5 Reasons Why Firefox Is Still My Favorite Browser - And Deserves More Respect

Though Firefox, Chrome, and Edge each connection settings to thief you power your privacy, Firefox stands retired successful this area.

By default, Firefox offers Enhanced Tracking Protection, which, moreover successful Standard mode, blocks societal media trackers, cross-site cookies, each search items successful backstage windows, cryptominers that hijack your browser resources to excavation for cryptocurrencies, and fingerprinters that effort to way you done definite browser data. Also connected by default is Total Cookie Protection, which prevents third-party cookies from search you crossed different websites.

Also: I thought my favourite browser blocked trackers, but this free privateness instrumentality proved maine wrong

I've enabled some Enhanced Tracking Protection and Total Cookie Protection to protect my browsing activities from trackers.

Chrome and Edge person a Do Not Track option, but that's mostly ineffective and unenforceable, truthful astir websites disregard it. Instead, Firefox has an action called Global Privacy Control, which tells sites not to stock aliases waste your information and is legally binding successful definite states.

Firefox, Chrome, and Edge each require you to motion successful pinch an relationship to sync your bookmarks, passwords, extensions, settings, and different browser data. But a Mozilla account is little intrusive and invasive than a Google relationship aliases a Microsoft account, amended preserving your privacy.

Also: I replaced my Microsoft relationship password pinch a passkey - and you should, too

All 3 browsers fto you manually region cookies, history, and different data. But Firefox tin besides automatically delete cookies and different information each clip you adjacent nan browser. Plus, you tin group exceptions for circumstantial sites. Google has nary specified option. Edge tin delete browsing information erstwhile you exit, but it won't let you to group exceptions for sites. I ever alteration this mounting erstwhile utilizing Firefox connected a shared aliases nationalist PC to region each traces of my activity.

Firefox is nan champ erstwhile it comes to customization. Tweaking nan apical toolbar is simply a cleanable example. Just right-click connected nan Firefox toolbar and prime "Customize Toolbar" from nan menu. You tin past easy adhd and region toolbar icons conscionable by dragging and dropping them. You tin moreover adhd items to an overflow paper truthful they're still accessible but don't return up abstraction connected nan visible toolbar. For me, utilizing this drag-and-drop method to customize nan browser is speedy and simple.

In contrast, Chrome and Edge make you spell to nan Appearance conception nether Settings, wherever modifying nan toolbar is simply a much manual and little friends process.

Also: Could OpenAI's rumored browser beryllium a Chrome-killer? Here's what I'm expecting

Firefox, Chrome, and Edge each unfastened a caller tab page erstwhile you commencement nan browser aliases motorboat a caller tab. Chrome takes you to nan Google hunt page, pinch links to websites. Edge displays a hunt page pinch news stories. Firefox besides displays a hunt page pinch news items, but this area is customizable. You tin adhd and region circumstantial contented connected nan caller tab page and moreover switch it pinch a URL aliases a blank page.

For nan tweakers among us, Firefox tin besides pat into a CSS stylesheet for loads of customizations. Known arsenic userChrome.css (despite nan name, it's designed for Firefox), this record useful arsenic a emblematic stylesheet. You tin add, remove, and modify circumstantial style rules to power really Firefox appears. I've utilized this record to alteration nan statement spacing successful Firefox's menus, for example.

I for illustration nan interface successful Firefox complete those successful nan different browsers. By customizing nan toolbar, you tin adhd icons for an easy navigable Bookmarks menu, a power to zoom successful and out, a measurement to quickly delete your browsing history, an action to move to afloat surface mode, a hunt instrumentality to find matter connected your existent page, and a measurement to position synced tabs. With Chrome and Edge, astir of those options aren't disposable arsenic toolbar icons, making them much difficult to access.

Firefox offers a assortment of built-in themes that you tin use to jazz up its appearance. I often usage nan Brushed Metal taxable to springiness nan browser a sleek but elemental look. Lots of themes are disposable for Chrome and Edge. Certain ones are built into nan browser. But for really cool ones, you person to caput to nan Chrome Web Store aliases Edge Add-ons to snag them.

Also: 7 browser features I can't unrecorded without that Chrome doesn't offer

Managing unfastened tabs is simply a situation successful immoderate browser. As you unfastened much tabs successful Chrome and Edge, nan size of nan tab sanction astatine nan apical shrinks successful width, making it much difficult to read. Firefox besides reduces nan width of nan tab name, but offers ways to compensate.

