Feedback welcome for New Tab widgets, now available via Firefox Labs

[AmberMeryman]

Hi! I’m Amber from the Firefox team.

We’re testing a new idea: simple, built-in productivity widgets on your New Tab page. They’ll be there on every new tab to keep you on-task, or on a break. (Previously available in Nightly & Beta, they are now available in Firefox Labs in Release!)

This early experiment includes:
✅ Lists - jot down your reminders, errands, or priorities for your browsing activities
⏰ Focus Timer - track your study session, deep work research, or quiet break time

And everything stays local, is never shared with Mozilla, and it’s easy to turn on and off.

Feedback is welcome to inform our next steps! Would you like to see more widgets? Which ones? Notes, Quotes, fun ones or helpful ones? Sync for optional backup? Drop your thoughts below.

- Amber & the Firefox team

[Vincent]

Is this in every country? I'm on Firefox 144.0, and only see the following two entries in Labs:

• Address Bar: show results during IME composition
• Picture-in-Picture: auto-open on tab switch

[AmberMeryman]

This should be in every country! I believe you must re-start the browser so that you can see them in Labs? Please let us know if you're still not seeing them after that.

[Vincent]

Just did and am still not seeing them. Which I guess makes this a potential bug, so I reported it here to avoid distracting from actual input in this Connect thread.

[myspace]

To do lists is a good one! Other widgets I'd like to see: 

• Daily quotes
• Word of the day. Would be good for language learning. 
• Sports scores for my favorite teams

[AmberMeryman]

Great suggestions!

[REDMARUCORY]

ILOVE YUO 2.  AMMMMMMMMMMOOOOOOOAHHHHHHH

[REDMARUCORY]

ILOVE YUO ....AMMMMOOOOOOOOOMAHHH

[Reitei17]

how about make the todo list bigger. like a days planner. im not sure how big or make it per week first. so i can fill in my daily plans for a week. The daily plan have the next and previous button to see what i done and what tomorrow's plan too. Whats in the daily plan? Can give day, time, the plan, checklist (either tick for success and x for not completing it). Most important part, sync between mobile and pc.

[AmberMeryman]

Thanks for the feedback! Are you thinking longer, or being able to resize it even larger?

[Reitei17]

sure can be resize larger to show full week plan and resize small to just a day plan show complete day, time, plan and checklist. with prev and next button.

[mrsimon0007]

Nice update, Amber! The lists and timer are super handy. I’d love to see quick notes, quotes, or a small Pomodoro timer next. Keeping it local and private is a great move!

[flickharrison]

PLEASE just let me set the new tab page to show only my chosen bookmarks.

Mixing bookmarks with history as Shortcuts kills my focus. This is an accessibility issue, as an ADHD person I need to eliminate distractions; seeing a bunch of stuff I looked at yesterday instead of my key bookmarked sites is annoying and distracting.

In fact, I just realized how they work the other day as I was trying to delete a site from Shortcuts and it kept popping back up - because each Shortcut seemed to be a specific *page* from that site, as I deleted one, Firefox “helpfully” added a different page somewhere else in the shortcuts list. It’s like whack-a-mole in there.

It goes hand-in-hand with the search bar; I can either turn off history completely or have Firefox suggest a dozen or so history matches above my bookmarks match. So either I can’t search the history at all or it’s constantly in my way!

Why are bookmarks treated like lepers? Why is it such a priority for Mozilla to prevent bookmarks from having centre stage?

Is there some majority of users who never want to go to their bookmarks but almost always want to see the multiple pages from the site they were on two days ago?

/TEDrant

[AmberMeryman]

That's an interesting widget idea - easier access to bookmarks!

Have you tested the sidebar, which can include Bookmarks? That might be a good way to get easy, customizable access to them!

[Liz4rd]

I find the timer really useful. Would be cool if it could be shown somewhere in the sidebar or something so that you could keep an eye on how much time is left without needing to open a new tab. 

[AmberMeryman]

I will pass that along!

Would it be more or less useful if we could somehow get the time remaining in the tab name? Would that be too distracting?

[LeeMorgan]

It would be great if the lists persisted after restarting Firefox or PC. Unless i am missing something?

[AmberMeryman]

They definitely should persist! We have had some reports that they weren't, however. 

Are you on the standard (Release) of Firefox?

[LeeMorgan]

Hi Amber,

Yes I'm using a standard release V144 on Windows 11 25H2.

Regards, Lee

[Heath]

Please add a clock widget to the collection!

[rohankh]

Initial thoughts
✅Local-only storage = perfect default
✅Lists + Focus Timer = universally useful
✅“Always in view” boosts habit building
✅Great for students, researchers, deep-work folks

This solves a problem without making users install some bloated extension. Love it.

