topic Re: Firefox 134 New Tab in Discussions

Firefox 134 New Tab

oneissueaccount — Thu, 09 Jan 2025 14:22:11 GMT

Firefox updated to version 134 last night and the New Tab page was changed. The shortcut icons are too small and hard to navigate now. Can I revert to the old New Tab page, or do I need to reinstall version 133?

Re: Firefox 134 New Tab

Agentvirtuel — Thu, 09 Jan 2025 15:18:18 GMT

Hello

Try

1 - Go to Configuration Editor for Firefox https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/about-config-editor-firefox

2 - Enter a search term browser.newtabpage.activity-stream.newtabLayouts.variant

You will find
browser.newtabpage.activity-stream.newtabLayouts.variant-a
browser.newtabpage.activity-stream.newtabLayouts.variant-b

Try value false

https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1911653

Re: Firefox 134 New Tab

oneissueaccount — Thu, 09 Jan 2025 17:10:56 GMT

Thank you so much Agentvirtuel! Your solution worked perfectly!

Re: Firefox 134 New Tab

dglowny — Thu, 09 Jan 2025 18:41:05 GMT

How do you make the change "stick", because even after editing the settings (which fixed it for a little while) eventually the icons went back again to being too small ... and the flag was back to true again!

Re: Firefox 134 New Tab

dglowny — Thu, 09 Jan 2025 18:59:00 GMT

It seems like the flag gets flipped back to true on every relaunch of Firefox, probably as part of the "progressive rollout" logic, which undermines this attempted workaround method.

Re: Firefox 134 New Tab

Agentvirtuel — Thu, 09 Jan 2025 20:48:11 GMT

Hello

Perhaps you are under Studies
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/shield
Type about:studies into your address bar to see a list of your studies.

For informational purpose to try

user_pref("browser.newtabpage.activity-stream.newtabLayouts.variant-a", false); user_pref("browser.newtabpage.activity-stream.newtabLayouts.variant-b", false);

Copy/paste the code into Notepad
Save
Type: All files
user.js

Go to your profile folder https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/profiles-where-firefox-stores-user-data

Move user.js to your profile folder

Restart Firefox

Other information to try
Firefox policies https://mozilla.github.io/policy-templates
Preferences https://mozilla.github.io/policy-templates/#preferences

The Enterprise Policy Generator https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/enterprise-policy-generator helps to create the configuration file

Specify user-defined preferences (about:config)

{ "policies": { "Preferences": { "browser.newtabpage.activity-stream.newtabLayouts.variant-a": { "Status": "locked", "Type": "boolean", "Value": false }, "browser.newtabpage.activity-stream.newtabLayouts.variant-b": { "Status": "locked", "Type": "boolean", "Value": false } } } }

Copy/paste the code into Notepad
Save
Type: All files
policies.json

Then
Create the distribution folder
Move policies.json to the distribution folder
Move the distribution folder to the folder where Firefox is installed

Use the Troubleshooting Information page to help fix Firefox issues https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/use-troubleshooting-information-page-fix-firefox

Application Binary: Shows where Firefox is installed.

Restart Firefox

Information page
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/use-troubleshooting-information-page-fix-firefox

Enterprise Policies: This shows you if your browser is being managed by Windows Group Policy or a policies.json file. If enterprise policies are managing Firefox, clicking on Active will show you a list of the policies that are currently active on Firefox.

Re: Firefox 134 New Tab

dglowny — Thu, 09 Jan 2025 21:07:10 GMT

Thanks, that was great info!

When I went into "about:studies", I found "Default UI Experiment - Logo in corner Rollout" and clicked Remove.

Then I quit and re-launced Firefox, and everything was back to using the old-style bigger shortcut icons, just like it used to be before FF 134.

Re: Firefox 134 New Tab

Mike88 — Fri, 10 Jan 2025 14:08:11 GMT

What about the THOUSANDS of FireFox users who are not technically capable of making these changes? Do the developers think about the users AT ALL?

