Web Browser "About:" Keyword

The “about:” keyword activates special functions and windows in the Firefox / Mozilla / Netscape family of browsers.

The early Netscape browsers started this trend with support for a wide range of “about:” commands that returned interesting information about your Internet browsing status simply by entering the command into the address bar and pressing return. The Mozilla and Firefox browsers, coming from the same code base and tradition, still support several of these commands, such as the powerful “about:config”. For some unknown, intriguing reason, the Internet Explorer 5.x versions also recognize the about:mozilla command, returning a blank blue page.

The known full range of “about:” commands can be found below with an indication of which browsers support them. Please note that even though the commands are given as links, almost none of them work in that form, and in general these commands must be manually entered in the address bar to work.

Command

Result

Browsers

about:

Netscape start page

– Mozilla 1.5
– Netscape < v6

about:http://yahoo.com

Gives that state of a URL, including when it was last modified, as in
about:http://www.yahoo.com

– Netscape < v6

about:blank

Transfers to a blank page but doesn’t erase the current one

– Firefox 1
– Internet Explorer 6
– Mozilla 1.5
– Netscape < v6

about:cache

Information on current contents of cache

– Firefox 1
– Mozilla 1.5
– Netscape < v6

about:config

Detailed configuration of browser; can modify settings with right-click

– FireFox 1
– Mozilla 1.5
– Netscape < v6

about:document

Document structure of last visited page

– Netscape < v6

about:FeCoNtExT=123

Mystery command

– Netscape < v6

about:fonts

Installed Font information

– Netscape < v6

about:global

Global history — record of visited URL’s.

– Netscape < v6

about:image-cache

Image files in current cache

– Netscape < v6

about:javalogo

Java logo

– Netscape < v6

about:license

Netscape license

– Netscape < v6

about:logo

Netscape logo

– Mozilla 1.5
– Netscape < v6

about:memory-cache

Current contents of memory cache

– Netscape < v6

about:mozilla

[Internet Explorer] Blank blue page
[FireFox & Mozilla] The Book of Mozilla, 7:15 (Note 1)
[Netscape] The Book of Mozilla, 12:10 (Note 2)

– Firefox 1
– Internet Explorer 5.x
– Mozilla 1.5
– Netscape < v6

about:pics

Pics information

– Netscape < v6

about:plugins

Plugin status

– Firefox 1
– Mozilla 1.5
– Netscape

about:rsalogo

RSA logo

– Netscape < v6

Netscape programmers. Several of the original Netscape programmers had personal web page links built into the browser through the “about” command as listed below. For the benefit of those without an older Netscape browser (<v6) to retrieve these pages, the Team Member column provides the programmer’s full name linked to their current page or to a historical page retrieved from Archive.org where a current page could not be found.

Command

Team Member

about:ari

Ari Luotonen – none found

about:atotic

Aleksandar Totic – archive

about:blythe

Garrett Arch Blythe – archive

about:chouck

Chris Houck

about:dmose

Dan Mosedale

about:dp

Suresh Duddi – archive

about:ebina

Eric Bina – archive

about:jg

John Giannandrea

about:jwz

Jamie Zawinski – archive

about:kipp

Kipp Hickman – archive

about:marca

Marc Andreessen – archive

about:mlm

Mike McCool – archive

about:montulli

Lou Montulli – archive

about:mtoy

Michael Toy – archive

about:paquin

Tom Paquin – archive

about:robm

Rob McCool – archive

about:sharoni

Sharon Iimura – not found

about:timm

Tim McClarren

Note 1: “And so at last the beast fell and the unbelievers rejoiced. But all was not lost, for from the ash rose a great bird. The bird gazed down upon the unbelievers and cast fire and thunder upon them. For the beast had been reborn with its strength renewed, and the followers of Mammon cowered in horror.
from The Book of Mozilla, 7:15″

Note 2: “And the beast shall come forth surrounded by a roiling cloud of vengeance. The house of the unbelievers shall be razed and they shall be scorched to the earth. Their tags shall blink until the end of days.
from The Book of Mozilla, 12:10″