After Google Chrome 109 and Microsoft Edge 109 update, Mozilla released its “109” update. Firefox 109 is now available in the release channel, bringing manifest V3 extension support, improved accessibility, security fixes, and other improvements. Although Mozilla has implemented Manifest V3 in its browser, developers have no immediate plans to drop Manifest V2 support. On the other hand, Google (and Microsoft) recently decided to extend Manifest V2 support and give developers more time before implementing the transition to Manifest V3.
What’s new in Firefox 109?
New features:
Manifest Version 3 (MV3) Extension support is now enabled by default (MV2 remains enabled/supported.). This major update also brings an interesting change in the look of the user interface. New extension button.
Arbitrary CodeGuard exploit protection is enabled in media playback utility processes, improving security for Windows users.
The native HTML date picker for date and datetime inputs can now be used only with the keyboard, improving its accessibility for screen reader users. Users with limited mobility can now also use normal keyboard shortcuts to navigate the calendar grid and month selection spinners.
Firefox builds in Spanish from Spain (es-ES) and Spanish from Argentina (es-AR) locales now come with a built-in dictionary for the Firefox spell checker.
Various changes:
- Effective January 16, Colorways No longer in Firefox. Users will still be able to access safe and active colorways from the Add-ons and Themes menu option.
- On macOS, Ctrl or Cmd + trackpad or mouse wheel now scroll the page instead of zooming. This avoids accidental zooming and matches the behavior of other web browsers on macOS.
- The recently closed section of Firefox View now equips users with the ability to manually close/remove url links from the list.
- The empty state messages and graphic components exposed in Firefox view for tab pickup and recently closed sections have been updated for a better user experience.
You can also see the list of security fixes in Firefox 109 in the official documentation. Full release notes, including developer, web platform, and developer changes, are available on the Mozilla website.
Firefox will update automatically, but you can force an update by navigating to the browser. Menu > Help > About Firefox.
