The new Firefox design lands in today. This is what you can expect

[AshleyT]

Firefox has evolved significantly over the past year and now, its look has evolved too. 

The design begins rolling out today, with Firefox 157, bringing a cleaner, more cohesive , and more adaptable experience. It is still the Firefox you know and trust, with the same commitment to independence, privacy, customization, and user control. 

The Mozilla Connect community has helped shape this work from the beginning by sharing feedback on the early designs, tested the experience in Nightly starting in July, filed bugs, and shared with us what worked and what didn’t.

Here’s what landed today.

A cleaner, more cohesive design

• Softer tab shapes
• Redrawn icons that hold up better across light and dark themes
• Rebalanced spacing throughout the interface
• A refreshed color palette featuring the glow of the active tab, deeper purples, and warmer light tones

The updated design brought bolder color choices to Firefox — and your feedback made clear that opinions on browser color run the full spectrum. In response, we created additional themes, accessible through add-ons and a new theme picker off Firefox Home, so you have greater control over how Firefox looks. 

More ways to make Firefox yours

Firefox is becoming more customizable, giving you more ways to shape the browser around how you browse. These options include:

• A new theme picker in the customization panel on the Firefox Home page. Additional community themes remain available through about:addons.
• New Firefox themes and wallpapers
• A dedicated space to pin and organize shortcuts so sites you use all the time stay put.
• Compact Mode for a denser browsing experience

Compact mode now officially supported!

Compact Mode is now available as its own dedicated setting. It will also switch on automatically on smaller screens, reducing the space between interface elements so more fits on the screen.

This is one of the clearest examples of how community feedback shaped Nova. Many of you told us that maintaining a denser interface was important, and we listened.

Faster performance

The refreshed experience also includes improvements to Firefox’s startup, page-loading, and scrolling speeds.

Frequently asked questions

Will my existing themes and add-ons continue to work?

Themes and add-ons should continue to work. Nova is built on the same Firefox foundation, and the extension and theming architecture has not changed.

Will my userChrome.css customizations continue to work?

Some customizations may require minor adjustments, depending on how closely they rely on element names or layout structures from the previous interface. 

But keep in mind that Mozilla does not officially support customizations made through userChrome.css. They can cause unexpected behavior or even break Firefox, and future updates may affect them as Firefox continues to evolve. If you choose to use userChrome.css, please proceed carefully.

You can learn more in Firefox advanced customization and configuration options.

Can I opt out of the update?

The new Firefox design becomes the default experience starting with Firefox 157. However, you have several ways to adjust how Firefox looks and feels, including Compact Mode, themes, wallpapers, and New Tab customization. 

Keep shaping Firefox with us

Nova may be shipping today, but the work doesn’t stop here. Many of these updates grew directly from the bugs you filed and the conversations you started while the design was being developed.

Update to Firefox 157 to try the refreshed experience, then let us know what works well and what could still be improved. Your feedback will continue to help shape what comes next.

[JerryTheTerror]

Out of touch company forces UI changes on a group of users who's entire reason for using the tool is that they don't care what it looks like.

I get you want to get a bigger market share but your market is users who know what they are doing and don't want change nor do they want it to look like Chrome. Cater to those who actually use the **bleep** thing, not the imaginary users you don't have. This refresh isn't doing anything to move anyone over. Companies need to stop with these completely unnecessary UI changes. 

[ent1]

Agree.

They've been chasing chrome for years and haven't gained anything.  They aren't going to claw back marketshare by rounding some edges and adding gradients.  They need to realize there's a growing sector of internet users who want to go BACK to when things worked.  When a company shipped a product and it just worked.  Not when companies forced users to live vicariously through their development teams adderall addiction and inability to just let things be for awhile.

Firefox users aren't looking for Chrome they are looking for Firefox circa 2003 but with performance increases.  Block ads, block trackers, block AI, and let us use the internet how WE WANT TO USE THE INTERNET!  Quit making decisions for us Mozilla!

