Mozilla Firefox

About this release

Firefox matters because of what it is not built on. Nearly every other browser in wide use shares the same underlying engine, and Firefox does not, which means the web keeps having to work with more than one implementation. That is worth something on its own, and it comes attached to a browser that is genuinely good rather than merely different.

Privacy is the default rather than a setting to find. Enhanced tracking protection blocks cross site trackers, cryptominers and fingerprinting attempts out of the box, cookies are partitioned per site so a tracker cannot follow you between them, and the shield icon shows what was blocked on the page you are looking at. Container tabs go further, keeping separate identities in separate sandboxes inside one window so a work account and a personal one can be open side by side without either seeing the other.

Customisation goes deeper than the alternatives allow. The toolbar rearranges properly, themes change the whole interface, the extension platform still supports the kinds of add on that other browsers have narrowed away, and the advanced configuration page exposes hundreds of settings for anyone who wants them. For people who arrange their tools rather than accept them, this is the reason they stay.

The everyday parts are all in place. Tabs group, pin, mute, stack vertically and search across windows, sessions restore after a crash, reader mode strips a page down to its text, the picture in picture player floats a video over other work, and the password store, history and open tabs synchronise between machines through an encrypted account if you want them to. Memory use stays under control with many tabs open, which was not always true of this browser and is worth saying plainly.

What it does

Independent engine

Not built on the same core as most other browsers, which keeps the web from narrowing to one implementation.

Tracking protection on by default

Cross site trackers, cryptominers and fingerprinting blocked without configuring anything.

Container tabs

Separate sandboxed identities in one window so accounts stay isolated from each other.

Deep customisation

Toolbar arrangement, themes, a broad extension platform and an advanced settings page.

Reader and picture in picture

Strip a page to its text, or float a video over whatever else you are doing.

Encrypted synchronisation

Passwords, history, bookmarks and open tabs move between machines if you want them to.

Changed in this version

• Lower memory use with very large numbers of open tabs.
• Faster page load on script heavy sites.
• Tracking protection list updated with new fingerprinting techniques covered.
• Vertical tab layout gains better grouping controls.
• Fixed a rendering issue with certain video codecs on older graphics drivers.

System requirements

Install order

1. Unpack the archive and run the installer.
2. Import bookmarks and passwords from an existing browser when offered.
3. Set tracking protection to strict if nothing you use breaks under it.
4. Add the extensions you rely on before making it the default browser.

Worth knowing before you start

File details