Manually Uninstalling Firefox Add Ons (or “DIE SKYPE!”)

Skype’s Firefox extension gets installed whether you want it to or not. Uncool. This plugin is notoriously unstable and resource hogish. Moreover, Skype actually has the Big Brass Ones to disable the Uninstall button in the Add-ons UI:

There’s a way around this. Directions below for FF3.6 or higher.

1. In Firefox, Help | Troubleshooting Information
2. Under the Profile Directory box, click Open Containing Folder. Explorer handily opens in the profile folder. Navigate down to the Extensions folder.
3. Flip back to Firefox.
4. In the Troubleshooting Information screen’s Extensions section find the Skype plug in
5. Look up the GUID value in the ID column
6. Delete that particular directory
7. Restart Firefox

I love Skype and use it for hours each week, but pushing stuff on me without my consent isn’t cool.