Firefox has spent months quietly testing a new look in non-public builds, gathering feedback from anyone who is willing to try them early.
That redesign is now official: Mozilla says Firefox 157, rolling out today, brings it to everyone on desktop and mobile. What makes it even more important is that this is the browser’s biggest visual overhaul in years.
What actually changed in this redesign?
First and foremost, Mozilla has refreshed the colors, icons, and themes across the entire browser and everything else, including tabs and toolbars. The company says this comes with no hit to overall browser performance.
The latest Firefox version also features rounded UI elements and bubble-like tabs. To me, these additions look inspired by the latest smartphone operating systems and their UIs. Users also get icons that stay consistent across both light and dark themes (via The Verge).
Other additions include features that are either back or entirely new. For instance, Compact Mode has returned after strong user demand. It basically shrinks tabs and toolbars to fit more information on the screen. The new feature that I mentioned is a theme picker that adds more looks and wallpapers.
Furthermore, New Tab now has a dedicated space to pin your most-used shortcuts.
What about privacy, AI controls, and everything else?
The redesign also rejigs the Settings menu to make privacy controls easier to find, including a switch that lets you turn off all AI features at once.
AI models aren’t downloaded unless you choose to use them. It’s now clearer which ones you have installed and how much space they take, something that Google could surely learn from (I’m referring to Chrome’s “contentious 4GB download” from earlier this year).
Recently, Mozilla also shipped Firefox 151 with its own additions. These include support for the Web Serial API, which lets websites control hardware or deliver firmware without native apps, along with a redesigned Home page, new wallpapers, and the option to merge multiple PDFs in Firefox’s PDF viewer.
