Firefox 3

Features

One-Click Bookmarking
Bookmark, search and organize Web sites quickly and easily.
Improved Performance
View Web pages faster, using less of your computer’s memory.
Smart Location Bar
Find the sites you love in seconds—enter a term for instant matches that make sense.
Instant Web Site ID
Avoid online scams, unsafe transactions and forgeries with simple site identity.
Full Zoom
See any part of a Web page, up close and readable, in seconds.
Platform-Native Look & Feel
Browse with a Firefox that’s integrated into your computer’s operating system.
Password Manager
Remember site passwords without ever seeing a pop-up.

Security & Privacy

Instant Web Site ID
Want to be extra sure about a site’s legitimacy before you make a purchase? Click on a site favicon for an instant identity overview. Another click digs deeper: how many times have you visited? Are your passwords saved? Check up on suspicious sites, avoid Web forgeries and make sure a site is what it claims to be.

Anti-Malware

Firefox 3 protects you from viruses, worms, trojan horses and spyware. If you accidentally access an attack site, you’ll receive a full-sized browser message as a warning. A continuously updated list of attack-sites tells us when to stop you from browsing, so there’s nothing for you to update or maintain.

Anti-Phishing
Shop and do business safely on the Internet. Firefox gets a fresh update of web forgery sites 48 times in a day, so if you try to visit a fraudulent site that’s pretending to be a site you trust (like your bank), a browser message—big as life—will stop you.

Parental Controls
Enforce parental control settings you’ve entered on Windows Vista with Firefox 3—stop unwanted downloads and more. Firefox’s intuitive design keeps you from second-guessing your setup.

Anti-Virus Software
Firefox 3 integrates elegantly with your antivirus software. When you download a file, your computer’s antivirus program automatically checks it to protect you against viruses and other malware, which could otherwise attack your computer. [available in Windows only]

Add-ons
Firefox looks for a secure connection before installing or updating add-ons, 3rd party software, and Personas.

Password Manager
We’ve seamlessly integrated this feature into your surfing experience. Choose to “remember” site passwords without intrusive pop-ups. Now you’ll see the “remember password” notification integrated into your view at the top of the site page.

Clear Private Data
Clear your private data automatically—with just one click or a keyboard shortcut. Your info is gone for good—on your own computer or the one at your local library. It’s that easy.

Customized Security Settings
Control the level of scrutiny you’d like Firefox to give a site and enter exceptions—sites that don’t need the third degree. Customize settings for passwords, cookies, loading images and installing add-ons for a fully empowered Web experience.
Automated Update
Our open-source security strategy lets us find—and fix—security issues in record time, making Firefox the safest way to surf. Install upgrades when you receive automatic notification or wait until you’re ready.

Pop-Up Blocker
Banish pop-ups (and pop-under windows) from your surfing experience once and for all. Or, find a happy medium—choose to view blocked pop-ups or create an “allow” list of sites whose pop-ups you’re okay with seeing.

Customization

Add-ons Manager
You can now find and install add-ons directly in your browser. You no longer need to visit the add-ons Web site, simply fire up the new Add-ons Manager. Not sure which add-on is right for you? Ratings, recommendations, descriptions and pictures of the add-ons in action help you make your selection. The fully integrated Add-ons Manager even lets you view, manage and disable third-party add-ons in a few easy clicks.

Over 5,000 ways to customize
The sky’s the limit with a growing library of over 5,000 Firefox Add-ons, little extras you choose to download and install for a browser that works your way. Manage online auctions, upload digital photos, see the weather forecast in a glance and listen to music all from the convenience of your browser. There’s no need to open a new window or tab for each task. Discover add-ons that help you streamline coding and Web development, like Firebug, which lets you look deep into the structure of a web page.

Browser Look & Feel
Dress up your browser as you like it. With themes, choose a darkened control panel reminiscent of a space ship, faux wood paneling, or hundreds of other unique looks to surround your surfing. With Personas, add a simple, lightweight “skin” to your browser in an instant.

Beyond Add-ons
Add-ons are the cornerstone of customization, but adapting Firefox to suit your style doesn’t stop there. You can add new search engines, change toolbar preferences, display different sizes, shapes and styles for your browser’s navigation buttons and more. With additional preferences, you can specify a Web mail client, such as Gmail, to open up when you click on an address from a Web page or set up a news reader application for the blogs you encounter.

Tips & Tricks

Go Directly to Your Favorite Sites
You can add keywords to your bookmarks for easier and faster access. From the Library, just add a short keyword in the keyword field, and you’ll be able to access that bookmark by simply typing that keyword into the address bar. For example, you could give your del.icio.us account the “links” keyword, and from then on simply typing “links” into the address bar will take you right there.

Create Smart Folders
If you’re an advanced Web surfer who frequently needs to save and track a variety of specific sites, here’s a useful time-saver: using Firefox 3’s Library, you can create and save searches into folders that are then automatically updated as you add sites to your bookmarks and history.
First, open the Library by selecting the "Organize Bookmarks" option from the Bookmarks menu. Then, enter your search terms in the search box. Then click the Save button to create a Smart Folder.

Manage Your Downloads
If you’re a frequent downloader, you can use the download manager window to keep track of all your downloads. You can pause and resume downloads, and save yourself time by opening files directly from the manager.
If you need to track down a past download, go to Tools → Downloads and use the search box to find your file. Once you’ve found it, double-click on the file to open it, or right-click and choose "Copy Download Link".

Discover Developer Tools
If you’re a Web developer, Firefox’s developer tools will make your life easier. The Mozilla Add-ons site offers many tools to streamline the development process, including Firebug to edit, debug, and monitor CSS, HTML, and JavaScript live in any Web page, Tamper Data to view and modify HTTP/HTTPS headers and POST parameters, and the DOM Inspector to examine any HTML or CSS element with a simple right click.

Set the Web Up Just Like You Like It
Now you can use Web-based protocol handlers to provide quick access to your favorite Web applications. For example, you can set Firefox up so clicking on a mailto: link on any site will open a new message in your preferred webmail provider rather than your computer’s default mail program (note: this feature is only available with webmail services that have registered with Firefox 3).
Go to Tools → Options → Applications to select the default application for each protocol or to select “Always Ask” if you prefer to choose the application yourself every time.

If you’re a Web app developer, check out more about how to add support for Web-based protocol handlers in the Mozilla Developer Center.