You tin rhythm done caller unfastened tabs by utilizing nan acquainted Ctrl+Tab keystroke. You're capable to position and entree each unfastened tab by hovering complete nan Firefox icon connected nan Windows taskbar. Plus, pinch Firefox's Configuration Editor, you tin group a minimum tab width. Both Firefox and Edge connection a Vertical Tabs action to position unfastened tabs vertically successful nan sidebar, a characteristic that Chrome presently lacks.

Side panel: Firefox offers a useful broadside sheet that you tin easy tweak to show your bookmarks, tabs from different devices, your history, and various AI chatbots. I often usage this sheet to show my bookmarks erstwhile I want to entree 1 page aft different aliases negociate them collectively. Chrome offered a akin characteristic previously, but removed it successful favour of a toolbar customization action that doesn't activity arsenic well. Edge has its ain Copilot sidebar that you tin besides customize by adding various devices and websites.

Reader view: Firefox offers a Reader View successful which you tin publication an article aliases web page successful a reader-friendly layout and moreover perceive to nan matter publication aloud. Edge has a akin Immersive Reader characteristic that useful well. Chrome besides provides a Reading Mode instrumentality that splits your surface successful half, but doesn't person a read-aloud option.

Unified hunt button: Here's a characteristic I like. Though you tin move among different hunt engines and akin pages successful immoderate browser, only Firefox lets you do this task straight from nan reside bar. Just click nan unified hunt fastener astatine nan near extremity of nan reside bar. You tin past bounce among Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo, Amazon, eBay, and Wikipedia. You tin besides hunt for items crossed your bookmarks, tabs, and history.

Browser containers: If you want to shape your browsing activity into different categories, Firefox has a useful characteristic called containers. Using Firefox containers, you're capable to spot web pages into color-coded tabs, pinch each 1 isolated from nan other. This attack lets you abstracted your activity and individual browsing without logging successful to different accounts. Neither Chrome nor Edge offers a akin feature.

Facebook container: All nan awesome browsers supply their ain sites for extensions and add-ons. But there's 1 peculiar hold recovered only successful Firefox. With nan Facebook container, you tin forestall nan societal web from search your activities crossed different websites, a nasty wont that Facebook likes to propulsion off.

Finally, there's thing to beryllium said for supporting nan underdog.

In nan Windows desktop browser arena, Chrome is still nan apical canine by acold (though immoderate of nan upcoming AI-based browsers whitethorn commencement nipping astatine its heels). Edge is successful 2nd place. That puts Firefox successful third. But I deliberation nan browser should beryllium defined by overmuch much than its third-place status.

Unlike Google and Microsoft, which are awesome firm giants, nan Mozilla Foundation is simply a nonprofit statement pinch a beardown bent toward online privateness and transparency. That's 1 logic I for illustration Firefox.

Also, if Firefox disappeared, we'd beryllium near pinch conscionable 2 awesome Windows desktop browsers, neither of which places other accent connected privacy. That's different logic I favour Firefox.

Also: This caller browser won't monetize your each move - really to effort it

Despite my fandom for Firefox, I'm surely not unsighted to its weaknesses nor to nan criticisms leveled against it. 

While Chrome and Edge usage nan Blink motor to render web pages, Firefox taps into its ain Quantum/Gecko engine. This is important because immoderate web developers make judge their sites render decently successful Chrome and Edge but time off Firefox arsenic an afterthought.

Many benchmarks besides peg Chrome and Edge arsenic faster than Firefox depending connected nan pages you load and nan tasks you run. Additionally, I've recovered that Firefox typically chews up much representation than Chrome, particularly erstwhile moving aggregate tabs.

Then location are nan gripes against Mozilla itself. Back successful March, Mozilla changed immoderate of nan language utilized successful its privateness policy, triggering concerns complete its continued attraction connected personification privacy.

As I mentioned, I usage Chrome and Edge, truthful those browsers do play a domiciled for maine some personally and professionally. But among nan three, I still favour Firefox. I find that astir web pages activity good successful Firefox, that nan browser is accelerated enough, and that nan attraction connected privateness is still strong, particularly pinch nan settings that you tin tweak and tighten. For those reasons and more, I stay a dedicated Firefox user.