/Firefox 83 released with 8% less memory usage

Firefox 83 released with 8% less memory usage

Mozilla has released Firefox 83.0 packing performance improvements and compatibility with the recently released Macs with the M1 chip. 

 

Firefox keeps getting faster as a result of significant updates to SpiderMonkey, our JavaScript engine, you will now experience improved page load performance by up to 15%, page responsiveness by up to 12%, and reduced memory usage by up to 8%. We have replaced part of the JavaScript engine that helps to compile and display websites for you, improving security and maintainability of the engine at the same time.

New features and improvements

Performance Improvements, less memory usage

The headline feature for this release is improvements on performance and memory management, with Mozilla noting that Firefox 83.0 gets an improvement of 15% improvement in page loads, page responsiveness by 12% and memory usage reduced by up to 8%.

New HTTPS-Only Mode

Firefox 83.0 introduces a new HTTPS-Only mode — previously available by installing an extension — forcing all connections to go through by https.  Any requests that cannot go through displays a security warning.

The feature is disabled by default but can be enabled by using a simple flag:

  1. Load about:preferences#privacy in the browser’s address bar.
  2. Scroll down to the new HTTPS-Only Mode section on the page
  3. Switch from “Don’t enable HTTPS Only Mode” to either “Enable HTTPS-Only Mode in all windows” or “Enable HTTPS-Only Mode in private windows only”.

Firefox for Android

Firefox 83 for Android includes support for the following additional extensions: FoxyProxy, Bitwarden, AdGuard AdBlocker, Tomato Clock, LeechBlock NG, Web Archives, and Ghostery.

You can download the latest version of Firefox using the links below: