Firefox 116: improved upload performance and security fixes

Firefox 116 is the latest version of Mozilla's open source web browser. The new version of Firefox makes an important cut, as users of older Windows and Mac operating systems will not receive this update, but be migrated to Firefox 115.1.0 ESR instead.

Firefox 116 and Firefox 115.1 ESR are not the only two releases. There is also Firefox 102.14, the last but one update for that particular Firefox ESR base, and updates for Firefox Beta, Developer and Nightly.

Executive Summary

• Firefox 116 is a security update.
• Highlights include a volume slider in Picture-in-Picture mode, improved Ctrl-Shift-T keyboard shortcut capabilities, and improved HTTP/2 upload capabilities.
• The new version is not available for Windows 8.1, 8 and 7, and also not available for macOS 10.14, 10.13 and 10.12. These are migrated automatically to Firefox ESR for continued support until September 2024.

Firefox 116 download and update

The official release date of Firefox 116 and Firefox 115.1 ESR is August 1, 2023. Most installations of the browser will be upgraded automatically to the new version thanks to the built-in updating system.

Firefox users may select Menu > Help > About Firefox to display the current version. Firefox runs a check for updates when the menu is opened and will download the latest version automatically or on the user's request.

Here are the official download locations:

• Firefox Stable download
• Firefox Beta download
• Nightly download
• Firefox ESR download
• Firefox for Android on Google Play

Firefox 116.0 new features and improvements

Keyboard shortcut Ctrl-Shift-T changes

The keyboard shortcut Ctrl-Shift-T reopens the last closed tab by default in Firefox and in the case of no tab to reopen, the previous session. Starting in Firefox 116, the keyboard shortcut supports reopening browser windows as well now.

The new logic reopens the last closed tab or browser window, whichever was closed more recently, and the previous browsing session if there are no more tabs or windows to reopen.

Picture-in-Picture mode's volume slider

Firefox's Picture-in-Picture mode supports a volume slider now for easier changing of the volume. The new control is attached to the Picture-in-Picture window.

Other changes and fixes

• Firefox's HTTP/2 upload performance has been improved significantly, especially on networks "with a higher bandwidth delay product".
• Keyboard users may now switch sidebar panels using the official keyboard shortcuts for Bookmarks (Ctrl-B) and History (Ctrl-H).
• For users who use an English locale, update notification prompts now include a learn more link that links to the release notes.
• Firefox users may copy and paste any file from their operating system into Firefox.
• Existing text annotations may now be edited.

Developer changes

• The dirname attribute is now supported on input and textarea elements.
• The image role is now supported as a synonym for img.
• The q length unit (1q = 1/40th of 1cm) is now supported.
• Configuring a Content-Security-Policy now supports specifying external JavaScript files to be whitelisted using hashes, where previously only inline scripts could be whitelisted using a hash.
• The TextMetrics.fontBoundingBoxAscent and TextMetrics.fontBoundingBoxDescent properties are now supported.
• The Audio Output Devices API is now supported on all platforms except for Android.
• This release now supports proper BYOB readers on Fetch and WebTransport.

Enterprise changes

• Fixed a bug that allowed users to access private browsing from the command line even if the feature was disabled by an administrator.

Security updates / fixes

Information about security fixes in Firefox 116 is published here (some time after the official release).

Outlook

Firefox 117 is the next major stable release of the web browser. Mozilla plans to release it on August 29th, 2023. The last Firefox 102.x ESR version will also be released on that day.

Firefox extension reviews and news

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Additional information / resources

• Firefox 116 release notes
• Firefox 116 for Developers
• Firefox 116 for Enterprise
• Firefox Security Advisories
• Firefox Release Schedule

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