How to Put Tabs Back on Bottom in Mozilla Firefox?

All new Mozilla Firefox versions come with tabs in titlebar to save space but there used to be an option “Tabs on Top” in toolbar context menu which allowed you to toggle between tabs on top and tabs on bottom. So you could have the tabs below the toolbar using that option.

Unfortunately Mozilla has completely removed that option in the latest Firefox 15.0 version. We told you about this move in our Nightly update article.

Put_Mozilla_Firefox_4_Tabs_on_Botto.png

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If you have upgraded to the new version of Firefox but want to have the tabs on bottom, following tutorial will help you.

You can get the tabs back on bottom with the help of a secret preference present in about:config page:

1. Open Firefox and type about:config in the addressbar and press Enter. It’ll confirm, click on I’ll be careful, I promise! button.

2. Now type ontop in the Filter box and look for following boolean key:

browser.tabs.onTop

3. The entry “browser.tabs.onTop” would be set to true. Double-click on it or right-click on it and select “Toggle“. It’ll set its value to false.

Mozilla_Firefox_4_Tabs_on_Bottom.png

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4. That’s it. It’ll immediately put tabs on bottom. Enjoy.

Also Check:

How to Enable Titlebar Text and Icon and Put Tabs on Bottom in Mozilla Firefox?

[Tip] Get Classic Theme and Features Back in Mozilla Firefox, Get Rid of New Australis UI

Published in: Mozilla Firefox, Troubleshooting Guides

About the author: Vishal Gupta (also known as VG) has been awarded with Microsoft MVP (Most Valuable Professional) award. He holds Masters degree in Computer Applications (MCA). He has written several tech articles for popular newspapers and magazines and has also appeared in tech shows on various TV channels.

Comments

NOTE: Older comments have been removed to reduce database overhead.

  1. There has to be some j-rk in the Mozilla developers department. They must find that mole and get rid of him/her, and make that mole unable to work in any software dev anywhere again. If any, this mole keeps firefox dev’s working in fear of google-chrome and What more.
    Otherwise eyes-wide-shut, it is obvious. Because…
    –>Mozilla has always worked as no-one (IE, Opera, Safari, etc) was in the race, therefore never wasting time looking behind and keeping them far ahead of the pack. (anyway…. stats that IE is leading are misleading as IE is force-fed to the populasses into their OS ……. DUH 🙂 (it is as saying, or same as if, M$ would pride themselves in selling more anti-virus than Linux does …. duh again 😉 (and even created more jobs because of this M$ “weakness to mal-ware” … duh again for a completed hat-turn now)

    Moz’s has been doing lots of left/right useless turns in these past couple of yrs.
    Firefox is still used because of its users and all the hacks they can do. Not because of the dev, and it is sade. Other browsers are built to display everything on a web page except the info everyone is looking for. This is a waste of work-time in any office that needs the net to work and research.

    I update firefox only twice a year. I keep a close eye on my user’s folders so any update won’t corrupt them. Otherwise, I waste my spare time searching and working for firefox to work as it use to, instead of using my time for browsing.

    This hack-search tonight was the result of not using such back-up on a new linux install. I usually browse with firefox with everything it had, cookies, fav, history, pass-words, addons, user-chrome, even the last tab open, it had on a deleted linux distro with any new distro I install (trying to stay away too from any ubufox or susifox or any linux preloaded or OS install option addon for firefox. In my book, Firefox addon has to be install with firefox, even when I have to wild-card the “install.rdf” 😉
    But my “about:config” has too many useless hacks made into. It is hard now to reset any without knowing if it is still useful.

    I’m really glad to find some other “about:config” that are useful, but sadely removed by mozilla.

    Good thing I can always find everything I look for, and more, right here 🙂

    As always, Great work AskVG 🙂
    Peace
    Ghis1964

  2. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I just reformatted my computer and had no idea how to get my “old” Firefox back. Not a fan of the tabs on top! You saved me a lot of frustration.

  3. Hi,
    using 29.0 now. The browser.tabs.onTop is on false, but it still sits there on top, and is driving me NUTS.
    I don’t want to use an add-on for a fix.
    please help…

  4. Version 29 browser.tabs.onTop … false -> DOESN’T WORK!! 2 May 2014

  5. I find the same thing:
    Version 29 browser.tabs.onTop … false -> DOESN’T WORK!! 2 May 2014

    I think it sad that the developers for Mozilla think they have to copy the stupidity of the Jerks at Microsoft and put tabs on top. Until now I have enjoyed using Firefox, but no longer. Sadly there is not another browser which has the features Firefox has in the past had. Another change they made was removing the option to display text for each menu button.

    I’m very frustrated

  6. Same here. 29.0 will not allow to change tabs on bottom when put browser.tabs.onTop on false.
    Only possibility is to Open Menu, click on Adds On, and with Classic Theme Restorer add it will work which will put browser with old set up. Sad that while trying to evolve, they do not want to give us the option to put tabs wherever we wish it to be.

  7. Just agreeing that browser.tabs.onTop set to false does not work in 29.0

    Firefox developers… are you listening?????

    It doesn’t seem right that we have to install classic theme restorer to be able to move the tabs.

    Come on Mozilla…. fix this!

  8. Firefox 29 has made it impossible to move the tabs “BACK WHERE THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO BE!”
    Please fix this MAJOR BUG!

    Thank You

  9. Just did a system restore. I’ll stick with the old version for now. If they don’t revise the new version, I’ll go with something else.

  10. Way to go. Lets make it like Chrome. I hate the new layout. I can’t see the separation between tabs. I loathe the address bar below the tabs. I keep hitting the tab scroll arrow instead of the back button.

