Skip to main content

Firefox 54 speeds up browsing by splitting things apart

firefox 58 may be first major browser to block canvas fingerprinting mac screen desk header
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Google Chrome continues to dominate the browser market, and Microsoft is pushing its new Edge browser as the best choice for Windows 10. But Mozilla’s Firefox is a veteran choice that has been battling it out for longer than either of these options.

Today, Mozilla announced what it’s calling the best Firefox ever, with a particular emphasis on making the browser faster while using less memory. Whereas previous versions ran all of its tabs using a single operating system process, Firefox 54 splits the load into multiple independent processes for improved responsiveness.

Mozilla is calling this project “E10s,” referring to the chemical process of electrolysis whereby water is divided into its core elements of hydrogen and oxygen. The E10s project has been ongoing and has now reached its next major phase with this release that now uses up to four processes for running web page content on all open tabs.

Now, a particularly complicated page will have a reduced impact on the speed and responsiveness of other browser tabs. The E10s project means that Firefox makes better use of a system’s hardware to provide a significantly improved experience, including finding the best balance between memory use and performance and thus optimizing browsing on systems with less memory.

According to Mozilla, Firefox now uses less memory than its competitors on Windows 10, MacOS, and Linux. On Windows 10, for example, only Microsoft’s obsolete Internet Explorer 11 uses less memory than Firefox 54 while Edge and Chrome use significantly more.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Firefox 54 brings some other improvements as well, including a simplified download button and status panel. The usual security fixes are also on hand, along with a change to where the mobile version keeps its bookmarks folder.

Faster browsing that uses less memory is always a good thing, and that makes Firefox 54 a good choice as an alternative to Edge or Chrome. If you’ve been thinking about giving another browser a try, you can download the newest version of Firefox here.

Editors' Recommendations

Mark Coppock
Mark has been a geek since MS-DOS gave way to Windows and the PalmPilot was a thing. He’s translated his love for…
Firefox gets a massive design overhaul, and it’s gorgeous
Mozilla Firefox opened on a desktop.

Mozilla's Firefox web browser has gotten a new look. Now rolling out in version 89 is a massive redesign, putting simplified design, cleaner menus, and tab pages front and center.

The biggest change to Firefox in years, Mozilla believes these visual updates will "get you where you want to go even faster." That's because the core experiences of the browser have all been updated so that things are easier to use --- from the toolbar, streamlined menus, updated prompts, and a new floating tabs system.

Read more
How to mute a tab in your browser
microsoft edge chromium to roll out automatically soon chrome

When you’re surfing the web, nothing can be more annoying than a browser tab suddenly deciding it needs to be heard. Whether a site has an auto-playing video or a repeating sound effect, it’s possible to silence that pesky tab and relinquish your weary eardrums. Here’s a look at how to mute a tab across today's popular web browsers: Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, Opera, and Microsoft Edge.

Not sure which web browser to use? Check out the best web browsers for your computer. If you’re privacy-conscious, we also have the best browsers for your digital safety.
Mute a tab in Google Chrome

Read more
Microsoft’s Edge browser is now more popular than Firefox, gaining on Chrome
microsoft edge second most popular web browser

Microsoft's new Edge browser has some serious upward momentum. According to new data from the firm NetMarketshare, Microsoft Edge is now the second-most popular web browser in the world, surpassing Mozilla Firefox and gaining on Google Chrome, the overwhelming leader.

Roughly three months after the redesigned version launched, the data reveals that Edge now holds a 7.59% of a sampled total market share worldwide. That marks roughly a 0.21% increase between February and March, according to Techradar.

Read more