Re: Firefox 134 New Tab

Gunther_Hermann — Fri, 10 Jan 2025 22:27:28 GMT

Thank you, the user.js file worked perfect! Shame the solution is so cumbersome for end users and not something that can just be opted into via settings.

Re: Firefox 134 New Tab

CharlieAdams — Sat, 11 Jan 2025 16:23:14 GMT

Thank you all. The user.js file addition works. Yes, this must be formalized so that the normies can get this done.

Re: Firefox 134 New Tab

CharlieAdams — Sat, 11 Jan 2025 16:28:06 GMT

Yes, I created a login just so I could post this appreciation. Firefox has been fine up until now. 23 years of usage without a single complaint. That has to be some kind of record.

Re: Firefox 134 New Tab

KyleF — Fri, 31 Jan 2025 03:41:27 GMT

Easy Solution: go to Firefox Settings, Privacy and Security, scroll to Firefox Data Collection and Use, UNCHECK "allow Firefox to install and run studies"

Re: Firefox 134 New Tab

Mariel — Thu, 06 Feb 2025 12:45:14 GMT

Thank you for the solution to a problem we didn't have before.
Please Mozilla, if this is just a study you already noticed some disapproval, don't set it by default without a simple option to disable it!

Re: Firefox 134 New Tab

hectorsalamanca — Thu, 06 Feb 2025 17:43:08 GMT

thank you so much, it worked perfectly!!

Re: Firefox 134 New Tab

Ako17 — Thu, 06 Feb 2025 18:19:39 GMT

Why were the shortcut icons made so much smaller in the first place? It doesn't help the look, now the shortcuts list doesn't align with the stories, and it's a bit harder to use. Please revert the shortcuts back to large icons while keeping 4 rows of stories.

Re: Firefox 134 New Tab

ulture — Fri, 07 Feb 2025 00:32:04 GMT

Does not work. Reverts on restarting Firefox.

Re: Firefox 134 New Tab

VEG — Fri, 07 Feb 2025 20:31:12 GMT

Mozilla, please don't break perfectly fine new tab page. The site icons could be made bigger, but definitely not smaller! And please don't show the news by default. People already struggle with keeping their attention on what they are doing, and you try to distract them even more with some useless garbage.

Re: Firefox 134 New Tab

Agentvirtuel — Fri, 07 Feb 2025 20:39:19 GMT

Hello

? https://connect.mozilla.org/t5/discussions/home-page-icon-rows-too-spread-from-each-other/m-p/85668/highlight/true#M32735

Re: Firefox 134 New Tab

Carighan — Sat, 08 Feb 2025 20:41:43 GMT

Okay so while I don't think the new layout is egregiously bad, I am mostly... baffled.

Like, why? It doesn't provide any improvement. Not a single one. Icons are smaller, and that's the opposite of what they needed most would say, the web icons being so tiny inside that giant bezel was already kinda-broken-css-looking before. Now it's even worse.
The vertical spacing is now also different from the horizontal one in a very noticable way, which makes it look even more like "oops, our css didn't parse".
The horizontal width of the shortcuts no longer aligns with the bookmarks/stories, which again looks like a formatting error.

On top of that (literally) the logo is back and no longer seem to be able to be disabled, which also has no benefit to the user.

It's not that it's truly bad, but I'd love to see the explanation of what the intend was, since clearly it eludes me. To me this is a pure (if small) downgrade in UI and UX, with no discernable positive element.

Re: Firefox 134 New Tab

mustaqim — Sun, 09 Feb 2025 02:59:36 GMT

The default look is perfect with good spacing and icon size. None of the variants look good; either the icons are too small, or the vertical spacing looks out of place. I really don't like it, and it keeps reverting due to having studies enabled. Please keep the default look.

Re: Firefox 134 New Tab

Agentvirtuel — Sun, 09 Feb 2025 05:29:03 GMT

Hello

@Carighan wrote:
On top of that (literally) the logo is back and no longer seem to be able to be disabled, which also has no benefit to the user.

