Roboin Blog
FirefoxHowToMozillaOpen Source

How to restore Firefox’s old UI and theme after the rounded redesign

2 min read

Mozilla has redesigned Firefox, giving the browser a rounder interface and replacing the dark mode color scheme with a more colorful palette. Users have mixed reactions to the new design, and some may want to restore the previous look.

In this article, I’ll show you how to change the new Firefox dark mode from its colorful palette to a more subdued one, as well as how to restore the previous UI design.

Advertisement

I didn’t like Firefox’s new design at first, but switching the theme to Proton using the method below addressed most of what bothered me. In my case, the default theme change caused more of the unfamiliar feel than the UI redesign itself.

Table of Contents

How to restore a more subdued dark mode color scheme

Firefox’s new dark mode uses a colorful palette that barely resembles a conventional dark theme.

Screenshot of Firefox’s default dark mode

If you want to keep the new UI design but change only the dark mode colors, follow these steps.

  1. Press Ctrl + Shift + A, or open [Add-ons and themes] from the menu

  2. Open the [Themes] tab, then click [Show more] in the [Firefox Themes] section

    Screenshot of the [Themes] tab in Firefox settings

  3. Click Install for [Gray]

    Screenshot showing the [Gray] theme selected in the Firefox theme list

  4. Firefox now uses a more subdued color scheme in dark mode

    Screenshot of Firefox with the [Gray] theme enabled

How to restore the old Firefox UI

You can restore Firefox’s previous UI design by changing an internal preference.

Advertisement

  1. Enter about:config in the Firefox address bar and open the page

  2. If Firefox displays a warning, read it and continue if you understand and accept the risks

  3. Enter nova in the search box on the page, rather than the address bar, then click the button at the right end of browser.nova.enabled to change its value to false

    Screenshot of Firefox’s about:config page

  4. Firefox returns to the previous UI design

    Screenshot of Firefox’s about:config page using the previous UI design

Conclusion

I covered two ways to restore Firefox’s previous appearance.

Advertisement

If the new colorful dark or light mode bothers you, switch to one of Firefox’s built-in themes with a more subdued palette, or install Mozilla’s official Proton theme.

If you want to restore the entire previous UI design, open about:config and set browser.nova.enabled to false.

Verification details

Verification environment

  • OS: Windows 11
  • Browser: Firefox Nightly version 159.0a1

Verification details

I confirmed that the steps in the article can restore Firefox’s previous color scheme and UI.

Last verification date

Share this article

Follow us for updates

Adding us to your preferred sources on Google makes it easier to find our articles on Google. Also, be sure to follow us on X and our RSS feed.

Add as a preferred source on GoogleAdd as a preferred source on Google
Advertisement
著者のアイコン画像
roboin
XMisskeyGitHubQiita

I've been using JavaScript more than my native language since birth. I am nowhere and everywhere on the internet.

I build web apps and browser extensions in TypeScript as a web frontend programmer. I released Shadowban Scanner, a tool that detects shadowbans on X, and Restore Link Card, a tool that brings back link cards. Media outlets in Japan and abroad covered both tools. For iGEM 2023, I built the Wiki for Team Japan-United and helped the team win the Grand Prize. On my blog, I cover news about X and social media, test and troubleshoot bugs, and share frontend development insights.