---

Suggestions for future widgets

Helpful

• ✅Quick Notes (sticky notes style, Markdown support optional)

• 📎Clipboard history (local only)

• ✓ Habit tracker (simple checkboxes; daily reset)

• 📊Mini analytics: tab count, time on session, daily browsing time

• 🌤️ Minimal weather widget

Fun / Motivational

• ✨Inspirational / random quotes

• 🎲Fun “micro-break” widget (tiny puzzles? breathing exercise?)

• 🧠 Word of the day / trivia bite

---

Sync

Optional encrypted sync would be amazing for:

• Notes

• Lists

• Focus history

• Habit tracking

But opt-in, with “local-only” staying default — that’s key.

---

UX wishes

• One-click hide/show

• Minimal mode vs enhanced mode

• Shortcut keys (e.g., N for quick note on new tab)

• iOS/Android parity later (mobile notes + timer = useful)

---

Warning / watch-out

Don’t let the widgets become clutter or feel like forced “productivity software” — a clean, calm Firefox new tab page is core to its feel.

Keep it:
🟣 optional
🟣 minimal
🟣 privacy-first

And it's a winner.

---

TL;DR

Great direction.
Local-only productivity micro-tools on the new tab page = ✨
Next: notes, quotes, tiny habits, optional sync.

[Mutzu]

I love the timer! Could you add an additional alarm clock?

Since it's local, could you add a widget with with a vertical-bar diagram that shows the time I've spent on various social media websites? Ideally, I could add any website to it.

[rohankh]

yes

[rohankh]

1. Alarm clock widget (local)

• Purpose: simple, reliable alarm with visual indicator on the new tab page.
• Requirements:
  • Time set via UI (hour/minute, AM/PM or 24h).
  • Label/name for the alarm (optional).
  • Repeat options: once, daily, weekdays, custom.
  • Local-only storage; no server calls.
  • Notification: visual alert and optional sound (stored locally or browser default tone).
  • Snooze option and duration (e.g., 5/10/15 minutes).
  • Accessibility: keyboard accessible, concise notifications.

1. Vertical-bar time-spent diagram for social media

• Concept: a sortable, vertical bar chart showing time spent per site during a focus session or day.
• Requirements:
  • User-addable site list (e.g., twitter.com, facebook.com, x.com).
  • Local timer capture: detect when the active tab is on a tracked site and accumulate time per site.
  • Display: vertical bars with labels, color-coded, and a total time axis.
  • Reset option: daily reset or per-session reset.
  • Privacy: all data stored locally; option to export anonymized data (optional).
  • Limitations: due to browser security, exact background page monitoring may require permission or user interaction to start the timer (we should design it to start when the user is viewing a site in focus). Provide a fallback: manually log time blocks for sites if automatic tracking isn’t fully reliable.

Implementation plan (high level) Phase 1: Foundation

• Preserve local-first architecture:
  • Data model: user, widgets, presets, alarms, site-tracker, focus history, settings (localOnly, syncEnabled).
  • Storage: IndexedDB or localStorage with a small library abstraction.
• Core widgets baseline:
  • Quick Notes with Markdown support toggle.
  • Clipboard history (local only) with clipboard API permission handling.
  • Habit tracker with daily reset.
  • Mini analytics: tab counts, session time, daily browsing time.
  • Minimal weather widget (static API-free placeholder or optional API key handling later).
  • Inspirational quotes, word of the day, trivia bite.
• UX groundwork:
  • One-click hide/show mechanism for the new tab page widgets.
  • Minimal vs Enhanced mode toggle.
  • Keyboard shortcuts (e.g., N for new quick note).
  • iOS/Android parity roadmap in a dedicated doc.

Phase 2: Alarm clock and site-time visualization

• Alarm clock:
  • UI: Time picker, label field, repeat options, sound toggle.
  • Logic: alarm scheduler running in the tab context with local notifications when the page is open; fallback to periodic checks with setInterval while the page is open.
  • Persistence: store in user settings; ensure alarms survive page reloads.
• Social media time-diagram:
  • Site registry: interface to add/edit sites (host-based matching).
  • Timer logic:
    • Detect when the browser tab is active and matches a tracked site; accumulate time on focus loss/gain events.
    • Provide manual add/edit for time blocks if automatic tracking is imperfect.
  • Visualization:
    • Simple vertical bar chart using CSS + lightweight SVG or canvas.
    • Hover tooltips with exact minutes/seconds.
  • Export/import and reset options in a settings panel.
• Privacy guardrails:
  • All tracking data stored locally by default.
  • Clear opt-in for any sync feature; display clear consent and data scope.