    Ever since FF has gone onto this release schedule of almost one every couple of months, it’s got steadily worse. I hate Chrome and I hate IE so I’m slowly running out of options. I’ve been using Firefox since v1.

    Now it’s going down route of “If it ain’t broke, fix it anyway and give the users rubbish they don’t need but take aay useful stuff” I am seriously looking at alternatives.

  11. I too am offended and disillusioned that Firefox has changed for the worse, I was automatically “updated” to V29.0.1 this week (May 9, 2014) and the only good thing I can say is I still have all my bookmarks. I too loathe new paper look tabs on top only and my font sizes have been changed. Can’t fix it in about:config (my old setting is still there) I’m not into add-ons and hacks and I feel I’ve been screwed over and now must seek a new browser. (As mentioned by others I too dislike IE and Chrome). I don’t see that it is smart to have to use an add-on just to restore tabs on bottom and font sizes. Many of us older folks (60+yo) feel we are being continually forced to dance to someone’s idea of an upgrade when all we want is a reliable product that doesn’t force us to change work habits and relearn “new” software at someone’s whim. After being a longtime loyal FF user, I will be moving on.

  12. Firefox is losing a lot of its remaining users of the changes brought in with v29 (specifically the arrogant “let us decide where your tabs go” design fail).

    1) Tabs BELONG at the bottom. When browsing the internet, the least amount of effort should be required to switch between open tabs. The most frequently accessed part of the top of the FF UI is the tabs themselves. Logically, they should be the lowest item, so you can almost read them with your peripheral vision

    2) FF is supposed to be customizable. Brutal UI changes like this make it less customizable, more like its competitors and less worth people going out of their way to install

    3) Forcing drastic and unhelpful changes like this completely violates the principle of least user surprise

    4) Isn’t the entire POINT of “about:config” to let people who know what they are doing to make any reasonable changes they want? Why force a screwed up design philosophy on people who use this for actual work? Developers always manage to get themselves so out of touch with users’ realities.

    5) I have used Firefox for nearly 10 years but am now looking at moving to Chrome – what’s the difference now anyway?

  13. FF developers, ask yourself this:

    “Out of the following elements, which do users interact with most frequently during long browsing sessions?”

    – bookmarks toolbar
    – address bar
    – browser tabs
    – menu bar

    The answer is always going to be “browser tabs”.

    So you’re forcing us to put the part of the UI we use *most frequently* furthest away?

    FAIL.

    Let’s all ditch Firefox so they get the message. Then maybe we can come back in a year or two after they’ve restored user choice for key issues like this.

    Why are we having to beg for this to be an option when it should be the FREAKING DEFAULT?

    Idiots!

  14. The lack of ability to reconfigure tabs on version 29 is a major headache Mr. Mozilla. You removed the option from the menu years ago and that was a major disappointment to begin with. Now you make the about:config file method impotent as well as frustrate the hell out of your user. I am going back to 28 and avoiding your ‘updates’ like the plaque until you show greater respect for for your user’s preferences.

    Knock it off folks, you are not making it better.
    Clifford E Carnicom

  15. Where can I download version 28 please

    I need to go back to being able to work properly.

    Firefox developers, DOLTS !!!

  16. 28?? Man, I would KILL to go back 3.4.6!!! These guys have done nothing but F up everything ever since!

  17. If you hate the new “Firefox 29 Vista” as much as I do, you can download version 28 at MajorGeeks website and update to the older version until the developers get the message that most people don’t like the new UI that they have shoved down out throats, and maybe give us back the power to change the interface the way we like it.

  18. Since I updated to Firefox 28, now the “Find” bar stays open on the page you used it on!
    That is a feature I thought was gone forever but it magically returned!
    Life is better now.

  19. I just updated my firefox to latest version and did the change of the about:config but nothing changes. tabs still on top. using windows xp

  20. want your older version of firefox back?

    here’s every version of firefox, archived by mozilla:

    [ftp.mozilla.org/pub/mozilla.org/firefox/releases/]

    find FF28 (or 24 ESR), or whatever version you like; download, install, then check off “never check for updates” in preferences.

    i’m personally using FF24 ESR… old UI, still receives security updates until it, too, will devolve into australis around FF 31 or 32. after that, i’m sticking with it, and FF28.

  21. Thanks for tip about Bluemoon browser.
    You can even migrate your Firefox profile into it and you won’t ever know you have changed browsers!
    Cool

  22. “3. The entry “browser.tabs.onTop” would be set to true. Double-click on it or right-click on it and select “Toggle”. It’ll set its value to false.

    4. That’s it. It’ll immediately put tabs on bottom. Enjoy.”

    Tabs stay on top whether it is set to true or false.

  23. I AM STILL USING VERSION 28 DUE TO UNDENIABLE AVERSION TO HAVING TABS ON TOP.
    HAS THIS PROBLEM BEEN FIXED IN VERSION 39? I REALLY SHOULD UPDATE BUT REFUSE TO DO SO UNTIL I AM ASSURED OF HAVING TABS ON THE BOTTOM. THANKS… BRUCE.

  24. Use the add on ‘tabs on bottom’ it will move your tabs to bottom. It’s very simple. Very simple to remove if you don’t like how it works.

    Note that if you use colorful tabs, it appears to introduce a colored line the same color of your tab above your menu. If you don’t use the ‘colorful tabs’ add on, you don’t have to worry about that.

    find it here: addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/tabs-on-bottom/
    if the url doesn’t show up go to addons (dot) mozilla (dot) org then search for tabs on bottom

  25. … and here we are, Firefox 68.0 and still we don’t have regular options for tabs on the bottom.

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