? https://connect.mozilla.org/t5/discussions/bring-back-the-ability-to-remove-the-firefox-logo-from-the-home/m-p/85742

Re: Firefox 134 New Tab

Agentvirtuel — Sun, 09 Feb 2025 06:39:50 GMT

Hello

Take a look at https://connect.mozilla.org/t5/discussions/home-page-icon-rows-too-spread-from-each-other/m-p/85664/highlight/true#M32732 if it hasn't already been seen

Re: Firefox 134 New Tab

12HD — Mon, 10 Feb 2025 13:44:30 GMT

putting "browser.newtabpage.activity-stream.newtabLayouts.variant-b" into false worked for me, many thanks!

Re: Firefox 134 New Tab

_wojtek — Tue, 11 Feb 2025 08:20:57 GMT

Why this discussion is marked as "solved"?

It's not solved! It's just a workaround to the problem that Mozilla pushed down the users... there is no feedback option to the test scenario. There is no way of saying "I don't like this, take me to previous version" that would help gauge the interest in the change!

Re: Firefox 134 New Tab

Ako17 — Tue, 11 Feb 2025 09:17:16 GMT

Agreed, this is NOT SOLVED.

All we have is a flimsy workaround that reverts itself without further tampering. This isn't good. This wasn't asked for. What gives?

Re: Firefox 134 New Tab

KyleF — Tue, 11 Feb 2025 14:35:18 GMT

Once again, an easy solution that does not revert back to the small tabs:

Go to Firefox Settings, Privacy and Security, scroll to Firefox Data Collection and Use, UNCHECK "allow Firefox to install and run studies"

Re: Firefox 134 New Tab

Agentvirtuel — Tue, 11 Feb 2025 16:25:21 GMT

Hello

In this case, it's hard to know who does what?

Let me ask you a question, have you first tried (to see if) to delete the study concerned?
about:studies, you can see your Completed studies

Try again (to see if) Allow Firefox to install and run studies

Re: Firefox 134 New Tab

Prentice3 — Tue, 11 Feb 2025 19:06:11 GMT

Perfect! This works. I had a similar problem posted under Ideas > Hide Firefox Logo on New Tabs. I posted your solution including a screenshot of your "Easy Solution" and announced that yours was the correct solution. Thank you, KyleF.

Re: Firefox 134 New Tab

KyleF — Tue, 11 Feb 2025 19:19:55 GMT

Once again, an Easy Solution that won't revert back to small tabs: go to your Firefox Settings, Privacy and Security, scroll to Firefox Data Collection and Use, UNCHECK "allow Firefox to install and run studies".

Re: Firefox 134 New Tab

Agentvirtuel — Tue, 11 Feb 2025 19:43:13 GMT

You do not answer the question asked, our discussion it goes around in circles, it's regrettable.

Best regards

Re: Firefox 134 New Tab

Prentice3 — Tue, 11 Feb 2025 20:31:49 GMT

KyleF provided a solution that is simple and works. He re-posted just a few minutes before your most recent post.

Re: Firefox 134 New Tab

Ako17 — Tue, 11 Feb 2025 23:05:52 GMT

I'd argue this is a workaround to an unnecessary problem, rather than a true solution. Either way, thanks.

Re: Firefox 134 New Tab

Agentvirtuel — Wed, 12 Feb 2025 04:44:35 GMT

Hello

about:studies about:telemetry

Have you examined? New Tab Layout Variant B and Content Card UI Release Rollout - Global

https://connect.mozilla.org/t5/discussions/home-page-icon-rows-too-spread-from-each-other/td-p/85647

Re: Firefox 134 New Tab

Mariel — Wed, 12 Feb 2025 13:09:34 GMT

This answer was enlightening, the real objective solution, avoiding the user having to go with dragons or abandon all studies. I hope that removing the specific study serves as feedback.
In any case, in the discussion presented we have a Mozilla employee saying that we will see improvements in this way.
Thank you.

https://connect.mozilla.org/t5/forums/forumtopicprintpage/board-id/discussions/message-id/32955/print-single-message/true/page/1

Re: Firefox 134 New Tab

The_Wardaddy — Wed, 12 Feb 2025 13:41:27 GMT

Thanks. This new change is not at all welcomed.

