Caption, "Firefox, with each new release, it just keeps getting worse!"
- Developers are adding massive amounts of bloat and awful glitchy features. It is unfortunate.
- There is a push to make Firefox more like Google Chrome. Some of us use Firefox because IT IS NOT Chrome!!!
- Eye candy in the UI just makes a fatter, slower, less efficient web browser.
- Worst of all, the developers are getting involved in politics and have become "woke."
Due to the constant new roll-outs this guide has to be organized by entry date.
Version 89: Proton
Firefox 89 arrives with address bar, toolbar, tab and menu changes. The industry continues to turn its back on desktop users and focus on the small screens so that everything will be larger in the new interface. Proton will remove some options from Firefox, or hide them. The Compact density option won't be displayed anymore on the "customize" page of the browser if it has not been used in the past.
Be advised, the old "Classic Theme Restorer" addon is gone. There is something similar and useful that can deliver some color and subtle UI improvements called a-firefox-classic-36
- Install a-firefox-classic-36
move tab bar below url bar
Merciless firefox developers continue their deranged arrangement of the user interface, this time moving the tab bar above the URL bar. The customize option is not able to re-position the two.
If you prefer to have the tab bar below the URL bar you can utilize the backwards compatible Legacy User Profile Customizations of userChrome.css
- Enable the interface customization by going to about:config
- set toolkit.legacyUserProfileCustomizations.stylesheets to true
- create a userChrome.css in the chrome subdirectory of your user profile directory.
Although you see the name "chrome" referenced by firefox it is a legacy name that existed before the Google browser. One has nothing to do with the other.
To find your user profile location
- HELP -> More Troubleshooting Information
cd /home/nicolep/.mozilla/firefox-esr/rbh5mz6n.default-esr91 mkdir chrome cd chrome touch userChrome.css
We have a sample snip of code to place in userChrome.css that will move the tab bar below the URL bar where it belongs.
what are these obnoxious .webp files?
Google is the Internet, they control what we see, they manipulate information into what they wish us to believe is fact, and they even censor a United States President. This is the state of affairs today and much like Microsoft was once so powerful the entire industry bowed to their every whim, today Google demands we obey. Google wants to dominate image formats with their new image container known as WebP. This image container was developed by Google, and is used by many websites, including shopping portals and Reddit. The annoying thing about WebP is, not a lot of image editors support the format. So, when you download a WebP image you may have some difficulty using it. You can't save it into a different format directly.
- Firefox recognizes Google WebP files as .webp images for direct download
- Firefox will display png and jpg as .webp from some web sites and no longer offer the original format.
When a legitimate source jpg is being downloaded as .webp by Firefox, you can simple change the file extension back to jpg and view the image. This does not work with images that are not simply saved with the erroneous extension modification but actual WebP container images. Firefox doesn't seem to make the distinction.
Right lick on a png or jpg image and this stupid version of Firefox tries to save them as .webp when the same web page in Palemoon or Chrome use the correct png or jpg extension for saving the file. WTF Firefox?! We are not talking about lousy Google Image Search images, but actually anything anywhere else.
This includes PNG files that I uploaded myself to my web host. It does not matter of the original image is a jpg or a png, if I try to download it, Firefox "thinks" that it is a .webp file.
- Articles advising an edit in about:config to image.webp.enabled should be disregarded as the solution is now totally ignored by Proton.
To help understand the issue better we will quote a snippet from someone else, "Firefox is not converting the image files but appending webp to the end of the file name. If I download the exact same image file from Chrorne or IE than the webp extension is not appended and shows up as the correct file type. Example: Firefox sees image.jpep as image. jpeg. webp. It is this action we want to end as no one should have to deleted the webp extension as it should recognize, and save the file properly. So no renaming, no converting no nothing except for Firefox to save with the correct extension instead of changing it, as most websites do not support webp if you were to try to upload one."
The following Explanation May Be the Most Accurate:
When a browser indicates to a server that it can accept webP images, the server can compress the JPEG on the fly using a webP container -- without changing the file name. Each browser currently handles this differently:
- Internet Explorer 11: can't decompress webP, sites do not substitute webP for JPEG
- Chrome: accepts webP, and when you save, it can convert to different formats on the fly based on the file extension
- Firefox: accepts webP, and when you save, it saves in webP format regardless of the file extension
It would be ideal if Firefox were to get Chrome's ability to convert to different formats. Issue is best explained here. This guy is on the money.
