Flagship web browser from Mozilla based on Gecko with password manager, improved security, fast web browsing, add-ons and development tools.
What is Firefox?
Firefox is a fast, modern and highly functional web browser that supports all of the most common web formats along with the standards that every mainstream browser adheres to.
As a non-profit, Mozilla has a simple mission with its Firefox project and that is to make a browser that isn't just fast and standards-compliant, but also completely free.
The history of Mozilla and Firefox stems from the original Netscape browser from the 90s. After Netscape was eliminated, the source code of the browser continued to evolve into modern-day Mozilla Firefox which uses the Gecko rendering engine, different from the Webkit engine used by Google Chrome.
Addons and Extensions
One of the main selling points of Firefox is its support for addons, also called Extensions. They have a huge range in functionality and add to the feature-set of the browser. These can be installed for free from Mozilla's Firefox Browser Add-ons and are nicely categorized. Alerts and Updates, Appearance, Bookmarks, Download Management, Feeds/News, Games, Language Support, Multimedia, Privacy, Search Tools, Shopping, Social, Tabs and Web Development.
When browsing for Firefox Addons, you can not only use the search function to find exactly what you need but also view pre-selected addons like Undo Close Tab, User-Agent Switcher, HTTPS Everywhere, SponsorBlock (for blocking YouTube ads), Privacy Badger and a whole ton of other addons. Note that outdated browser extensions can be used but sometimes become unstable.
Privacy and security
A notable feature that comes installed with Firefox is its support for a number of privacy-related features. Incognito Mode is a tool that allows you to browse the web as a vanilla user, it's as if you've installed your browser for the first time with a clean slate. This feature is a great way to bypass advertiser cookies and view news articles behind paywalls if you've reached your view limit.
Firefox is also launching the Firefox VPN service which is a built-in browser VPN that lets you view web sites by tunneling through a third party server. It's available as an open-source virtual private network extension. This can be used as a general privacy tool to hide your IP address while also denying ad trackers the ability to target you based on your actual location.
If using a VPN or Incognito Mode on Firefox isn't exactly what you're looking for, Mozilla has included a tool to quickly and easily clear cache in Firefox which can be accomplished by accessing the settings and browsing to Privacy & Security and clicking "Clear Data" under Cookies and Site Data. This will completely clear all user data and turn your browser into a clean slate in terms of browsing history.
A recently introduced and very welcome addition to the mainstream release is the ability to separate Facebook trackers from normal web browsing. Called Facebook Containers, activating this feature stops Facebook in their tracks when following you around the web. It works as a default Incognito Mode just for Facebook.
Exporting and Importing Bookmarks and other data
When you're migrating between browsers, Mozilla makes it quite simple to import you bookmarks, passwords and other user data into the browser upon installation. If the browser has already been installed, you can do this alternatively by clicking the Library icon. From there, you can click use the "Import Data and Another Browser" under Import and Backup.
Mozilla Firefox can import data from other mainstream browsers such as Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Microsoft Edge Legacy, Internet Explorer and Chromium.
It's not just possible to import your frequently visited web sites and bookmarks, but also browser settings. Unfortunately, addons and extensions cannot be imported from other browsers.
How to make Firefox your default browser: Access "Options" and under "General", select Always check if Firefox is your default browser.
Change the appearance with addons and themes
Another cool feature of this web browser is its support for themes and skins. Though creating a custom skin for Firefox is possible, the themes store has a number of free downloads which can apply a different look and feel to the browser.
Even though the default layout and color scheme of Firefox follows what the Windows operating system has defined, it can also apply custom looks that are categories into a number of categories that include high definition images.
Themes range from Abstract, Nature, Foxkeh (themed around foxes) and Scenery among a long list of others.
Further customization can be attained by rearranging the bookmarks bar, pinning addons to the interface and adjustment the placement of different panels by right-clicking the panel itself and clicking on "Customize".
How to update Firefox
Performing an update in Firefox is usually done automatically in the background. Alternatively, you can download the latest version on this site and running the setup file will update the binaries.
If you're running the browser already, you can go to Options -> Firefox Updates -> Check for updates. Here you can also view the update history which will display each time the browser has been updated also with the time, date and details which link to a change log.
Conclusion
All in all, there are definitely reasons for choosing Firefox over other browsers, but namely Chromium. A hot selling point is generally privacy and security-related concerns that Firefox does not send browsing data back to Google servers and still maintains an independent code base that isn't necessarily influenced by third parties.
It comes down to Firefox vs Chrome and at this point, Firefox is the clear winner with its innovative approach to introducing features and keeping up with standards while avoiding phoning home to a large corporation with its main goal to turn users browsing the web into products.
Firefox is fast, stable and a highly customizable web browser that doesn't suffer from the issue in Google Chrome of tabs hogging system resources without the help of questionable extensions.
Features of Firefox
- Integrates with Facebook and YouTube.
- Compatibility: View websites as intended with support for all web standards.
- Customization: Choose from over 60,000 add-ons to personalize the browser.
- Developer Tools: Debug websites, create add-ons and inspect HTML.
- Extensions: Add extra features and content to your browser.
- Mobile: Access your Firefox account on your mobile devices for a consistent experience.
- Parental Controls: Protect your kids from inappropriate webpages and content.
- Private Browsing: Browse with peace of mind knowing all data is erased after.
- Search: Search the web with multiple engines and quick access to search history.
- Security: Protects against phishing and malware.
- Smart Location Bar: Find websites quickly with auto-completion of search terms.
- Speed: Loads pages faster and runs web applications quickly.
- Sync: Share bookmarks, passwords and other data across multiple devices.
- Tabbed Browsing: Open multiple webpages in one window.
- Web Accessibility: Make content and web applications available to all users.
Compatibility and License
Firefox is free software made available under the Mozilla Public Licence for the Windows operating system from web browsers. With this type of license, users are permitted to freely download, modify and distribute it without any real restrictions.
Mozilla accepts donations for the continued development of this free software.
What version of Windows can Firefox run on?
Firefox can be used on a computer running Windows 11 or Windows 10. Previous versions of the OS shouldn't be a problem with Windows 8 and Windows 7 having been tested. It comes in both 32-bit and 64-bit downloads.
Other operating systems: The latest Firefox version from 2024 is also available for Android and Mac. These are often available from the app store.
Filed under:
- Firefox Download
- Free Web Browsers
- Open source and GPL software
- Internet Browsing Software
