The Exact Firefox Setup I Use on Every New Install (2026)

# firefox# productivity# privacy# tools
The Exact Firefox Setup I Use on Every New Install (2026)Weather Clock Dash

Firefox's default settings are fine but not great for someone who uses it seriously. Here's exactly...

Firefox's default settings are fine but not great for someone who uses it seriously. Here's exactly what I change on a new Firefox install, with explanations for each.

In about:preferences

Privacy & Security → Enhanced Tracking Protection: Set to "Strict" instead of "Standard." This blocks more trackers and fingerprinting attempts. Occasionally breaks a site; Ctrl+I → Shield icon to temporarily disable for that site.

Privacy & Security → DNS over HTTPS: Enable it and select a provider (Cloudflare or NextDNS). This encrypts your DNS queries so your ISP can't log which domains you visit. Takes 30 seconds to set up.

General → Use recommended performance settings: Leave this on. Only disable if you have specific memory constraints and know what you're doing.

Home → Firefox Home Content: Uncheck "Recommended stories" and "Sponsored shortcuts." These are ads. The default behavior shows sponsored content in your new tab — disable it.

Extensions to Install (in order)

  1. uBlock Origin — content blocking. No configuration needed at install; defaults are good.
  2. Firefox Multi-Account Containers — session isolation. Worth configuring your container setup on day one.
  3. Weather & Clock Dashboard — new tab replacement. Set to your location and add world clocks for your team's time zones. Install from AMO.
  4. Facebook Container (optional, by Mozilla) — if you use Facebook/Instagram, this prevents Meta cross-site tracking automatically.
  5. Bitwarden (optional) — if you're not using a password manager, add one. Bitwarden is open source and free for personal use.

That's the full list. Five extensions maximum. Each one earns its place.

about:config Tweaks

Open about:config, accept the warning, and change these:

browser.tabs.unloadOnLowMemory → true
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

This automatically suspends background tabs when RAM gets low. Useful if you keep many tabs open.

browser.tabs.loadBookmarksInTabs → true
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Bookmarks open in a new tab instead of the current tab. Personal preference — some people prefer the old behavior.

toolkit.legacyUserProfileCustomizations.stylesheets → true
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Only needed if you want to use userChrome.css for visual customization. Skip if that's not relevant to you.

What I Don't Change

  • Firefox Sync: Use it with a Firefox account. Your bookmarks, history, and passwords sync across devices without giving them to Google.
  • Hardware acceleration: Leave it on unless you have a specific GPU driver issue.
  • Tab bar: Don't install a separate tab manager until Firefox's native tab groups (a feature in development) lands. The native session restore is good enough.

The Full Setup Time

  • Preferences: 5 minutes
  • Extensions: 10 minutes (mostly configuration)
  • about:config: 5 minutes

Total: ~20 minutes for a significantly better default browser experience. None of this costs anything.