11 secret Firefox tips that will make you an internet pro
With Firefox, browsing the Internet is fast, simple and easy. Now you can go beyond the basics with these secret, not-so-secret tips that make your internet experience even more fun. Read on for some of our favorite Firefox features you might not know⦠yet.
1. Send tabs across the room
If you’ve ever read an article, recipe, or website on your phone and thought it would look better and bigger on your computer, what do you do? Do you send the link by email or SMS, right? Friends, there is a better way to do this with Firefox. Send this tab (or multiple tabs) to any device on which you are logged in to your Firefox account, and he’ll be waiting for you when you get there. It also works backwards, so you can also send a tab from your computer to your phone. Pick up where you left off with send tabs in Firefox.
How to do:
- From Firefox on your computer: Right-click (PC) or two-finger tap (Mac) on a tab and select Send tab to device.
- From Firefox on your phone: tap the share icon, which will open the Send to device option.
- Can’t see these options? Connect to your Firefox account on both devices they will appear.
2. Look for a needle in a stack of tabs
Tab accumulators, we see you. Damn us are you. Never let anyone shame you for having tens (and tens3) open tabs, implying that you don’t have it together and can’t find the right one. Instead, dazzle them with this trick. Add a% sign to your URL search to search specifically in all of your open tabs, including tabs in different windows. Then you can click on the tab already open instead of creating a duplicate, not that someone has already done so.
Bonus tip: If you like this tab search trick, try searching your bookmarks with * or your history with ^.
3. Simplified screenshots
Already need a screenshot, but can’t remember how to do it? Or have you successfully broken one but lost it in the guts of your hard drive? Firefox’s built-in screenshot function takes all the stress out. Right-click (PC) or two-finger press (Mac) to invoke Firefox’s action menu (see tip above) and scroll to Take a screenshot. Bam, you take a screenshot!
Bonus tip: Here’s how to add a screenshot button to your Firefox toolbar so it’s handy.
4. Reopen a closed tab
Tabs are life, and life is in tabs. Close the wrong leads to this shipwreck Oh no the feeling that we know all too well. So we made a fix for that.
How to do: Type Ctrl + Shift + T for PC. Command + Shift + T for Mac. Boom, tab resurrected instantly. You can even do it multiple times to reopen multiple closed tabs.
5. Pocket the best for later
There are so many great things to read and watch online that you are not going to end up internet in your life. But you can save the best for later. Click the Pocket icon to save any article, video or page directly from Firefox. Then, when you have more free time, it will be waiting for you in the Pocket app (available for Android and ios) on your phone. It’s awesome ?
Where to get it: Look for the Pocket symbol to the right of your toolbar to start recording any Firefox article, video, or page.
6. Video multitasking with picture in picture
Got things to do and games to watch? One of our most popular features, Picture-in-Picture, lets you output a video from Firefox so that it can be played on other windows on your screen. It’s perfect for watching things on the sidelines – sports, audiences, live news, calming scenes, and even cute animals. In addition, it has several modes.
Where to get it: Hover over any video currently playing and find the picture-in-picture icon. Try it:
7. Sample any color with the built-in eyedropper
This one is for the creators out there. The web is a colorful place, and each color has a code called a HEX value. With Firefox’s built-in eyedropper tool, you can browse the web quickly sampling colors and copying the HEX value to use elsewhere.
How to use it: Click on the main menu in the upper right corner, scroll to More tools then with the pipette. Have fun sampling!
8. It’s fucked up!
There may be times when you want to clear your recent browsing history very quickly, and at that point Firefox is there for you with the forget feature. Instead of asking a bunch of complex technical questions, forget only asks you one: how many do you want to forget? Once you tell Firefox you want to forget the last 5 minutes, or 2 hours, or 24 hours, it does the rest. It is very convenient if you are sharing a computer with friends or family. Or if you forgot to open an incognito window. Or if you just don’t want your recent browsing history (royal family gossip) reappears.
Where to get it:
- Click on the main menu in the upper right corner and select More tools.
- Then select Customize the toolbar.
- Locate the Forget shortcut
- Grab it with your mouse and drag it to the toolbar.
- Then click on the Made button.
- Now the Forget button is handy wherever you go in Firefox.
9. Password Headache Corrector
If you’ve heard it once, you’ve heard it a million times – use strong unique Passwords. You might complain that it’s easier said than done, but in Firefox it’s actually so easy to do. With the built-in password generator, you can create and save strong and unique passwords without ever leaving Firefox. No additional downloads, software or summary website are necessary. Bonus tip: synchronize your Firefox account between multiple devices to get your usernames and passwords on your mobile.
How to use it:
- Right-click in the Password field and select Suggest a strong password.
- To find passwords saved on your computer: Click on the main menu in the upper right corner and select Passwords.
- To find the passwords saved on your phone, go to your Firefox settings and select Usernames and passwords.
Bonus tip: Set up a Master Password to protect all those strong and unique passwords.
10. Restore the session
Everyone had a hard time restarting their computer or just the browser and losing tabs. It is exhausting the soul. By default, Firefox starts with a single window open. If you want to get back to where you left off, use the session restore feature which revives everything you opened last time. Tap the main menu at the top right. Click on History, then select Restore the previous session. Soul restored.
Make it permanent: You can configure Firefox to always display windows and tabs from your previous session each time you start Firefox. Here’s how.
11. The hidden menu
Maybe you know this one, but for those who don’t, this is essential. You should be aware of the hidden Firefox action menu that appears and changes depending on where you open it. When you open the menu on a website, image, or menu bar, the actions are contextual to what you’re doing right now. Clever! Fun fact: The top 25 right-click menu entries cover 97% of the things people want to do.
How to use it: Right-click (PC) or two-finger tap (Mac) in Firefox.
Now that you are practically a pro, forward this article to your friends to share the secret Firefox tips.