe ; ihave the latest silverlight plugin. what to do?

* I work on windows XP
I have latest fire fox and silver light plugin
* "silver light plugin has crashed" is what i get when i try to attach files in hotmail
* error report indicates about plugin-container.exe.
* where to find plugin-container.exe. to install and try

Hi,
Please also try to '''Disable''' the Silverlight add-on in '''Tools '''('''Alt '''+ '''T''') > '''Add-on''' > '''Plugins''' before opening Hotmail. You may still be able to attach files.

Plugin-container.exe loading in Gmail, what if I shut it down?

Whenever I open my Gmail (Google mail), plugin-container.exe loads into memory. What happens if I shut down plugin-container.exe via task manager while the Gmail tab is still open? Will that crash my browser? (what happens to the Gmail tab in that case?) would that be safe?
Thanks

Firefox will probably crash. For disabling plugin-container.exe, see my suggestion in this post:
https://support.mozilla.com/en-US/forum/1/712353?
Read the warning at the bottom of my answer in that post.
'''''Other Issues''''': ~~red:You have installed plug-ins with known security issues. You should update them immediately.~~
'''Install/Update Adobe Flash Player for Firefox (aka Shockwave Flash)''': your ver. 10.0 r42; current ver. 10.1 r53 ('''important security update 2010-06-10''')
~~red:Check your version here~~: http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/plugincheck/
See: '''[http://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Managing+the+Flash+plugin#Updating_Flash Updating Flash]'''
-'''use Firefox to download''' and '''SAVE to your hard drive''' (save to Desktop for easy access)
-exit Firefox (File > Exit)
-check to see that Firefox is completely closed (''Ctrl+Alt+Del, choose Task Manager, click Processes tab, if "firefox.exe" is on the list, right-click "firefox.exe" and choose End process, close the Task Manager window'')
-double-click on the Adobe Flash installer you just downloaded to install/update Adobe Flash
-when the Flash installation is complete, start Firefox, and test the Flash installation here: http://kb.adobe.com/selfservice/viewContent.do?externalId=tn_15507&sliceId=1
*'''NOTE: On Vista and Windows 7''' you may need to run the plugin installer as Administrator by starting the installer via the right-click context menu if you do not get an UAC prompt to ask for permission to continue (i.e nothing seems to happen). See this: http://vistasupport.mvps.org/run_as_administrator.htm
*'''NOTE for IE:''' Firefox and most other browsers use a Plugin. IE uses an ActiveX version of Flash. To install/update the IE ActiveX Adobe Flash Player, same instructions as above, except use IE to download the ActiveX Flash installer.
*Also see: http://kb.mozillazine.org/Flash ~~red:'''''AND'''''~~ [[How do I edit options to add Adobe to the list of allowed sites]]
'''You''' ~~red:'''MAY'''~~ '''need to Update Adobe Reader for Firefox''': your ver. N/A; current ver. 9.3.2
~~red:Check your version here~~: http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/plugincheck/
See: http://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Using+the+Adobe+Reader+plugin+with+Firefox#Installing_and_updating_Adobe_Reader
''You may be able to update from the Adobe Reader installed on your system'' instead of going to the Adobe site and downloading. Start > Program Files, find and click Adobe Reader to open, click Help, click Check for Updates.
''If you go to the Adobe site to download the current Adobe Reader:''
-'''use Firefox to download''' and '''SAVE to your hard drive''' (save to Desktop for easy access)
~~red:-See the images at the bottom left of this post to see the steps to take on the Adobe site~~
-exit Firefox (File > Exit)
-check to see that Firefox is completely closed (''Ctrl+Alt+Del, choose Task Manager, click Processes tab, if "firefox.exe" is on the list, right-click "firefox.exe" and choose End process, close the Task Manager window'')
-double-click on the Adobe Reader installer you just downloaded to install/update Adobe Reader
*'''NOTE: On Vista and Windows 7''' you may need to run the plugin installer as Administrator by starting the installer via the right-click context menu if you do not get an UAC prompt to ask for permission to continue (i.e nothing seems to happen). See this: http://vistasupport.mvps.org/run_as_administrator.htm
*'''NOTE for IE:''' Firefox and most other browsers use a Plugin. IE uses an ActiveX version. To install/update the IE ActiveX version, same instructions as above, except use IE to download the ActiveX installer.
*Also see: http://kb.mozillazine.org/Adobe_Reader ~~red:'''''AND'''''~~ [[How do I edit options to add Adobe to the list of allowed sites]]

What causes multiple "plugin-container.exe" to run simultaneously?

