Mozilla Firefox browser adds Windows Hello authentication support

3 min. read

Published on March 20, 2019

published on March 20, 2019

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The Mozilla Firefox internet browser updated to Version 66.0 and, with this update, added support for Microsoft’s Windows Hello authentication. This means that after installing the latest update, Firefox users on a compatible Windows 10 device will be able to use their face, fingerprint, and external security keys for authentication on supported websites.

Other noteworthy changes made with the update to Version 66.0 include a new setting that disables autoplay sound on websites, improvements to search, better scrolling on web pages, redesigned certificate error pages, and general performance improvements.

Here’s the full release notes:

New

Firefox now prevents websites from automatically playing sound. You can add individual sites to an exceptions list or turn blocking off. To learn more about block autoplay, which will be rolled out gradually to all users, visit the Mozilla blog.

Improved search experience:

Find a specific webpage faster when you have a lot of tabs open: You can now search within all of your open tabs from the tab overflow menu

Easier search via a redesigned new tab in Private Windows

Smoother scrolling: Scroll anchoring keeps content from jumping as images and ads load at the top of the page

Improved performance and better user experience for extensions:

Extensions now store their settings in a Firefox database, rather than individual JSON files, making every site you visit faster

A redesigned keyboard shortcuts section in about:addons makes it easier to view and adjust default shortcuts

Redesigned certificate error pages help you better understand and resolve issues, including identification of certificate issuers for anti-virus software

Added basic support for macOS Touch Bar

Experimenting with an improved Pocket experience in New Tab with different layouts and more topical content

Improved performance and reduced crash rates by doubling web content loading processes from 4 to 8

Easier, passwordless security: Added support for Windows Hello on Windows 10, allowing you to use your face, fingerprint, or external security keys for website authentication

Fixed

The Dark and Light Firefox themes now override the system setting for title bar accent color on Windows 10

Linux users: Resolved an issue that caused Firefox to freeze when downloading files

Various security fixes

Changed

System title bar is hidden by default to match Gnome guideline for Linux users

Developer

DevTools Inspector is now fully usable when the Debugger is paused

Lowered priority of setTimeout and setInterval during page load to improve overall page load performance

Fixed: <button> element is no longer special cased in event dispatch, per latest specifications

Do you use Firefox on your Windows 10 device and will you take advantage of Windows Hello? Share your thoughts with the community in the comments below and then follow us on Pinterest for more Windows content.

Radu Tyrsina

Radu Tyrsina has been a Windows fan ever since he got his first PC, a Pentium III (a monster at that time). For most of the kids of his age, the Internet was an amazing way to play and communicate with others, but he was deeply impressed by the flow of information and how easily you can find anything on the web. Prior to founding Windows Report, this particular curiosity about digital content enabled him to grow a number of sites that helped hundreds of millions reach faster the answer they're looking for.