Starting with Firefox release 70, the browser is called Firefox Browser. Here’s how to use the latest privacy and security features, some of which come from Quantum.
Firefox Uses Multiple Processes
Before the Quantum update, Firefox ran everything in a single process. If a website or web page were loading poorly, the entire browser would perform sluggishly. If a tab crashed, the whole browser would crash. To solve this problem, Firefox Quantum allowed users to control the number of processes the browser could run. By default, Quantum used four processes to view and render web content. Most modern computers come equipped with a multi-core CPU, so the default setting works well for the average user.
How to Disable Firefox Browser’s Default Performance Settings
With the latest Firefox Browser, users can’t specify a maximum number of processes. However, they can disable Firefox’s recommended performance settings and turn on hardware acceleration, so the browser uses your computer’s graphics processor instead of its CPU to display graphic-heavy content. Here’s how it works:
Firefox Now Uses Less Memory Than Chrome
The Quantum overhaul made Firefox quicker and lighter on system resources and added a more modern, minimalist-style interface. Using the Photon design language, Mozilla’s developers produced an intuitive browsing experience that displayed more web content. In addition to being twice as fast as Firefox 52, Quantum used 33% less memory than Google Chrome. Quantum’s speed boost still endures. Mozilla says the Chrome web browser uses 1.77 times as much memory as the Firefox Browser.
How to Customize Tracking Protection in Firefox Browser
The release of Quantum introduced the option to enable Tracking Protection while browsing. Previously, this option was only available in Private Browsing mode. Firefox Browser has even more robust Tracking Protection functionality. Here’s how it works:
How to Take Screenshots in Firefox Browser
Firefox Quantum introduced a built-in screen-capture option accessible from the Page actions drop-down. In version 88 and later, Firefox removed the ability to take screenshots from the address bar. However, it’s still easy to take screenshots in Firefox in three ways.
Use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+S (Windows PC) or Command+Shift+S (Mac).Right-click anywhere on the screen, then select Take Screenshot.
Or, add a screenshot function to the toolbar:
Automatically Restore Firefox Browsing Sessions
Firefox Quantum introduced the ability to restore your previous session when you launch the browser. The feature still works: Go to the History tab and select Restore Previous Version, and it will restore your last session tabs.
