Extensions in web browsers enhance the functionality of the browser, and all major browsers now support the addition of additional features not built into the browser via extensions. Until now, the Firefox browser usually displayed extensions in an overflow menu icon on the toolbar, and now Mozilla is now going to replace it with a new unified extensions panel.
Firefox will get a unified extension menu on the toolbar, where all extensions will appear when you click the puzzle button.
Each extension with a gear icon will show a context menu with options to manage, report and delete the extension.
The unified extensions context menu contains the “Manage Extensions” option, which provides access to the Add-ons Manager.
A few years ago, Mozilla revamped the Firefox Add-ons Manager. It includes the ability to report abuse of extensions and themes. The extensions menu that appears when you click the overflow icon on the toolbar also includes the ability to remove extensions from its context menu.
When you install extensions in the Firefox browser, they appear on the toolbar by default. To save space, you can pin each extension to the toolbar or remove it from the toolbar. They are also accessible from the overflow menu when you pin them.
But as part of the Manifest version 3 effort, Mozilla is preparing to replace the overflow menu with a unified extensions panel. The new extensions UI is similar to Chrome and the new Microsoft Edge with extensions menu toolbar buttons and other Chromium browsers.
Both the current and upcoming extension menu buttons serve the same purpose: to save space on the toolbar by placing them in an icon drop-down menu where they are just one click away.
A unified extensions menu icon looks much better than an overflow menu and is equally effective with Chrome and Edge browsers.
The new extensions toolbar menu button is being tested in Firefox 105 (pre-release version). Here’s how you can enable and test it in Firefox now
Search for unified and under the displayed results, switch the “extensions. unified extension. enabled” preset to “true” to enable it.
Restart Firefox.
When you click on the puzzle piece icon, the context menu will appear, which provides options to manage, report and remove extensions. So far, the browser does not offer the option to remove and un-delete extensions from the toolbar. These may appear at a later date.
Mozilla is looking to drop the overflow menu for extensions in favor of a unified extension menu on the toolbar. This feature is part of the Manifest 3 release. The new extensions panel is being tested in Firefox 105.
