Pick the Best Firefox Extensions
YOU’LL NEED THIS
FIREFOX
Download the free web browser www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new/ Firefox extensions can be found at https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/
firefox/
TIRED OF GOOGLE CHROME, but worried that you won’t have access to those extensions you use if you change? Or perhaps you’ve already swapped to Firefox, but need some advice on which extensions you should pick up [ Image A]? Don’t worry, MaximumPC has got your back.
Extensions are the best way of customizing your browsing experience. Not only can they adjust and alter your themes and the look of websites, but many also provide useful utility features and privacy extras that the stock browser doesn’t allow for. We’re going to give you the lowdown on our top 8 must-have Firefox extensions, for those ready to ditch Google’s dominant web browser for something a little sleeker and more private. –ZAK STOREY
1
UBLOCK ORIGIN
All web browser setups should start with a dependable adblocker. Now we’re not saying don’t support the websites you love. After all, most sites–our own included—rely on ad revenue and affiliates to keep producing the content you enjoy, and less money means less quality control. However, the decision of who you support should be entirely up to you. uBlock Origin is a fantastic open-source ad-blocker that’s regularly updated and easy to configure, with minimal impact on system performance. And if you do want to support a site, you simply click on the on/off switch in the extension window, and ad-block will be disabled for that site.
2
HTTPS EVERYWHERE
HTTPS offers better end-to-end encryption than the HTTP, and most websites support some form of HTTPS, although they don’t always default to that. HTTPS Everywhere rewrites all browser/webpage requests to switch to HTTPS, so you can be sure that wherever you go you’ll be encrypted on either end. 3
DISCONNECT
Disconnect is a great extension that works on top of uBlock Origin to stifle any cookies or ad-tracking that occurs as you browse the web. Many companies purely exist to sell your data and cookies to one another, to “improve” your advertising experience and try to get you to purchase more things based on your viewing habits. Disconnect aims to stop that, and is another open-source extension that works alongside traditional ad-blockers.
4
FACEBOOK CONTAINER
Ahh that pesky Facebook causing trouble. Facebook is useful: Staying in touch with friends and family in these trying times is certainly important. However, its intrusive web-tracking and cookie management is less enjoyable. Remember, it also owns Instagram and works with other sites (namely Amazon) to pass on your advertising details via cookies. A good counter to that? The Facebook Container extension. It’ll delete all of your Facebook cookies and log you out. On next login, it’ll isolate the page in its own container. If you click an external link within Facebook, that URL will load outside of the container, making it more difficult for Facebook to track you.
5
AMAZON CONTAINER
Similarly, the Amazon container isolates your Amazon activity within its own container tab. This is a fork on Mozilla’s Facebook container and ensures that no third-party cookies can follow your internet browsing habits as you move across the web. 6
LASTPASS: FREE PASSWORD MANAGER
We highly recommend you use something like LastPass for your passwords. It’s highly secure, lets you generate complex passwords on the fly, and it’s free in its basic package. Its extension will autofill any username and password slots, ask if you want to update the password information on detection of a new or changed password, and is very quick and easy to use. It’s worth a look if you’re using a single password for all your accounts (which is definitely a bad idea), and can’t be bothered with the hassle of noting new passwords down.
7
CHECKER PLUS FOR GMAIL
This adds an icon in the top toolbar to show you if you have any new emails, and notifies you when you get a new one. Click on it to open a small window preview of your inbox—you can open emails and read and respond there if you need to. It also supports multiple accounts. 8
UNDO CLOSE TAB
The lack of an “Undo Close Tab” button or easyaccess History page is perhaps Firefox’s one weakness compared to Google Chrome. However, you can pick up a neat little extension called Undo Close Tab. Click the arrow icon in your toolbar and it’ll open the last tab you closed; click it again and it’ll open the one before that, and so on. Alternatively, right-click it to open a menu that shows you all of your recently closed tabs.