SNACK: 3-line summary
- Mozilla is rolling out a refreshed Firefox design with Firefox 157 on desktop and mobile.
- Compact Mode is back, shrinking tabs and toolbars to leave more room for webpages.
- A new theme picker and a dedicated space for pinned New Tab shortcuts offer more ways to arrange the browser.
Mozilla announced on September 29 that its refreshed Firefox design is rolling out with Firefox 157 across desktop and mobile. Colors and icons have changed throughout the browser, while the return of Compact Mode gives people who prefer smaller browser controls another option.
Snackgirls react
AIKO: I’m curious how the auto-compact option looks on a smaller screen, especially with several tabs open. I’d like to see the extra space it gives a webpage.
Nea: I’d use the pinned shortcuts for sites I keep returning to. Having those pages waiting on New Tab sounds more useful to me than another wallpaper.
Compact Mode gives the page more room
Compact Mode reduces the size of tabs and the toolbar so more of the window is available to the web. Mozilla also describes an auto-compact option for smaller screens.
Themes and shortcuts get their own controls
The new theme picker offers themes and wallpapers to explore. On the New Tab page, a dedicated space lets users pin and organize shortcuts to sites they visit often.
The refreshed design extends beyond ordinary tabs to Private Browsing. For returning Firefox users, the smaller controls and New Tab layout are practical places to start exploring it.
Sources and checked date: Mozilla · September 29, 2026