Firefox 83 for Mac Brings HTTPS-Only Mode, Pinch to Zoom, and Performance Improvements

Mozilla has released Firefox 83 on Mac, bringing new features and improvements, including a new HTTPS-Only Mode, pinch to zoom, and more.

firefox 83
HTTPS-Only Mode is Mozilla's latest security feature that ensures users establish fully secure connections to every website they visit. If a website doesn't support the HTTPS encrypted protocol, Firefox asks for user permission before connecting.

Enabling HTTPS-Only Mode is done through the Preferences menu (the three lines icon in the top-right corner of the browser). Select Privacy & Security and scroll down to the section HTTPS-Only Mode. Then choose Enable HTTPS-Only Mode in all windows.

A new pinch zooming feature also comes to Firefox on Mac. Users can now pinch to zoom using a trackpad to zoom in and out of webpages.

Elsewhere, Picture-in-Picture now supports keyboard shortcuts for fast forwarding and rewinding videos. The arrow keys can now be used to move forward and back 15 seconds, along with volume controls. For a list of supported commands see Support Mozilla.

Mozilla has also improved functionality and design for a number of Firefox search features, and improved page load performance by up to 15%, page responsiveness by up to 12%, and reduced memory usage by up to 8%.

Part of the JavaScript engine that helps to compile and display websites has also been replaced, improving security and maintainability of the engine at the same time.

Firefox 83 is available to download from the Mozilla website and works on Apple Silicon CPUs via emulation under Apple's Rosetta 2 that ships with macOS Big Sur. Mozilla says it is working toward Firefox being natively-compiled for these CPUs in a future release.

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Lower Logo Feature 1

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 14 New Features

Monday June 30, 2025 1:08 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are less than three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Apple is expected to launch the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max in September this year. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an...
A18 Pro Chip

New MacBook With A18 Pro Chip Spotted in Apple Code

Monday June 30, 2025 8:05 am PDT by
Apple is developing a MacBook with the A18 Pro chip, according to findings in backend code uncovered by MacRumors. Earlier today, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that Apple is planning to launch a low-cost MacBook powered by an iPhone chip. The machine is expected to feature a 13-inch display, the A18 Pro chip, and color options that include silver, blue, pink, and yellow. MacRumors...
iPhone Car Key WWDC 2025

Apple Announces 13 Automakers Planning to Offer iPhone Car Keys

Friday June 27, 2025 11:42 am PDT by
In 2020, Apple added a digital car key feature to its Wallet app, allowing users to lock, unlock, and start a compatible vehicle with an iPhone or Apple Watch. The feature is currently offered by select automakers, including Audi, BMW, Hyundai, Kia, Genesis, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, and a handful of others, and it is set to expand further. During its WWDC 2025 keynote, Apple said that 13...
maxresdefault

Five Features Coming to AirPods Pro 3

Friday June 27, 2025 10:52 am PDT by
Apple hasn't updated the AirPods Pro since 2022, and the earbuds are due for a refresh. We're counting on a new model this year, and we've seen several hints of new AirPods tucked away in Apple's code. Rumors suggest that Apple has some exciting new features planned that will make it worthwhile to upgrade to the latest model. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Heal...
macbook air spacegray purple

Apple Planning to Launch Low-Cost MacBook Powered By iPhone Chip

Monday June 30, 2025 3:20 am PDT by
Apple is planning to launch a low-cost MacBook powered by an iPhone chip, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. In an article published on X, Kuo explained that the device will feature a 13-inch display and the A18 Pro chip, making it the first Mac powered by an iPhone chip. The A18 Pro chip debuted in the iPhone 16 Pro last year. To date, all Apple silicon Macs have contained M-series...
anker power bank recall

PSA: Anker Recalls Multiple Power Banks Due to Fire Risk

Friday June 27, 2025 4:16 pm PDT by
Popular accessory maker Anker this month launched two separate recalls for its power banks, some of which may be a fire risk. The first recall affects Anker PowerCore 10000 Power Banks sold between June 1, 2016 and December 31, 2022 in the United States. Anker says that these power banks have a "potential issue" with the battery inside, which can lead to overheating, melting of plastic...
Chase Sapphire Reserve Apple Perk Feature

Chase Sapphire Reserve Card Introduces New Perk for Apple Customers

Wednesday June 25, 2025 2:08 pm PDT by
Chase this week announced a series of new perks for its premium Sapphire Reserve credit card, and one of them is for a pair of Apple services. Specifically, the credit card now offers complimentary annual subscriptions to Apple TV+ and Apple Music, a value of up to $250 per year. If you are already paying for Apple TV+ and/or Apple Music directly through Apple, those subscriptions will...
replay all time playlist apple music

Apple Music Debuts All-New Personalized Playlist

Monday June 30, 2025 7:16 am PDT by
As part of its 10-year celebrations of Apple Music, Apple today released an all-new personalized playlist that collates your entire listening history. The playlist, called "Replay All Time," expands on Apple Music's existing Replay features. Previously, users could only see their top songs for each individual calendar year that they've been subscribed to Apple Music, but now, Replay All...

Top Rated Comments

timidpimpin Avatar
60 months ago

But on a touchscreen-less Mac? What's the point?
Track pad gestures.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mike... Avatar
60 months ago

But on a touchscreen-less Mac? What's the point?
If you use a MacBook or have a Magic Trackpad pinch-to-zoom is nice and natural. You don't need a touchscreen.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Risco Avatar
60 months ago
I was a beta tester for Firefox from 0.6, but once I moved to Mac in about 2013 I realised they only cared about Windows ago and stopped using. Having pinch and zoom might just bring me back!

EDIT> Pinch and zoom still rubbish!
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Konigi Avatar
60 months ago
They didn't update the icon yet. What a disappointment!

For the rest, indeed nice features. Firefox remains the most stable, secure, and fast browser, in my experience. Extremely satisfied.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ArtOfWarfare Avatar
60 months ago

Good to know that Firefox is still alive. I've been using Chrome for like ages.
In my experience, Chrome is crap. I never used it much on Mac (Safari is generally better), and on Windows I use Firefox.

Chrome wastes a lot of time sending god knows what to Google's servers. Besides the security implications, it just slows the entire browser down as it won't display a page until it hits fonts.google.com or whatever other stupid Google service it wants to hit for no reason.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
velocityg4 Avatar
60 months ago
I'm not really sure what took so long. I didn't even realize you couldn't do pinch to zoom before. Although you could apparently enable it in about:config. Just goes to show how often I zoom in or out on web pages.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)