Mozilla Firefox version 106 has been released, offering much more features for the web browser’s built-in PDF viewer.
In blog post (opens in a new tab) On the Mozilla website, the developers of Firefox announced key features for each PDF viewer, such as text annotations, drawings and captions, which can now be added to PDF files displayed directly in the browser.
It has been claimed that the new features will increase the usability of PDF files in the browser and reduce paper waste. The changes were formulated as a solution to the problems of “PDF forms that you receive from your doctor or other service provider that must be printed and returned”.
Firefox 106 updates
PDFs have long served their job of protecting the data they contain from unwanted changes, which is great if you want to create a file for viewing only, but not so good if you want to lock formatting on all devices while keeping editing access.
Setting Firefox as your default browser on Windows computers will make Firefox your default application for opening PDF files as well.
Firefox’s in-house Javascript-based PDF tool was a bit late for the party in 2021 when it opened up native form fillers in version 93, but the latest feature additions for PDFs bring Firefox one step closer to becoming a trustworthy Adobe Acrobat alternative.
Other improvements to the latest version of the web browser include a new private browsing mode shortcut button that can be pinned to the desktop, and updated colored backgrounds that Mozilla calls Firefox Colorways. According Firefox 106 release notes (opens in a new tab)these new designs will be available until January 16th.
Firefox will now display the 25 most recently closed tabs when you open a new window, along with the last three active tabs from other devices, to help you get back to where you left off on another screen, similar to Apple’s implementation of Handoff.
And those looking for a different anonymous browser to beat Firefox may want to reconsider as a brand new shortcut makes it easier to launch a private browsing session.