Join the Mozilla’s Test Days event from Dec 2–8 to test the new Firefox address bar on Firefox Beta 134 and get a chance to win Mozilla swag vouchers! 🎁

Search Support

Avoid support scams. We will never ask you to call or text a phone number or share personal information. Please report suspicious activity using the “Report Abuse” option.

Learn More

Please expain why Firefox will not support tabs on bottom?

  • 8 replies
  • 2 have this problem
  • 8 views
  • Last reply by Tribal77

more options

After an unwanted update to Firefox 61 or 62 it took me 5 days to get rid of it. I lost bookmarks, tabs on bottom. I tried Firefox 57 and could not get gold favicons for bookmarks and no add-on for tabs on bottom. I now have Firefox 56 with tabs on bottom plus gold favicons for bookmark folders. The add-on "Classic Theme Restorer"works but has a yellow background word "Legend" that sounds onerous. I do not ever wish to experience the several days I spent trying to get the latest update configured and if Firefox 56 gets unsupported t I simply go elsewhere. |||Firefox 56 is covered riskwise with Kaspersky " Safe Browser" option .

After an unwanted update to Firefox 61 or 62 it took me 5 days to get rid of it. I lost bookmarks, tabs on bottom. I tried Firefox 57 and could not get gold favicons for bookmarks and no add-on for tabs on bottom. I now have Firefox 56 with tabs on bottom plus gold favicons for bookmark folders. The add-on "Classic Theme Restorer"works but has a yellow background word "Legend" that sounds onerous. I do not ever wish to experience the several days I spent trying to get the latest update configured and if Firefox 56 gets unsupported t I simply go elsewhere. |||Firefox 56 is covered riskwise with Kaspersky " Safe Browser" option .

All Replies (8)

more options

Why does anyone need to "explain" why Mozilla does anything?

"Tabs on bottom" was removed in Firefox 29 Australis. Users needed an extension like CTR or other to have "tabs on bottom" with Australis, but now those type extensions aren't allowed in Quantum.

more options

With respect to say tabs on bottom is not allowed anymore does not answer my question. I would like to know WHY. What is the reason for this extremely popular choice to have tabs on bottom? was my question! Surely there must have been a reason to deny this simple option. Surely Mozilla should provide what many users are asking for or explain why not.

more options

I believe you can restore tabs on bottom with userChrome.css. Please update to Firefox 62 as 56 is no longer safe to run.

more options

I spent 5 days trying to get the .css folder with recommended code to work. As long as 56 works I am satisfied. I have Kaspersky Browser protection running.If version 56 gets overwritten again I go elsewhere.

No one has answered my question. i.e why has Firefox got rid of tabs on bottom? Giving a workaround is too complex for the layman! If answering the question is not an option please do not reply

more options

removed

Modified by McCoy

more options

Tabs were moved on top as part of a redesign of Firefox several years ago (it makes more logical sense in the layout of the window) and was based on months of user research and design tweaking.

The option to move tabs back down was removed as the code behind it was complex, slow and unreliable.

Your kaspersky will not protect you from the security holes in old versions of software, so please update ASAP

more options

Add code to the userChrome.css file below the default @namespace line.


@namespace url("http://www.mozilla.org/keymaster/gatekeeper/there.is.only.xul"); /* only needed once */

/* tabs on bottom */
#navigator-toolbox toolbar:not(#nav-bar):not(#toolbar-menubar) {-moz-box-ordinal-group:10}
#TabsToolbar {-moz-box-ordinal-group:1000!important}


It is not that difficult to create userChrome.css if you have never used it.

The first step is to open the "Help -> Troubleshooting Information" page and find the button to access the profile folder.

You can find this button under the "Application Basics" section as "Profile Folder -> Open Folder". If you click this button then you open the profile folder in the Windows File Explorer. You need to create a folder with the name chrome in this folder (name is all lowercase). In the chrome folder you need to create a text file with the name userChrome.css (name is case sensitive). In this userChrome.css text file you paste the text posted.

In Windows saving the file is usually the only time things get more complicated because Windows can silently add a .txt file extension and you end up with a file named userChrome.css.txt. To avoid this you need to make sure to select "All files" in the dialog to save the file in the text editor using "Save File as".

You need to close and restart Firefox when you create or modify the userChrome.css file.

more options

I did not knowingly update to latest version and I could get bookmarks or manage any of the ad-dons I had such as themes or tools that I had. I searched for at least 5 days to get any basic functionality that I had.

Over a long period (years) whenever an update was downloaded I lost some functionality due to previous ad-dons being incompatible. I have tried all the crap about creating a chrome folder and a userChrome.css file and then copying code into that file. I have totally given up and have reinstalled version 56 and regardless of of warnings that it is unsafe I have 2 security packages that seem to work. I am grateful that the Firefox volunteer forums have tried to help though I did manage to get my original question to Firefox them selves and got a sarcastic reply saying "We don't have to explain why we prefer tabs on top".

I no longer wish to use anything later than version 56 that is looking good and doing everything I need. CTR is listed as legend and if it gets dysfunctional I will go to chrome in its most basic entry level form. I find it very strange that Firefox ignores the flood of requests to resume the tabs on bottom. The tabs on top is to me akin to having a typical cardboard manual file with the physical tabs on the LEFT.

Regards

Andy Tribe