[JamieK]

yeah so, the horror on my face when I opened firefox today and it looked like THAT, I was worried I got some virus or something, but nope, for some reason, firefox is now doing the same **bleep** Chrome did, making the browser a visual nightmare to use. like what is that? why do my tabs have a bright gradient on them? why is there a gradient from one side to the other? why are all my tabs blurring together? and the homepage with all my frequented sites on it looks even worse, like contrast for elements? a visually appealing design? nope, have this trash. like what happened to UI contrast design theory? and then oh, ok, sure there's the customize tab, I can pick a different theme, but oh wait, none of the available designs fixed it! no, I had to go into the config and disable this 'nova' thingy.
this is a complete disgrace of an update, how incredibly rude to do this to your users, this is the exact reason I left Chrome, yes, chrome, the more popular browser, it was for doing stuff like this, making the UI a mess, making the colors and tabs horrible, and constantly bothering me with changes, and making me have to go into the fudging config to fix it, and oh you're gonna remove that setting soon aren't you? just like Chrome.
well, I have news for you, I switched browsers once do to this, and so help me I will switch again if this keeps up, so please, roll this back, issue an apology, and tell whatever higher up who thinks this was a good idea to quit it

[brand1130]

The new Bookmarks is HORRENDOUS. It completed obliterated the pop-out tab that made it so user friendly. You also shrunk the text and now it's hard to read. UNDO UNDO UNDO

[brand1130]

If this isn't reverted to what it was, you will be losing a 10+ year dedicated firefox promoter. This is like going back to the 90s.

[lemurr1]

i don't think anyone liked the whole rounded look. make it optional or roll it back

[fo]

Please stop and revert back to the old one. It's just disgusting.

[BreezeBat]

Can you please make it possible for us to make the tabs wider, especially for the split view? browser.tabs.tabMinWidth is possible, but causes overlaps.

[Krymms]

The "softer shapes" look awful.
First thing I did was turn Nova off.

For those who don't know how:
open about:config
search for browser.nova.enabled and set it to false

[FoxDiamond]

Bless you

[sosasees]

It’s an awful Decision to replace the Design with this Version of Nova in the stable Version of Firefox.

Nova still has many ugly Spots that scream “under Construction”, and the promised Option to set a custom Amount of Roundness for Firefox UI Elements is still not here.

Nova will need another Year of User Feedback and Design Changes before it’s good. And stop overloading it with useless Metaphors like Fire and Light.

In the Meantime, i have frozen Firefox stable to Version 156 on my Linux Desktop.

[ETEcco]

I hate the new tab look. It disgusts me. Since switching to Firefox years ago, I've had a good experience but now I'm looking at other browsers because the appearance is now offensive to my eyes. Not to mention the random colored crap. I'm under 25, so my eyes work fine, but who thought "What if we made it harder to tell what tab you're in?" I bothered to sign in and make a username just to let you know how much I hate this.

[SodaPop]

I could not use FF after the update.  I nearly lost it, because suddenly my browser looked like a drunk unicorn threw up on it.  I started with Opera, but I'm not satisfied with that one either...

I found the answer! VIVALDI for the win.  I recommend you try that one out and see it you like it.  

[Anonymous]

Please make firefox window a circle instead of rectangle. This will fit the ongoing design progress perfectly.

[Antares]

This, and they could show multiple tabs like those wobbly wax blobs in lava lamps, with changing round-ish shapes that slowly move across the screen and bump into each other. 

[Anonymous]

First time in 12 years I'm rolling back a firefox update. the design is just plain terrible. I have no polite words to describe the reaction.

[Draegonz]

How can I do this? I have cataracts and can barely see stuff now because of this change.

[Draegonz]

Worst thing ever. I can't see the edges of anything, all the tabs blend into the bar if I don't have them selected, ans I'm having a hard time seeing things in general now, and I'm not allowed to change it back.

If you're going to make changes, don't automatically switch to them, let people effing decide for themselves.

[odintsaq]

Please make nova an option and respect Dark Mode that users chose to use.

My eyes almost imploded after the new update and after using Firefox since 1.07 this was the first time I sincerely considered moving away from it.

Thanks to some users in this thread, not Mozilla, I have set browser.nova.enabled to false from the config options and I can now use my browser without my eyes bleeding all of a sudden.

[fasscass]

Why do you force this trash? Just add a setting to disable it. You people keep **bleep**ing up and losing users.

[FoxDiamond]

These rounded bubble tabs look so bad it is actually making me not want to use the browser.

Please someone give the the instructions to fix this they are so distracting and ugly

[Chickens]

Is there a way to get rid of this part of the side bar? I use a separate vertical tabs extension and this part of the UI really irks me.

[finlayn]

I'm sorry but this update is painful to use. I can get behind modernizing design, but this is simply a step too far. The previous design was already very modern and clean. A browser, much like an operating system, should be designed to be invisible, get out of your way, and let you do your work. I personally think the corner radii are a step too far, but there are too many egregious accessibility violations that are not subjective. Container tab indicators overlap tab titles and favicons, highlighted URL bar suggestions have very little contrast with the background, and I can't find a theme without a gradient. I'm glad that the redesign can be disabled with config and hope that this option does not go away. I urge the team to continue focusing on simplicity and reliability, not flashy design and AI features.

