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.

[BruceLeeroy]

Thanks for this info to disable the barbie-land update: https://connect.mozilla.org/t5/discussions/the-new-firefox-design-lands-in-today-this-is-what-you-ca... 

Now I can die happy. Goodbye cruel world 🙂

[dftf]

To uninstall a recent Windows update:
In the Start Menu search for Control Panel, and open it
Click "Programs and Features" or "Uninstall a program"
Click "View installed updates"
Scroll down to the "Microsoft Windows" blue header line section
From there, click the most-recent update and look for "Uninstall" on the toolbar

You can also try to repair Windows.  Search for Command Prompt in the Start Menu,
right-click it and choose "Run as administrator" and then type
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
then press ENTER.  When that finishes, type
SFC /SCANNOW
then press ENTER.

If either report they found issues, but couldn't fix them, restart your PC, then run
both commands again.  Repeat until both say there are no issues found.

[BruceLeeroy]

Thanks for trying, but these no longer work. When I click "View installed updates," Windows now opens settings to the homepage. If I click "Windows Update" from settings, nothing happens. (Literally nothing; it's just a dead button.)

Scannow also returns nothing, even after 20-30 minutes of scanning. Repairing the system using "Media Creation Tool" repairs nothing, even after literally 90 minutes of waiting for it to reinstall Windows.

Do you know if it's possible to reinstall a pre-26H2 version of Windows? MS told me it's impossible, but I find that hard to believe. I'd probably have to wipe my entire system though.

But I do appreciate the tips!

[JNavas]

Use Built-in Windows Update Repair

1. Open Settings (Win + I) and go to System > Recovery.
2. Click Reinstall Now under the Fix problems using Windows Update section.
3. Allow the system to reinstall and repair Windows update binaries (this will not remove your apps or files).
4. Restart your PC and attempt to update again.

[JNavas]

Microsoft Adds Alternate Way to Download and Install Windows 11 26H2 Easily - Neowin
https://www.neowin.net/news/microsoft-adds-alternate-way-to-download-and-install-windows-11-26h2-eas...

[dftf]

The commands I mentioned (DISM and SFC) are both fully-supported in 26H2, so if they aren't working either your Windows install must be so-corrupt to the point they cannot run.

Instead, try a reset of your PC.

Start > ⚙ Settings > System > Recovery

Then try one of the following:

Fix problems using Windows Update
Reset this PC

⚠ When choosing the latter, be sure to pick "Keep my files" when asked!

[ZwolfFarben]

I do not like the new visual update. In particular, I want the tabs' old look back.

I don't like floaty bubbles wit rounded corners: I do not like the fact that inactive tabs aren't visually differenciated from each other aren't. It is worse at communicating information and offends my personal taste.

I prefer tabs be big chonky boxes grounded to the 'tab-box floor' like cascaded labels on a stack of manilla folders. Please, give me back my big chonky boxes grounded to the tab-box floor like cascaded labels on a stack of manilla folders.

[dftf]

To reverse most of the recent change:
URL bar -> about:config -> ENTER -> accept warning -> search nova ->
double-click line "browser.nova.enabled" to change to "false"

You can also install the previous theme here:
https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/firefox-proton/ 

⚠ The ability to reverse Nova may end in Firefox v161, expected Nov 24, 2026

[dftf]

Only just noticed this... have the Firefox team really tagged their own post here (the main "The new Firefox design lands in today. This is what you can expect") with a tag called "terrible ideas"? Seriously? 🙃

[cadwellm]

HAH! I didn't catch that! Good eyes on you.

Makes one wonder about it...doesn't it.

[Apollo_01]

I really do respect your efforts to give Firefox a modern design.

And at first glance, I liked Nova too.

But ultimately, it’s unfortunately a bit of a miss. Packing everything into these rounded boxes and opting for softer shapes simply makes everything much harder to read and recognise.

Overall, it looks lower in contrast and is therefore harder to parse. And those colour gradients in the default themes initially made me think there was something wrong with my monitor, because one corner suddenly looked so dark.

I think it would make more sense to make the look clearer and cleaner rather than more playful.

[wasdQE]

I like a boring but functional design, for a browser is a tool in my eyes. I agree, that the new design misses that target

[wasdQE]

1. Why the new design, who asked?? 
2. I don't care about a new design if its optional and I can keep the old one. I WANT my browser to look boring, it's a tool. I don't want fancy distracting colors.

[wasdQE]

1. Why, seriously, who asked for this??
3. I don't care if you make a new design, as long as you keep it optional. If you take away my option to revert to a more simpler design, I will change browsers. I WANT my browser to look boring for its a tool and it doesn't need distracting colors or anything. I find the new design just overwhelming tbh.

[dftf]

To revert the change for now:
URL bar -> about:config -> accept warning, if shown -> search for nova ->
change "browser.nova.enabled" to "false"

[eyilmazz]

We just want something simple and fast, yet we keep getting useless features; we don't want to switch to buttons with rounded corners that are much harder to click when there are many tabs open.

[cadwellm]

I just went to the ESR version and now I'm happy. Won't have to worry about FireFox crap for awhile.

[EmmaShev]

is there a portable vesion of ESR somewhere?

[dftf]

A website called PortableApps makes their own portable version.

