Please note I am using a desktop PC. I suppose this change was done for the benefit of mobile device users.

OH yeah. Now my bookmark is 50~75% bigger because of the spacing which means I have to look and scroll down on a far more frequently and regularly. You'd think they'd make this kind of thing optional instead of plaster on as default. I hope someone finds a solution or the developers fix it themselves. And though we can change the font or zoom in and out but that is not the issue but the spacing.

On a unrelated note Firefox seems a bit whiter or brighter but I am not sure about that and that is unrelated to this topic. I am really holding myself from trying to rollback or install an older version because security can be an issue but just barely.

P.S. The spacing is a issue with everything in firefox now such as the context menu (right click menu). Yeesh.

My understanding from several places is that this new sprawled all over way too much white space and spread out spacing is to improve things for mobile device users. (Who now supposedly make up more than half of internet users)

'WHY CAN'T WE BE GIVEN A WAY TO "TWEAK" THINGS FOR US WHO USE PCs/DESKTOPS ???' WE ARE NOT DINOSAURS. Instead, NO, we are locked out of ways to revise the new "IMPROVEMENTS" that cause ACTUAL PROBLEMS for us.

My understanding from several places is that this new sprawled all over way too much white space and spread out spacing is to improve things for mobile device users. (Who now supposedly make up more than half of internet users) 'WHY CAN'T WE BE GIVEN A WAY TO "TWEAK" THINGS FOR US WHO USE PCs/DESKTOPS ???' WE ARE NOT DINOSAURS. Instead, NO, we are locked out of ways to revise the new "IMPROVEMENTS" that cause ACTUAL PROBLEMS for us.

In an effort to gain users, Mozilla's driven away the few users they had left. Here's the posted "fix" for some of the UI visual disaster. It's reported to be temporary with the "real" fix being a css script patch - hope you're a computer expert!

(1) In a new tab, type or paste about:config in the address bar and press Enter/Return. Click the button accepting the risk.

(2) In the search box in the page, type or paste browser.proton.enabled and pause while the list is filtered

(3) Double-click the preference to switch between true (new design) and false (old design)

Thank you, ajohn050 -

Yeah right, I am a tech expert, far from it. I resist making changes in fear that the result will be something even worse. Thank you for the specific instructions. I do recall using something similar to FIX/Go back to the "classic" setting for PRINT PREVIEW. Which per a bunch of us here on the forums, they truly messed up, forcing us into multiple clicking instead of just ONE and DONE.

YEARS ago, I was so very glad to discover FF because it was not one of the big time virus magnets, and came to truly enjoy it because FF folks seemed to think the way I do ... if it is not broken, do not change ("fix") it. I certainly welcome SECURITY tweaks, but not being steamrolled by unnecessary aesthetic changes.

Unfortunately, they ALL, EVERYWHERE, web browser or website, seem to be doing exactly that, and now Firefox apparently has joined the herd, blindly deciding what everyone should want and giving us little or no opportunity to do anything about it. I would not have any idea how to "Fix" the "Fix" without advice on these forums given by good people like you, ajohn050.

I and many others, I'm sure were BLINDSIDED by this "improvement." This is NOT the way FF is supposed to work. Blindsiding users is done by the "big browsers." Really??? The very LEAST that FF could have done is a message to account holders/users on what was coming; WHY; and how to make at least a few adjustments to have it the way one personally would prefer.

timestreasures said

My understanding from several places is that this new sprawled all over way too much white space and spread out spacing is to improve things for mobile device users. (Who now supposedly make up more than half of internet users) 'WHY CAN'T WE BE GIVEN A WAY TO "TWEAK" THINGS FOR US WHO USE PCs/DESKTOPS ???' WE ARE NOT DINOSAURS. Instead, NO, we are locked out of ways to revise the new "IMPROVEMENTS" that cause ACTUAL PROBLEMS for us.

In an effort to gain users, Mozilla's driven away the few users they had left. Here's the posted "fix" for some of the UI visual disaster. It's reported to be temporary with the "real" fix being a css script patch - hope you're a computer expert!

(1) In a new tab, type or paste about:config in the address bar and press Enter/Return. Click the button accepting the risk.

(2) In the search box in the page, type or paste browser.proton.enabled and pause while the list is filtered

(3) Double-click the preference to switch between true (new design) and false (old design)

I found this procedure in another thread, tried it and it didn't work. I've been using FF since day one and have always accepted changes as necessary and to the user's benefit, up to now. I do not use my phone to browse the Internet, I can't read the results without having to scroll. I have a big screen at home so most times I can see a whole page without scrolling. I can accept the change for folks needing it, but I sure wish we desktop users had an option to change it back.

@ezdays -- Thank you for the reply! I tried that 1-2-3 a few weeks ago to fix "Print Preview" which had disappeared from the "FILE" menu drop down, and changed to a sub- under PRINT, so instead of only having to click ONCE to see what I wanted to print would look like, Firefox made me click about 18 times. RIDICULOUS.

I think some of the instruction was just slightly different because it dealt with PRINT PREVIEW, but it DID work for that - my Print Preview is back to the old way, such a relief !!!

But to change the ENTIRE look of WHOLE PAGES ... I am truly hesitant to try "Good Old 1-2-3" to change the look !!! especially if FF is claiming it is only a temporary fix. I am in no way a computer tech; I live in fear of changing something and making it worse and not knowing how to change it back or fix it.

Thank you for the commiseration !

The browser.proton.enabled preference is for the styling of the tabs, not for the menus.

I can give you a quick short-term workaround, but a more durable solution will require more work.

Temporary Fix

For testing purposes, there is a preference to switch between new style and old style menus. It helps with the spacing, but might be a tad bit glitchy:

(1) In a new tab, type or paste about:config in the address bar and press Enter/Return. Click the button accepting the risk.

(2) In the search box in the page, type or paste browser.proton.contextmenus.enabled and pause while the list is filtered

(3) Double-click the preference to switch between true (new style) and false (old style)

In my test, the Bookmarks menu on the optional top Menu Bar was messed up in the existing window, but looked okay in a new window. You may need to do a regular exit/restart of Firefox to complete the change.

Longer Term Community Workaround

This involves setting up a userChrome.css file. The full instructions are in the following thread: https://support.mozilla.org/questions/1337841

I'm sure we'll refine that during the course of the month so when the temporary preference is removed, it will be airtight.