Re: Firefox 134 New Tab

BryanM — Thu, 13 Feb 2025 05:02:25 GMT

Thank you all for your feedback! I work on Firefox and wanted to let you know that updates to our shortcuts design are already underway. Within the next few releases you will see improvements to the icon size, as well as the spacing between icons.

We appreciate your feedback so that we can continue improving the Firefox experience!

Re: Firefox 134 New Tab

Trolli — Thu, 13 Feb 2025 09:00:54 GMT

thank you so much!! ❤️

Re: Firefox 134 New Tab

Sonotacoder — Sat, 15 Feb 2025 14:37:40 GMT

@KyleF wrote:
Easy Solution: go to Firefox Settings, Privacy and Security, scroll to Firefox Data Collection and Use, UNCHECK "allow Firefox to install and run studies"

Thank you so much for this as stated easy solution ~ so very much appreciated.

Re: Firefox 134 New Tab

Mariel — Sat, 15 Feb 2025 15:15:24 GMT

I do not recommend KyleF solution because it affects all studies.
As pointed out by Agentvirtuel, next to "Allow Firefox to install and run studies" there is a link called "View Firefox studies" that takes you to about:studies. There you can remove only the study related to the small shortcuts, which is called "New Tab Layout Variant B and Content Card UI Release Rollout - Global".
Once you do this, the problem will not return and you will continue with the other studies.

Re: Firefox 134 New Tab

Makaki — Wed, 05 Mar 2025 06:32:53 GMT

I got the change on version 136, as I'm outside the United States. But it seems there were further changes to the links on the new tab, which I haven't seen covered anyway.

The title of the link has changed as well. For example, my link to Gmail reads: "Inbox (2) - jose..." and It never did this before. Afaik it used to have a simplified title saying just "Gmail". But I don't have any screenshot from before the update for comparison.

Other example are:
Nvidia which now reads: "Word Leader i...", it used to read just nvidia.
Ebay reads: "Electronics, Car...", it used to be just ebay.

You can see how for some websites, this can make the labels misleading or irrelevant.

Re: Firefox 134 New Tab

Agentvirtuel — Wed, 05 Mar 2025 07:01:57 GMT

Hello

? Is this related to with New Tab Layout Variant B and Content Card UI Release Rollout - Global

https://connect.mozilla.org/t5/discussions/home-page-icon-rows-too-spread-from-each-other/m-p/87391/highlight/true#M33476

Re: Firefox 134 New Tab

JustaDude — Thu, 06 Mar 2025 11:32:51 GMT

Yeah I don't like this change at all, I use that space for my go to sites and now it is harder to click on them and so much wasted space.
I zoomed in but they are still small. Almost half a screen of the logo like I have forgotten what browser I'm using. Such a bad change, please revert it back just does nothing.

Thank you so much back to normal for now, hope it will stay like this.

Re: Firefox 134 New Tab

Mariel — Thu, 06 Mar 2025 17:44:31 GMT

After updating to version 136.0 the small icons returned even with the "New Tab Layout Variant B and Content Card UI Release Rollout" studies disabled.
What is this, are they trying to force it down our throats? ‌😤‌‌😤‌‌😤‌

Re: Firefox 134 New Tab

Agentvirtuel — Thu, 06 Mar 2025 17:54:58 GMT

Hello

Take a look at https://connect.mozilla.org/t5/discussions/home-page-icon-rows-too-spread-from-each-other/m-p/89059/highlight/true#M34402