I sometimes have up to four "plugin-containers" running simultaneously. What causes that AND what are the possible ramifications of that?

plugins like flash & java etc that are currently running on sites are outsourced into the plugin-container.exe-process that you've discovered for performance and stability reasons - you can have a look at your currently installed plugins in tools > addons > plugins & disable those you don't need.
in one of the upcoming releases firefox will ship with a feature that allows you to enable plugins on vistited sites on a per-demand basis, [https://wiki.mozilla.org/Opt-in_activation_for_plugins]
''edit - also see [[What is plugin-container]]''

What are the ff preferences associated with plugin-container.exe in the newest version of ff? Specifically I would like to edit them in about:config to disable plugin-container.exe

I've done this with a previous version of ff by editing the values of these preferences: dom.ipc.plugins.enabled true
dom.ipc.plugins.enabled.npctrl.dll false
dom.ipc.plugins.enabled.npqtplugin.dll false
dom.ipc.plugins.enabled.npswf32.dll false
dom.ipc.plugins.enabled.nptest.dll true
dom.ipc.plugins.timeoutSecs 45
after I installed ff on my laptop today I cannot find the .dll preferences. And plugin-container.exe continues to plague me. For me this is the one issue with ff since updating from 7. It boggles me as to why you haven't gotten rid of this thing.

To disable crash protection, go to about:config and set to false all preferences starting with dom.ipc.plugins.enabled. '''(It is possible that your browser has only that preference entry without any addition.) '''This will prevent the "plugin-container" process from running and all plugins will run within the Firefox browser process. (from [http://kb.mozillazine.org/Plugin-container_and_out-of-process_plugins#Disabling_crash_protection Disabling_crash_protection] )
thank you
Please mark "Solved" the answer that really solve the problem, to help others with a similar problem.

Sometimes a plugin-container.exe instance starts hogging a ton of memory -- I would like to know which plugin is running inside that plugin-container without having to one-by-one disable the plugins. Which process called plugin-container.exe?

As described above, I have several instances of plugin-container.exe running, which is OK. It would make me feel safer to know which plugins are running inside each of these, since I would be better able to know whether there is malware running inside one of them, or which website might have made the process start hogging memory.
I am a power user, I usually have 80-100 tabs open, and of course it is hard to track the website or plugin down without having to waste a lot of time.
Could you provide in future releases this information?
Is it already available under one of the about: pages (e.g. config, plugins, memory, etc?)

Thanks Efreak! 
Maybe I was not clear. I usually have 4-5 plugin-container.exe processes running. I know now that the large one that hogs is the Adobe Flash player, but, for example I don't know which plug-in initiated the other plugin-container.exe instances. 
One of them actually says "googletalkplugin.exe" if you dig deep, which is OK. At least I know why the plugin-container.exe was started. But there are other instances that are just there and there is no way to figure out which plug-in initiated it. 
This would of course also help figure out if it is really the Adobe Flash plug in that is hogging all the memory, OR even if within Firefox in the about: pages one could figure out which TABS are using which plug-ins.
Like that you could freely choose to terminate the process directly, or close the TAB. 
1) What I am looking for is a way to determine which plug-in is running under which instance of plugin-container.exe 
2) Additionally it would be great to have a summary of which TABS are using which plugins (e.g. in the about:plugins page or yet another about: page)
 
Thank you

Can I disable plugin-container.exe in 20.0.1 and still stream video?

When I try to stream TV shows with Firefox, I receive high Firefox disc usage warnings from my Norton antivirus. I believe this is due to the gigantic plugin-container.exe that Firefox apparently runs the Flash player inside of. When I look at it in Taskmaster plugin-container has been using 150 k + after just a few minutes and continues to go higher the longer I watch. If I continue to watch without doing anything, eventually the video begins to stutter and then stops while the sound keeps playing. My system slows down to the point where it takes 5 min to stop the player after clicking the control, and a half hour for my system to process the commands to shut down Firefox and restart.
I've been able to work around this by putting the AV into extended Silent Mode to save CPU and by closing the browser after each and every episode, then reopening it again. Obviously this isn't an optimal solution.
I tried shutting down plugin-container using the Taskmaster but this also killed my video. When I closed the window and restarted the video, the plug-in-container came back. In this current version of Flash 20.0.1 is there a way to disable it forever that will also allow me to stream video? IE8 didn't play nice with web pages but Firefox isn't playing nice with video streaming. Is there a fix that doesn't involve a new PC?
Hard drive currently has 298 Gig free
5/10/2013, 18:06:35
Machine name: TIGERFLOWER
Operating System: Windows XP Professional (5.1, Build 2600) Service Pack 3 (2600.xpsp_sp3_gdr.130307-0422)
Language: English (Regional Setting: English)
System Manufacturer: Dell Inc.
System Model: Dimension XPSGEN5
BIOS: Phoenix ROM BIOS PLUS Version 1.10 A02
Processor: Intel(R) Pentium(R) D CPU 3.20GHz (2 CPUs)
Memory: 2046MB RAM
Page File: 460MB used, 3476MB available
Windows Dir: C:\WINDOWS
DirectX Version: DirectX 9.0c (4.09.0000.0904)

