Firefox 157 Arrives With Nova Redesign, Mozilla's Biggest Visual Overhaul in Years and Faster Video Calls

SAN FRANCISCO — Mozilla on Tuesday began rolling out Firefox 157, the first stable version of its web browser to include the company's long-awaited Nova redesign, a sweeping visual overhaul that gives Firefox a softer, rounder and more colorful look.

The update also brings hardware-accelerated AV1 video decoding for video calls, fixes for high dynamic range video playback and the removal of Amazon as a built-in search engine option.

Firefox 157 binaries first appeared on Mozilla's file servers on Monday, with the official release scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 29. Most existing installations will update automatically.

A new look for Firefox

The Nova design marks what Mozilla has described as Firefox's biggest visual refresh in years. The company's Firefox user experience team has said the goal of the redesign is a browser that feels "cleaner, warmer, faster and more adaptable."

The redesign changes the appearance of nearly every part of the browser. Tabs now have a softer outline, with a subtle color gradient around the active tab. Panels, menus and settings dialogs feature more consistent rounded corners, and address bars, search boxes and sidebars have also been given a rounder shape.

Icons have been refreshed for both light and dark themes, spacing across the interface has been rebalanced, and pastel color tints have been added throughout the browser's frame. Mozilla has also updated areas such as the add-ons manager and theme picker to match the new style.

Nova technically appeared in earlier versions of Firefox as an experimental option hidden behind a setting, but Firefox 157 is the first release to turn it on by default for all users.

Mozilla has said that once the rollout is complete, it wants people to simply call the browser Firefox again, since Nova refers to the design update itself rather than a separate product.

Compact mode returns

One of the most notable changes for longtime users is the return of Compact mode, a denser layout that reduces spacing and the size of the browser's frame and borders. The feature had been removed in earlier redesigns, frustrating some users with smaller screens.

Firefox 157 offers three density options: Compact, for smaller screens; Standard, with balanced spacing for most displays; and Touch, which features larger interface elements and click targets for touchscreen devices.

The redesign also adds new themes, wallpapers and widgets for the New Tab page. It complements other recent changes, including a redesigned Settings page and artwork featuring Firefox's new mascot, Kit.

Faster, smoother video calls

Beyond the visual changes, Firefox 157 includes several performance and media improvements.

For the first time, WebRTC video calls in Firefox can use hardware AV1 decoding on compatible devices, replacing software decoding. AV1 is a modern video format that offers high-quality video at lower bandwidth, but decoding it in software can be demanding. Using the computer's hardware instead should reduce processor load, heat and battery drain during calls on supported systems.

The feature builds on Firefox 156, released two weeks earlier, which added hardware H.264 decoding for WebRTC calls on ARM64 devices and made PDF loading up to 45% faster.

Firefox 157 also improves HDR video playback and fixes audio and video synchronization problems that could occur when users changed playback speed. On Windows, it addresses an issue where the taskbar could remain visible over fullscreen video.

For web developers, the release adds support for detecting browser support of specific CSS at-rules through the @supports at-rule() function and adds a chain value for the CSS overscroll-behavior property.

Amazon removed as search option

Firefox 157 also removes Amazon as a built-in search engine choice. Users who want to search Amazon directly from the address bar can still add it manually.

Faster release schedule

Firefox 157 is one of the first releases under Mozilla's new two-week release schedule. The company introduced the faster cadence with Firefox 155 earlier this month, saying it wants to deliver completed features and fixes to users more quickly. Firefox had previously followed a four-week release cycle.

Alongside Firefox 157, Mozilla planned updates to its extended support releases, including Firefox 140.17 and Firefox 115.42, which are used mainly by businesses and organizations that prefer less frequent feature changes.

Mixed reactions

The Nova design has drawn mixed reactions during testing. Mozilla first showed mockups of the redesign in March and previewed it in Firefox Nightly builds in July before opening public beta testing on Sept. 14.

Some reviewers have praised its modern look, while others have said the rounded buttons and added spacing take up more screen space. Some longtime users have argued Mozilla should focus less on design and more on technical features. The redesign's rounded shapes and gradients have drawn comparisons to Google's Material You design on Android and Apple's Liquid Glass interface on its devices.

Mozilla has said it worked with the community to gather feedback and made changes before the broader rollout. The company has indicated that the new style is here to stay.

Earlier this year, Mozilla reported page load speed gains of nearly 9% alongside the design goals now reflected in Firefox 157.

How to get it

Firefox users on desktop will receive the update automatically in the coming days. Those who want it sooner can check for updates manually by opening the browser's "About Firefox" window, which will download and install the latest version.

Users who prefer a denser layout can enable Compact mode through the Appearance section of Firefox's settings.

Competing in a crowded market

The redesign comes as Mozilla seeks to keep Firefox competitive in a browser market dominated by Google's Chrome and Apple's Safari, and increasingly crowded with new AI-focused browsers.

Firefox's share of the global browser market has declined over the past decade, and Mozilla has been working to refresh the browser's appeal with new features, design updates and a stronger emphasis on privacy.