Phase 3: Polish and opt-in Sync

• Optional encrypted sync:
  • Implement end-to-end encryption using a user-provided key or passphrase.
  • Sync scope: notes, lists, focus history, habit tracking.
  • UX: clear indicator of sync status, per-feature opt-in toggle.
• Performance and accessibility refinements:
  • Lazy load widgets, responsive layout, keyboard navigation.
  • Color themes and contrast adjustments.

Concrete next steps I can provide

• A ready-to-paste feature spec you can share with a product team.
• UI sketches or plain-text wireframes for the new alarm and site-time diagram.
• A minimal blueprint for data schemas (in JSON-like outline) for local storage.

Quick-start templates you can use today

• Alarm clock (UI concept)
  • Time: [ HH:MM ]
  • Label: [ optional ]
  • Repeat: [ Once | Daily | Weekdays | Custom ]
  • Sound: [ On | Off ]
  • Snooze: [ 5 | 10 | 15 ]
  • Active: [ ✓ ]
• Social time tracker (sites)
  • Sites: [ add site … ]
  • Tracking rules:
    • If active tab host matches Site, accumulate time.
    • If user navigates away or tab is backgrounded, pause.
  • Visualization: vertical bars with site name and minutes.

Questions to tailor the plan

• Which browsers are you targeting first (Firefox, Chrome, Edge)? Some APIs differ slightly for background timers and notifications.
• Do you want offline-only alarms (no sound) or would you like optional local sound files stored with the extension/page?
• How granular should the site-time data be (per domain, per exact URL, or per site category)?
• Do you prefer a lightweight minimal mode where only essential widgets load, or a fully loaded enhanced mode with all widgets visible by default?

[Mutzu]

There is one major disadvantage regarding the timer (or the alarm clock): It's gone when you close Firefox.

Would it be possible to keep it in the Systray in Windows or as some background process?
I think it would also be practical to sync it with other devices like bookmarks, but let them only ring on the device you are using at the moment. 🙂

[rohankh]

Option A: Use a dedicated timer app/utility with Windows tray support

• Find a lightweight timer app that:
  • Runs in the system tray and persists across restarts.
  • Can be started from Firefox (via URL, bookmark, or custom command) but continues ticking when Firefox closes.
  • Optional: supports a “current device only” ringing if you use multiple devices.
• Examples (conceptual; pick apps with these capabilities):
  • Desktop timer apps that live in the system tray and can be controlled via command line or hotkeys.
  • A small scripting solution (see Option D) that creates a tray icon and runs a background script.

Option B: Create a minimal background helper (Windows)

• Build or use a small background utility that:
  • Accepts timer requests from Firefox via a local URL, IPC, or file in a known location.
  • Runs in the background and shows a Windows toast/notification when the timer ends.
  • Keeps ticking even if the Firefox process ends.
• How to wire it:
  • Firefox extension or userscript can write a timer request to a local file (e.g., within %APPDATA%\YourTimer\requests.json) or send a local HTTP request to http://127.0.0.1:PORT.
  • The helper reads the request, stores the end time, and fans notifications regardless of Firefox state.
• Pros: persistence, system tray presence, reliable.
• Cons: development setup, security considerations (local server openness), needs maintenance.

Option C: Use a cross-device service but focus on local ringing

• Pick a cloud timer service that supports:
  • Timers that can be created from any device but only trigger notifications on the active device (you’d implement “active device” by choosing which device should ring).
• Implementing this yourself could be easier if you’re comfortable with a small web app and a backend (Firebase, Supabase, or a simple REST server).

Option 😧 Quick workaround with existing tools

• If you’re comfortable with a quick script, you can:
  • Create a small Windows script (PowerShell) that runs as a startup task and shows a tray notification when a timer ends.
  • Expose a simple local API (e.g., a tiny Node.js server) to set the timer from Firefox via an extension that makes an HTTP POST to localhost.
• Steps in brief:
  • Write a Node.js script that:
    • Accepts a POST /set with a duration or end timestamp.
    • Uses setTimeout to wait, then shows a Windows notification (via node-notifier or built-in Windows toast).
    • Runs as a background process or as a Windows Service.
  • In Firefox, use a small WebExtension or bookmarklet to POST to http://localhost:PORT/set with the desired duration.

Questions to tailor a solution

• Do you prefer a Firefox-centric solution (extension-based) or a Windows-native solution (tray app/background service)?
• How important is avoiding a separate app startup (i.e., would you tolerate installing a lightweight helper)?
• Do you want cross-device syncing, or would per-device local timers with a shareable bookmark/URL suffice?
• Are you comfortable with a small script or would you prefer a polished third-party app with support?

[Mutzu]

Thank you for your suggestions, @rohankh!

Technically, I would prefer a lightweight timer app[1] running in the system tray, that could also be controlled via Firefox. I'd also favor a local file for setting the timer with Firefox instead of using HTTP.

