Mozilla has been working on revamping the address bar for a while. Now, that redesigned address bar is finally live on Firefox’s Nightly branch.
Mozilla has released a new version ofFirefoxNightly featuring significant updates to the address bar, in an attempt to revamp the browser’s user experience. The changes, according to Mozilla, focus on improved search functionality, intuitive navigation, and increased security.
One notable addition is the Unified Search Button, allowing users to effortlessly switch between search engines and search modes directly from the address bar. If you need to slightly tweak your query, search refinements are made easier with Search Term Persistence, which retains the original search term while allowing for modifications.
Firefox has also introduced Secondary Action Buttons to provide quick access to additional options for search results, such as switching tabs or performing browser actions, without interrupting your workflow. Intuitive Search Keywords also offer a convenient way to access various search modes within the address bar using descriptive keywords like “@bookmarks”, “@tabs”, and “@history”.
The browser now also prominently displays the HTTP protocol for non-secure sites, while hiding HTTPS to reduce clutter, reminding users when they are on a less secure connection.
The update, whenever it lands for everyone, aims to make the address bar much more useful without losing ease of use out of sight. It was already great, and now it’s even better. The only bad news here is that the address bar is, at the moment, only available for those on the Nightly branch. Nightly builds, like all pre-release builds, are unfinished and can pack bugs.
The new address bar is currently live in Firefox Nightly, which you candownload from Mozilla’s website. Most people should probably just wait until it rolls out in the stable version of Firefox, though.
