Firefox Nova (or Project Nova) is the codename for a major redesign of the appearance and functionality of the Mozilla Firefox browser. It is the most radical change to the browser's user interface (UI) in six years.
The main changes it brings include:
Modern look: Introduces strongly rounded corners (floating island aesthetic) in menus, address bar, and tabs, with new fire-inspired colors.
Vertical Tabs : Ability to move tabs to the left or right side of the screen for better space management.
Split View : Allows you to view two web pages side by side in the same window.
AI feature control : A master switch in the settings that allows users to completely disable all built-in AI features if they desire a classic experience.
Compact Mode Restored: A denser layout for those who want to see more content and fewer menus on their screen.
Firefox's new "Nova" redesign will be enabled for all users with Firefox 157, which will be released at the end of September - barring any last-minute issues, of course.
Mozilla engineers have been preparing Nova since March. The initial proposal called for rounded UI elements, animated toolbars, web content with a border that is no longer flush with the edges of the browser window, and most strikingly, lots of pastel gradients.
Other UI changes complement Nova in Firefox, such as the redesign of Settings.
Opinions, of course, will vary on whether Firefox even needed a redesign, let alone this one. In any case, Nova will be enabled in Firefox 157 according to current plans (plans are subject to change, of course).
Don't want to wait? You can enable Nova in current stable versions of Firefox via a hidden flag in about:config , search for browser.nova.enabled and set it to true.
If you choose to try it early, you should be aware that the version of Nova you see will have differences from version 157.
We will see the real picture once Firefox version 157 is released on September 29th.
Although the press releases will range from very select to rare, I said I'd pass...because sometimes the editors hide.
A small fix for enabling browser.nova.enabled
In the address bar about:config and not about:configs