The latest one can be downloaded here (click "Mozilla Firefox ESR, Portable Edition 153.4.0"):
https://sourceforge.net/projects/portableapps/files/Mozilla%20Firefox%2C%20Portable%20Ed./

Obviously you're trusting a third-party then not to have altered anything.  I'd recommend after downloading it, upload it to www.virustotal.com and do a scan of it before running it.

[jgrnt1]

I'm sorry, but ranting doesn't help anyone. It puts everyone on the defensive and hinders real conversation and progress. Rather than ranting about the rounded ends of the address and search boxes, I'd like to look at this from a functional UI standpoint. A text box is just that, a box. When I see rounded ends, I see a clickable button, not a place for text entry. Whenever I want to search something, I look at the top right of my browser for search entry and now I keep missing it, because the rounded ends instantly tell my mind I'm looking at a clickable button, rather than the search box. MS Edge uses a similar rounded ends text entry box, but their tabs are still actual tabs. Disabling Nova helps. 

[leojth]

In dark mode, the active tab is also black, which not signals "active" to me. Very confusing if only a few tabs are open.

[EmmaShev]

Oh gosh this new design looks so bad. Looks like something from the 2010s. It's so ugly

[dftf]

For now, you can reverse most of it:
URL bar -> about:config -> ENTER -> accept warning -> search nova ->
double-click line "browser.nova.enabled" to change to "false"

You can also install the previous theme here:
https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/firefox-proton/ 

⚠ The ability to reverse Nova may end in Firefox v161, expected Nov 24, 2026

[Jankcow]

Please add a way to disable the rounded edges!

[dftf]

To reverse most of the recent change:
URL bar -> about:config -> ENTER -> accept warning -> search nova ->
double-click line "browser.nova.enabled" to change to "false"

[Seacat17]

Make it LESS round please?

[dftf]

You can reverse most of the recent change (for now):
URL bar -> about:config -> ENTER -> accept warning -> search nova ->
double-click line "browser.nova.enabled" to change to "false"

[Seacat17]

Temporary solution.

[JNavas]

---

@Seacat17 wrote:
Temporary solution.

---

Yes, very temporary—it's expires in a few weeks.
Firefox ESR is a better solution, good for the better part of a year.
See Navas' Tips: Firefox UI Debacle

[Seacat17]

I guess I'm looking for a new browser. Again.

[JNavas]

---

@Seacat17 wrote:
I guess I'm looking for a new browser. Again.

---

I feel your pain!
I advise against Firefox forks due to security and stability issues.
My recommended alternative is Microsoft Edge because of its pretty good privacy. [pun intended].

[Agentvirtuel]

Bonsoir

See also this discussion thread https://connect.mozilla.org/t5/discussions/rounded-corners-no/td-p/141457

[JNavas]

I appreciate that you are trying to improve Firefox, but your rapid pace of development is destabilizing. You need to slow the pace of development to consider changes more carefully and not ram them down our throats. And you need to do a much better job of quality control. You are destabilizing the browser. It works less well on multiple websites now than it did just a few months ago. You are in danger of losing my participation and support entirely. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!"

[dftf]

As per my other reply to you: move to the ESR 153.4.0 release.

The ESR ones last for around a year, and only get security-updates in that time;
they don't get new features, or UI changes.

You might find it suits your needs better, especially given the regular releases of
Firefox are switching to one major new version every two weeks soon!

[emmaharris]

This is a total step backwards and you are becoming more and more like Chrome. I want to REMOVE Google, Bing etc from the search engines yet you have now disabled that. You default AI features ON when I explicitly turned them off. 

[JNavas]

The new leadership at Mozilla is trying to reverse the decline in market share, and is adopting the Google approach of a new UI design. Unfortunately, that will probably fail because UI is not the reason most users are abandoning Firefox. Worse, the new UI is unlikely to attract new users (who prioritize functionality).

Mozilla will only be able to stop the slide if it remedies core functionality issues that are driving users away, but instead these changes are making those issues worse.

When I have to switch to Edge to make a website work properly, eventually there will come a time when I won't be switching back to Firefox.

In the meantime, the best solutions:

• Revert to the last good version and stop updating.
• Switch to the ESR version and stop updating.

[dftf]

---

In the meantime, the best solution is to revert to the last good version and stop updating, not to rely on temporary switches.

---

No, going back to 156 and then turning updates off is unsafe; move to the 153.4.0 ESR version instead, as that predates the Nova UI, but gets security-fixes for around a year from now.

Download it here: https://www.firefox.com/download/all/desktop-esr/ 

Then backup your current data (bookmarks, passwords, history, etc) first:
Menu -> Settings -> Accounts and Synchronisation -> Backup

Then uninstall 157, reboot your PC, then install the 153.4.0 ESR.

If your data isn't there in the ESR version, recover it from the backup you did earlier:
Menu -> Settings -> Accounts and Synchronisation -> Restore your data

[JNavas]

You do not need to uninstall the standard version before installing the ESR version in a copy of your Profile. You should wait on the uninstall until after you have completed the transition.

[dftf]

This may cause issues, as in recent versions of Firefox profiles from newer versions cannot always be imported into older ones.

There is a command to allow this (--allow-downgrade), but it's easier just to advise doing a backup, uninstalling, installing the ESR then re-importing, if needed.  The backup then allows for recovery, should the profile not be there.

[ghzorqie]

@AshleyT wrote:

Firefox has evolved significantly 

This is an ape with a haircut, not evolution.