topic Firefox 145.0 Desktop Launcher in Discussions

Firefox 145.0 Desktop Launcher

wolfmaster010 — Tue, 18 Nov 2025 03:30:33 GMT

Was I the only one jump-scared by this update's inclusion of a desktop launcher? I actually thought the second icon was a virus or something pretending to be Firefox - it's an exe and my shortcut is still there.

Re: Firefox 145.0 Desktop Launcher

Yogi_Bear — Fri, 05 Dec 2025 17:18:07 GMT

Not the only one. This wasn't well thought-out.

Re: Firefox 145.0 Desktop Launcher

Tazounet — Sat, 13 Dec 2025 17:59:09 GMT

I came to this forum because of this change. I don’t understand the rationale behind replacing a lightweight 1KB .lnk shortcut with a ~400KB executable. From a user’s perspective, this feels like unnecessary overhead. Many of us already know how to install Firefox after an OS reinstall, so this new approach doesn’t add value. If multiple vendors adopted similar practices, the cumulative impact on clarity and usability would be significant. Beyond that, presenting an unexpected executable on the desktop can cause confusion and even concern, since it resembles the behavior of malware. This change removes user choice and introduces stress rather than convenience.

Re: Firefox 145.0 Desktop Launcher

mbagin24 — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 09:46:08 GMT

Why Mozilla Did This:
1.The core rationale behind placing an executable stub (firefox.exe) directly on the desktop instead of a traditional .lnk shortcut is aimed at cloud migration and user retention (especially for Windows 11 users syncing their profiles via Microsoft OneDrive):The OneDrive Problem: When users migrate to a new PC or reinstall Windows, cloud profile syncs often carry over desktop shortcut files. Historically, clicking a standard .lnk shortcut on a fresh machine would result in a "File not found" error because the actual application binary wasn't installed yet, causing frustration.
2. Security and Usability Concerns:Your security intuition is entirely correct and mirrors concerns raised by many system administrators and power users when the feature rolled out:DLL Hijacking / Directory Vulnerabilities: Having an executable sitting directly on a user-writable desktop environment—especially one that everyday users might confuse with a benign shortcut—breaks standard security mental models. If an unauthorized script or process drops a malicious DLL into the user's desktop folder (or if search-order hijacking takes advantage of it), it opens up potential vectors.
You really want to do this?