1 - Go to Configuration Editor for Firefox https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/about-config-editor-firefox
2 - Enter a search term browser.newtabpage.activity-stream.newtabLayouts.variant
Check, browser.newtabpage.activity-stream.newtabLayouts.variant-b

Re: Firefox 134 New Tab

Mariel — Thu, 06 Mar 2025 18:08:18 GMT

yeh, thanks. It worked! 🙌
Let's wait for the next update to know how to get rid of it again. 😅

Re: Firefox 134 New Tab

MisterKarl — Thu, 06 Mar 2025 19:28:53 GMT

Typing in the search term brings up 4 articles but no coding I can change. If I don't get a fix that works, I'm switching to Opera.

UPDATE: I finally figured out what they have been trying to say.

In your Firefox URL address line, type in "about:config"
In the search box that appears at the top of the screen below the URL address line, copy & paste or type in "browser.newtabpage.activity-stream.newtabLayouts.variant" and hit enter.
Two entries will appear below your search box, one ending in "-a" and one ending in "-b".
If the -b entry displays "true", go to the arrows on the far right of that entry and click on them. This should change the "true" to "false".
After I did this, I closed Firefox completely and reopened it. My shortcut icons were back to what they were before the update.

Another suggestion in all of these threads is to check for something called "studies." I did that. There were no studies in my Firefox, and checking the settings showed that I do not allow studies. If you don't allow studies, try the above steps.

Re: Firefox 134 New Tab

eutow — Thu, 06 Mar 2025 18:46:05 GMT

Greetings.

I've received this update later due to being outside the US. My previous new tab configuration: no search bar, no logo (think I removed it through about:config), just 4 rows of quick links. This update fails:

1) Aesthetically: The massive spacing between rows creates a disconnected visual impression (as if each row is a unit on its own?), and adds a ton of empty space right in the middle of stuff that's supposed to be most relevant to the user.

2) Ergonomically: The smaller icons are relatively more difficult to recognise at a glance and click on. Nonetheless, despite the icons themselves being smaller, the forcefully reintroduced logo and increased gap push the 4th row of icons outside of the default viewport. Now I have to scroll down in order to see all of my "quick" links properly. (I could zoom out and fit them all in one screen, but that would also make the icons even tinier.)

3) Technically: When a quick link has a title that is wider than the icon width allows for, it is cut off. (This happens more frequently now with smaller icons, of course.) The complete title is revealed when hovering over the icon. But I noticed that when I do that, the lower rows seem to shift a few pixels downwards, as if they move to accomodate the newly revealed text - even though it fits into the massive new space between rows just fine. This is clearly a visual bug.

I do not get the impression this redesign has been seriously tested before launch.

Re: Firefox 134 New Tab

Sonotacoder — Thu, 06 Mar 2025 19:01:32 GMT

@eutow wrote:
Greetings.
I've received this update later due to being outside the US. My previous new tab configuration: no search bar, no logo (think I removed it through about:config), just 4 rows of quick links. This update fails:
1) Aesthetically: The massive spacing between rows creates a disconnected visual impression (as if each row is a unit on its own?), and adds a ton of empty space right in the middle of stuff that's supposed to be most relevant to the user.
2) Ergonomically: The smaller icons are relatively more difficult to recognise at a glance and click on. Nonetheless, despite the icons themselves being smaller, the forcefully reintroduced logo and increased gap push the 4th row of icons outside of the default viewport. Now I have to scroll down in order to see all of my "quick" links properly. (I could zoom out and fit them all in one screen, but that would also make the icons even tinier.)
3) Technically: When a quick link has a title that is wider than the icon width allows for, it is cut off. (This happens more frequently now with smaller icons, of course.) The complete title is revealed when hovering over the icon. But I noticed that when I do that, the lower rows seem to shift a few pixels downwards, as if they move to accomodate the newly revealed text - even though it fits into the massive new space between rows just fine. This is clearly a visual bug.
I do not get the impression this redesign has been seriously tested before launch.

