Firefox's has been reimagined in 2024 to be fast, modern and inviting the first time you run it and every day after. We've always had your back on privacy, and still do. We think the browser should be a piece of software you can rely on to have your back, pleasant to look at and working seamlessly with the web.

Is Firefox a trustworthy browser?

Firefox is considered a secure and private browser. By default, Firefox blocks known third party trackers, social media trackers, cryptomining scripts and fingerprinters from collecting your data.

Does Firefox use Google as a search engine?

Yes, Google pays hefty royalties to Mozilla/Firefox for making them the default search engine in Firefox. That deal is worth around $400 million per year (as of 2021-2022) and makes up the vast majority of Mozilla's total revenue.

Is Firefox better than Google Chrome?

Firefox and Chrome are updated every few weeks, so it's hard to compare them over time. At one point, Firefox has offered advantages over Chrome in terms of RAM usage, but that claim can go back and forth depending on the revision (and the potential for regressions). Microsoft Edge and Apple's Safari have also made such claims, but in general all browsers are continually improving and beating each other.

Firefox does offer better privacy and customizability (to an extent) and is a solid browser with lots of add-ons available. If you want the best customizability on a stock browser, you should also check out Vivaldi (Chromium based).

Who owns Firefox?

Firefox is developed by the Mozilla Foundation, a US-based non-profit that operates and controls the Mozilla project.

Is Firefox based on Chromium?

No, Firefox is not based on Chromium. In fact, Firefox is one of the last major browsers that isn't. Firefox runs on its own Quantum browser engine.

Features

A sleek, clean Firefox design backed by research

Going into the Firefox redesign, our team studied how people interact with the browser, observing their patterns and behaviors. We listened to feedback and gathered ideas from regular people who just want to have an easier experience on the web. We obsessed over distractions, extra clicks and wasted time. The resulting new design is simple, modern and fast and delivers a beautiful experience to support what people do most in Firefox.

Streamlined toolbar and menus

The toolbar is naturally where you start every web visit. It's the place where you type a URL to go somewhere online. After web page content, it's what you look at most in Firefox. The new toolbar is simplified and clutter-free so you get to the good stuff effortlessly.

Menus are where key Firefox actions and commands live. We've consolidated extra menus to reduce clutter and be more intuitive through the three bars menu in the upper right or by right-clicking to activate it on your computer screen. The new look reorganized and streamlined our menus to put the best actions quickly at your fingertips.

When privacy protections are engaged in Firefox, the shield icon in the toolbar glows subtly indicating that we're working behind the scenes to protect you from nosy trackers. Fun fact: Firefox has blocked more than 6 trillion --- that's trillion with a T --- trackers since we rolled out enhanced tracking protection, stopping thousands of companies from viewing your online activity.. We're talking about tracking cookies, social media trackers, fingerprinters, cryptominers and more. Go ahead and click on the shield to see who and what Firefox is blocking... you might be surprised by what you find out.

A new look for tabs

Based on our research, we found out that more than half of you have 4+ tabs open all the time, and some of you have more, a lot more. And we feel that! Tab as much as you like, friends. Tabs got a makeover so they are now gently curved and float above the toolbar. It's an exciting change that also serves as a reminder that tabs aren't stationary. So grab those tabs, move them around and organize them as you like. Tabs also got a glow-up to be a touch brighter when active.

What's New

New features:

  • Caret browsing mode now also works in the PDF viewer. (Learn more)
  • In Firefox View, open tabs can now be sorted by either recent activity or tab order. Recent activity is the default setting.
  • Firefox now populates the Windows taskbar jump list more efficiently, which should allow for a smoother overall browsing experience.
  • Firefox on Mac now uses the macOS fullscreen API for all types of fullscreen windows. This should better match the expected macOS user experience for fullscreen spaces, menubar and the Dock.
  • As of Firefox 124, Qwant's availability has been expanded to all languages in the France region along with Belgium, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, and Switzerland.

Fixed

  • Various security fixes.

Enterprise

  • You can find information about policy updates and enterprise specific bug fixes in the Firefox for Enterprise 124 Release Notes.

Developer

  • Developer Information is available here.
  • Web Platform
  • Added support for AbortSignal.any.
  • You can now use HTTP(S) and relative URLs when creating WebSockets.