Thanks for the ideas and suggestions. We know the problem isn't with Flash because I was running it without huge background files or lock-up up while using IE8.
Installing an older version of Flash isn't an option because newer versions resolve some of the memory usage and flickering problem that older Flash versions caused on the new Hulu site. Some sites also require the newest patch and return an error message if an older version is detected.
I'm not sure what protected Flash mode does or doesn't do and hate to mess around with Flash when we already know it's been running without issues on my system using the other browser.
What I DO know is that the problem only started occurring when I made the switch from IE8 to Firefox. This weekend I had it happen again when I only had Firefox open and the Norton AV running out of Silent Mode in the background. Only the Flash thumbnails on the Hulu home page were active, not the Flash player and I started to get slowdown and lose mouse control.
I posted the issue over on the Norton forum also but don't expect a workaround. I think disabling that huge plugin-container file might help. By the time I've watched one video both Firefox and plug-in container are up around 200k each, much,much, much larger than anything else running on my system.
So is disabling plugin-containter still viable? Firefox crashing is never going to happen, if plug-in container freezes up my system first. Continually closing and reopening Firefox as a workaround doesn't seem to be way it was intended to perform.

How can I disable plugin-container.exe ?

The plugin-container.exe has basically rendered my browser worthless and seems to be a growing problem. I've tried completely uninstalling Firefox and reinstalling it, updating Flash and all other associated Adobe products, but nothing helps. The plugin crashes Youtube (always) and pretty much every other video I try to watch. When I shut it down in task manager, it crashes the page, and when I reload the page it starts to run again. This has become a seriously annoying problem, and if I can't fix it I'm going to have to give up on Firefox as a browser. I'm not sure what you've tweaked over the past year or so to destroy a perfectly good browser, but whatever you did it was a huge mistake. Many of my friends who recommended Firefox to me have already abandoned it due to this problem and I'm ready to myself. It's just to buggy and it wastes too much time to struggle with it to watch a video.

First, install this; It will help
'''[https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/flashblock/ Flash block]''' {web link}
Never be annoyed by a Flash animation again! Blocks Flash so it
won't get in your way, but if you want to see it, just click on it
Did you get any crash reports or other error messages?
In the address bar, type '''about:crashes'''<enter>.''' Note:''' If any reports do not
have '''BP''' in front of the numbers, click it and select '''Submit'''.
Using your mouse, '''mark''' the most '''resent 7 - 10''' crash reports, and
'''copy''' them. Now go to the reply box below and '''paste''' them in.
-----------------

How do I disable the plugin-container.exe? It is eating a lot of memory.

When my computer slows down, I open the task manager and it tells me that the plugin-container.exe is using upwards of 79k in memory. Is there a way that I can disable it? What are the consequences of doing so and are there any other remedies for this exorbitant use of memory by that program?

Do not confuse extensions and plugins. 
Extensions (Tools > Add-ons > Extensions) add extra functionality (features) to Firefox. 
Plugins (Tools > Add-ons > Plugins) make it possible to handle specific data (files) served by websites like media files and Flash content.

Plugin-container.exe keeps coming back and slowing my machine (ver.3.6.12)

This problem occurred in earlier editions and I would have thought that it should have been solved by now.
My computer goes to 100% usage and stay there until I go into my Windows Task Manager and stop the process: plugin-container.exe . I understand this was put in to stop crashes by Flash Player??? Well , it seems that they have decided to throw the baby out with the wash water. I stop the process but it keeps coming back.
Is there some similar program like Flashplayer that works and that we can use?
What happens if we can really get rid of it permanently?
How can we really get rid of it permanently?
If you send me instructions make sure that my ten-year old can understand it.
Thanks, in advance.
Copy: [email protected]

ok I've just had to fix this myself so can confirm it works :)
open a new tab in mozilla and enter '''about:config''' in the address bar and hit enter.
It will say ''''here be dragons'''' click ''''I'll be careful I promise''''.
In the filter field enter '''dom.ipc'''
You will see a list of preference names, click on the value to toggle (change settings)
These are the settings you want.
dom.ipc.plugins.enabled ''' true'''
dom.ipc.plugins.enabled.npctrl.dll '''false'''
dom.ipc.plugins.enabled.npqtplugin.dll '''false'''
dom.ipc.plugins.enabled.npswf32.dll '''false'''
dom.ipc.plugins.enabled.nptest.dll '''true'''
dom.ipc.plugins.timeoutSecs 45
Restart firefox and then check Task Manager... plugin-container has disappeared, Mozilla is fast again, your RAM is no longer being hogged... happy days :)
Enjoy

What is plugin-container.exe?

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