[verydispleased]

Exactly, do not change what works. No need to redesing the wheel, no need to reinvent the wheel. No need to redesign tabs in Firefox. And the gradient is annoying too. It is browser not a fashion accesory, it is a tool.

[Tech]

Updated to the new version. immediately dropped what i was doing because some idget thought forcing Nova theme was a great idea, especially without asking. i then had to figure out how to remove that unwanted garbage. no simple setting for it? had to deal with a back end preferences page. 

how about actually fixing issues and creating quality of life things rather than following google again. 

make a web browser that respects the users desire to not be bombarded with ads or sites that block you because of ads, you are the middle man, tell them to go screw themselves like were telling you about this update.

[verydispleased]

The New Firefox which I wont name, everyone knows, does not do not needed horrible changes of UI. There is alternative. Firefox should keep it users not drive them away.

[ChuckTheNinja]

Please name it. If this design is what they're going to stick with I want to jump ship so I can actually turn on updates and not worry they'll ruin it on a whim.

[orderofthetriad]

settings page is now has a darker background than before, white text on dark backgrounds triggers migraines for me so thanks soooooooooooooooooooooooooo much for that.

[orderofthetriad]

when are you going to provide a low contrast theme? it is an accessibility issue that you do not already have this available. I do not appreciate my brain feeling like it's going to explode because you care more about vapid aesthetic than you do about usability. 

[orderofthetriad]

do you seriously not see the MASSIVE, GLARING ISSUE HERE!?!?!?!? Trying to make this low-contrast, but you insist on making thing ffffff white on a dark background. 

[SodaPop]

Honey, have you seen the rest of the update?  I don't think they can see at all! 🤦‍♀️

[LtSarai]

Thanks I hate the circles. Please make it optional?

[ledeve]

Due to the rounded design, the container color isn't as clear as before, especially for the pinned tabs, and also when the tab size becomes too small.
And it really seems like complete a waste of space. Why let go of the extra space, which can help me in identifying clearly, which container this particular tab belongs to?

[ledeve]

This is just unusable. Give us an option to remove the rounded design please.

[JL015]

I like the new design. I do have a problem with the history sidebar. It automatically opens today and yesterday history and it only shows the last 90 days (July). I guess you decided to adopt Chromium standards.

[verydispleased]

Please take it back. Bring back rectangle tabs as have been since the begining of time with Firefox and its previous name. One of the worst UI changes, the worst UI change in FF. There have been some, but this is annoying, no needed, distracting. Simply no. Please roll it back. Make it optional. This is driving me away from this version of Firefox. The gradient too. Please. Please Please. Please. Pretty please. Please!

[SodaPop]

I am recommending everyone just try Vivaldi.  I just switched after this update and it's the only browser I've used that has a fantastic UI.

[Antares]

Not a fan of the changes in Firefox' UI decisions in recent months at all. Never before did I have to jump through so many hoops, or worse, install old, non-supported browser versions (mobile) to not be harassed with your UI changes.

Either it's useless busywork, changes made for the sake of making changes, whether people want or not, without improving anything - just to look different than yesterday. The ugly rounded corners or pointless theme changes where anybody could use user themes instead would fall into that category.

Or it's outright making the browser actively worse. The changes to the dedicated search bar, or the dreadful mobile redesign of the menu and tabs tray which are design and ergonomical nightmares would fit that part.

Please, just stop. Sit down. Reconsider. Think about what actually improves your product, and what's just being done so UI designers aren't bored. This used to be the browser I could recommend everybody to use, both in terms of design, customisability, and privacy. I'd like to be able to return to the state, because gods below have you guys lost your way in the whole design and usability department.

And for all that's good, please DO NOT REMOVE the browser.nova.enabled flag in about:config. You've had a track record recently of removing such options, and it's just incredibly arrogant and hostile to the user who you've already had jumping through such hoops to revert awful changes.

[JL015]

I just received version 157.0. I like the new design except for the history sidebar; it automatically expands today and yesterday history. It also only shows the last 90 days (July). I guess you decided to follow Chromium, One the reasons like Firefox was that it showed history for 6 months. I hope you bring that feature back.

[nopee]

This rounded corner thing feels like a cheap phone app that wants me to buy gems.

I don't know how to scream productively about it.