You can try the following:
firefox "private browsing" homepage
Is there any way to set the Home Page for Private Browsing?
about:privatebrowsing
Only addons can change new tab pages. As this time there are no addons to change the privatebrowsing page.
A post on reddit suggests you can set private home page without the search, go to about:config and change browser.privatebrowsing.searchUI to "false". This does not seem to work on current versions 2023+
- The default private homepage on each new private window opened is unchangeable without css
- addons that change the new tab page, will change private new tabs
Version 29: Australis
Firefox 29 arrives with revamped Sync tool, customization mode, and Mozilla’s user interface overhaul which is called "Australis." This Australis layout is best described as pseudo-Chrome. It is the biggest ever change to Firefox’s user interface. Firefox’s new Australis theme is very curvy. The most significant changes over the current desktop version of Firefox are: Lots of rounded corners, inactive tabs that “fade” into the background, less padding above tabs, and a massively re-worked main menu button (which shares the same icon as Chrome).
- Classic Theme Restorer - This addon will allow you to use tabs below the address bar, use square tabs, separate the back and forward buttons and detach them from the address bar, and many other useful fixes.
- Dedoimedo has a guide, How to change the new Firefox Australis looks, which goes into great detail on how to bring back the old Firefox UI that users prefer over Chrome.
Version 7 and Older
Become familiar with about:config which can be used to customize firefox and disable some of the feature bloat.
[about:config]
Tab open order reversed after update
Firefox tabs opening backwards - Since the upgrade to Firefox 3.6 the order which tabs open has changed or is inconsistent. Previously tabs opened sequentially, so that the latest one was always at the far right. To restore the previous behavior do the following:
- In the URL bar type: about:config
- Find or create
browser.tabs.insertRelatedAfterCurrent
- Set the value to: False
Hide the Tab Bar When Browsing a Single Page
The default setting in Firefox 3.5 is to always display tabs, even when you're only browsing a single page. Show more of the web page by hiding the tab bar if only viewing a single page.
- Go to Tools, and then Options.
- Go to the Tabs menu, and uncheck "Always show the tab bar"
Menu bar missing
- Press Alt on the keyboard and release. The menu bar will appear temporarily.
- On the menu bar, click View, go to Toolbars, then select which toolbars you want to see.
PREVENT tabs/sessions restoring when restarting Firefox after a forced close/crash
tested on version: 8.0
You can do this by changing a hidden preference.
about:config
In the filter box type resume to bring up a small number of preferences, Double-click on the
browser.sessionstore.resume_from_crash
to change its value to false
reference: How do I PREVENT tabs/sessions restoring when restarting Firefox after a forced close/crash?
You can also Set the pref browser.sessionstore.max_resumed_crashes to 0 on the about:config page to get the about:sessionrestore page immediately with the first restart after a crash has occurred or the Task Manager was used to close Firefox.
That will allow you to deselect the tab(s) that you do not want to reopen, but will allow to reopen the other tabs.
Save Image As Directory Randomly Changes (unresolved)
Information on this issue/bug has been moved to Firefox Save Image As Save Per Site Annoyance, including the latest work around, the suggested fix from Firefox, and further details.
This was a poorly thought out change to Firefox and reflects on the overall feature bloat and lack of attention to user feedback that is driving Firefox market share down the tubes. Way to keep up the Micro$oft mentality there Firefox developers!
Asinine Top Sites New Tab Page
June 2012 Mozilla adds another annoying "new feature" enabled by default that negatively impacts browser performance and privacy, further contributing to overall bloat. When you create a new tab, Firefox shows top sites, idiot crap like facebook. Firefox trying to be more like Chrome.
you can turn this feature off completely:
- goto about:config
- Type browser.newtab.url in the search box.
- Double-click the browser.newtab.url preference and change the url from about:newtab to about:blank.
- Click OK and close the about:config tab.
Get Firefox 7 (and higher) to show HTTP:// in URLs
- goto about:config
- Type browser.urlbar.trimURLs in the search box.
- Click to change boolean toggle from True to False
128.4.0esr Removed Purple Mask on Incognito Windows
The purple mask indicator on Private Browsing aka Incognito windows is a useful reminder that a user is in incognito mode. With the recent update the mask indicator is absent even when settings selection is not set to always private or never store history. Users like the reminder so when leaving the workstation and returning later, the indicator provides assurance that the window is in the correct mode.
Best solution as present: Private Frame (extension)
It is ugly, and the shade of purple in the frame is not aesthetically pleasing, however, it does provide the reminder that the less obnoxious purple mask once did before the stupid developers removed it.