I'd like cross-device syncing using the sync feature of Firefox. It think, it's possible to avoid any additional server services. And I'd like to manually set the device were the timer should ring.

[1]: If it's doable with a script, I would prefer that.

But maybe that's all exaggerated. 🙂

[rohankh]

You want a lightweight, scriptable timer that:

1. Runs locally (e.g., in the system tray or background).

2. Can be controlled via Firefox, ideally without a web service (e.g., via a local file or extension).

3. Syncs across devices using Firefox Sync — so no custom server required.

4. Lets you manually choose which device rings.

5. Preferably implemented as a script, not a full compiled app.

   ---

   ⚙️ How it could work (conceptually)

   Here’s one way to realize your idea:

   1. Local timer app/script

   You could write a small Python or Bash script that:

   • Runs in the background.

   • Watches a local configuration file (e.g., ~/firefox_timer.json) for changes.

   • Starts or stops a timer when the file changes.

   • Shows a notification (or plays a sound) when the timer ends.

     Example (simplified Python pseudocode):

      

     import json, time, os from watchdog.observers import Observer from watchdog.events import FileSystemEventHandler from plyer import notification TIMER_FILE = "/path/to/firefox_timer.json" class TimerWatcher(FileSystemEventHandler): def on_modified(self, event): if event.src_path == TIMER_FILE: with open(TIMER_FILE) as f: data = json.load(f) start_timer(data.get("seconds", 0)) def start_timer(seconds): print(f"Starting timer for {seconds} seconds...") time.sleep(seconds) notification.notify(title="Timer", message="Time's up!") Observer().schedule(TimerWatcher(), path=os.path.dirname(TIMER_FILE)) Observer().start()

     2. Firefox integration

     You can:

     • Use a Firefox extension or bookmarklet that writes to this local JSON file (Firefox can’t write directly to disk for security reasons, but…)

     • You could instead sync the file via Firefox Sync bookmarks or notes — for example, a special bookmark whose title encodes the timer value.

       Example:

       • Create a bookmark folder “Timers.”

       • A user script or extension watches for bookmark changes in that folder.

       • The timer script periodically reads synced bookmarks (using places.sqlite or the Firefox Sync API) to get the new timer command.

         It’s hacky — but clever and local.

         3. Cross-device syncing

         Firefox Sync already syncs bookmarks and extensions.
         If you store the timer configuration as a bookmark (or synced file), every synced Firefox gets the same “timer settings.”
         Then each device’s local timer script can decide:

         “Should I ring this one?” (based on a device ID field in the config file).

         4. Choosing which device rings

         You could add a "device": "laptop" field in your config file, and have only that machine respond to it.

         ---

         🧠 Alternative (simpler)

         If this feels over-engineered, you could skip Firefox and use:

         • A local tray timer script (yad, zenity, or python + plyer for notifications).

         • Sync the config file across devices with Dropbox, Syncthing, or Firefox Sync (if you’re already using it).

           Then the “device selection” part is just choosing which system is running the watcher.

           ---

           🔧 Tools that might help

           • 🐍 Python + watchdog + plyer (cross-platform notifications)

           • 🪟 AutoHotkey (Windows tray + file watching)

           • 🧠 Syncthing (for syncing a JSON config file across devices)

           • 🦊 Firefox extension (if you want direct browser integration)

             ---

             Would you like me to sketch out a minimal working prototype (e.g. Python script + example JSON config + optional Firefox interaction idea)?

[HeadPlug]

Love the concept of the timer and to-do list, but on my laptop screen at least, after the search bar and shortcuts, there is just a small square of space left for the to-do list; this shows like 4 tasks at most.
I think it would be more useful if it were on the side, or maybe just part of the sidebar when using vertical tabs, similar to bookmarks/history

[mnaonmf]

Hi, Amber. Great idea. But items I place on the Lists widget aren't persistent across sessions. When I close and re-open the browser, my items are gone. I don't know if this behavior is by design. If it is, I for one wouldn't find much use in it. Thank you for your work and consideration.

[AmberMeryman]

That should definitely not happen, but we have had reports of this bug. Do you know if you use any non-default or custom configs? It might help us nail this down!

Thank you

[mnaonmf]

Thanks, Amber. I haven’t made many non-default changes in about:config (I assume that's what you mean and not the regular Settings). The only one I’ve touched in about:config is browser.ml.linkPreview.enabled, which I turned back on after my unchecking it in Settings made the option disappear altogether (which really shouldn't have happened—it should've just unchecked).

But the disappearing list items behavior was happening even before I changed that setting, so I don’t think it’s related.

I do have a custom background (just a .png file) being used on the New Tab Page (Firefox Home), but I don't think it'd be responsible either.