Agree completely.

Re: Firefox 134 New Tab

Talkashie — Thu, 06 Mar 2025 23:04:22 GMT

Why not just give us the ability to customize the icon size on our home page? I don't even have bad vision, but even I can barely see the icons now. I can imagine this change being an accessibility nightmare for people with poor eyesight. Who pushed this through? Ridiculous.

Re: Firefox 134 New Tab

jlfliberty — Fri, 07 Mar 2025 08:45:09 GMT

Who makes these decisions? Why push the new logo onto our screens taking up valuable real-estate when we are well aware of what browser we are using? Many missteps by Firefox over the last decade sometimes requiring the use of other browsers for specific tasks. The last think Firefox should be doing is forcing (Look at Me) selfies in place of limited working space.

Re: Firefox 134 New Tab

Markuss — Fri, 07 Mar 2025 11:05:57 GMT

100% subscribe what you are requesting: make icons bigger, not smaller. And't don`t waste our screen-space nor our time with useless stuff.

Re: Firefox 134 New Tab

Markuss — Fri, 07 Mar 2025 11:07:39 GMT

I had it unchecked, after the icons turned small a few weeks ago. But now they are small again! On desktop as well as notebook. 😞

Re: Firefox 134 New Tab

Crul — Sun, 09 Mar 2025 08:48:34 GMT

I just wanted to express that I don't like the changes and I think the solution to revert them is too complicated, especially for non-technical users.

I would understand if I saw some kind of conflict between pros and cons, but IMHO I don't see how including the logo improves the design.

Re: Firefox 134 New Tab

Agentvirtuel — Sun, 09 Mar 2025 11:11:07 GMT

Hello

Another https://connect.mozilla.org/t5/discussions/feedback-for-the-new-tab-layout-variants-in-the-home-page/td-p/89334

Re: Firefox 134 New Tab

annoyedU — Tue, 11 Mar 2025 10:54:46 GMT

I hate this change. Please stop forcing useless UI changes on us, my custom css file is already huge.

Re: Firefox 134 New Tab

ivan1 — Wed, 12 Mar 2025 14:44:46 GMT

This is one of the UI changes i will get never get over, why push it? i cannot imagine any logical explanation for this at all. Even about config changes didn't work because of the studies. How does that make sense? Shouldnt your study see change is very undesirable and report that back to you? Am i going to get gaslit for not doing my part if i turn studies completly off?

Re: Firefox 134 New Tab

Agentvirtuel — Wed, 12 Mar 2025 15:45:09 GMT

Hello

Take a look at https://connect.mozilla.org/t5/discussions/home-page-icon-rows-too-spread-from-each-other/m-p/89059/highlight/true#M34402

Studies https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/shield
I've removed (to see if) the check mark next to Allow Firefox to install and run studies.

Re: Firefox 134 New Tab

dalyght — Fri, 14 Mar 2025 19:12:41 GMT

Sadly, today's new "upgrade" has now disable this wonderful, helpful fix. The home page icons/tabs/links whatever are now irredeemiably tiny. :^(((

Re: Firefox 134 New Tab

Agentvirtuel — Fri, 14 Mar 2025 20:50:12 GMT

Hello

Try

An subject https://connect.mozilla.org/t5/discussions/feedback-for-the-new-tab-layout-variants-in-the-home-page/td-p/89334

Re: Firefox 134 New Tab

Makaki — Mon, 31 Mar 2025 11:25:35 GMT

Reverting the variant only changes the style, doesn't fix the fact that the labels are now different.

For me, it's the other half of the annoyance and I've yet to find a workaround for that one.

https://connect.mozilla.org/t5/ideas/new-tab-home-page-improvements/idc-p/89341/highlight/true#M47615

Re: Firefox 134 New Tab

not-foxy — Tue, 24 Jun 2025 23:03:06 GMT

this and all other solutions just stopped working on newly released 141.0b1

any new suggestions?