California: Mozilla has officially released Firefox 149, the newest version of its open-source browser, adding several upgrades focused on speed, privacy, and user experience. The update is now available on Windows, macOS and Linux, with desktop users set to receive it automatically in the coming days.
One of the headline features in Firefox 149 is the new Split View mode. This long‑awaited option lets users open two websites side by side in the same browser window, making it ideal for multitasking. From comparing products to reading and writing at once, split‑screen browsing is now easy to use. All you have to do is to right‑click a tab and select “Open in Split View”. This feature brings Firefox in line with browsers like Edge, Vivaldi, and Opera.
Mozilla has also added a built‑in VPN for users in the US, UK, Germany, and France. The free VPN provides 50GB of monthly data and routes browser traffic through a proxy to hide IP addresses and locations. Unlike regular VPNs, it doesn’t let you choose which country to connect from, but it still improves your privacy, without requiring any extra installations.
The browser’s PDF performance has been significantly improved too. Thanks to hardware acceleration, many PDF files now open much faster, especially large or image‑heavy documents. Firefox 149 also lets users download images directly from PDFs through the right‑click menu, a shortcut that removes the need for screenshots or external apps.
On the security side, Firefox 149 now automatically blocks notification requests from any website marked as unsafe by Google SafeBrowsing. These permissions are permanently removed, preventing spammy or phishing pop‑ups from showing up at all. Mozilla has also tightened JavaScript rules in the browser’s core processes to improve protection against potential attacks.
Firefox 149 introduces several interface upgrades as well. A new Trust Panel in the address bar puts all your privacy and security information in one clean view, instead of spreading it across different menus. Error pages have been redesigned with fresh visuals, giving users clearer explanations when something goes wrong.
There are a few other upgrades too. You can now add a Share button to the toolbar to quickly share webpages. Address Autofill now works in more countries, including India, Australia, Italy, Poland, and Austria, making forms easier to fill out. Uploads are also more stable for people with weak internet connections. Windows users get smoother graphics and lower power use while watching full‑screen videos, and Linux users get a file picker that works better with their desktop.
Firefox 149 arrives as Mozilla continues its push toward a faster, more secure browser. With Split View, a built‑in VPN, faster PDFs, and a redesigned interface, this release marks one of Firefox’s most significant updates in years.
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