Change Waterfox options, preferences and settings

Waterfox Settings let you customize how the browser works, from restoring sessions and blocking ads to managing privacy and updates. This article explains each settings page and links to the articles that cover them in detail.

Open Waterfox Settings

Click the menu button, then select Settings. On macOS you can also open the Waterfox menu in the menu bar and select Settings.
The settings page opens. Choose a page from the list on the left.

You can also type about:preferences in the address bar.

Changes are saved automatically. Use Find in Settings at the top of the page to jump straight to a control.

Overview of Waterfox Settings

General

Startup behavior, the default browser check, and language and appearance basics.

Restore your previous windows and tabs at startup.
Choose how Waterfox handles different file types.
Restart Waterfox from the menu, optionally clearing the cache.

Account and sync

Sync bookmarks, passwords, history, tabs and preferences.
Import data from another browser.

Sync is off until you sign in. See the Privacy Policy for what a sync provider receives.

Home and startup

Control what you see on the homepage, in new windows and on new tabs.

Set your homepage to the default page, a blank page or a custom URL.
Set a custom New Tab URL.

Search

Your default search engine and how the address bar behaves.

Choose your default search engine from the built-in list.
Turn search suggestions on or off.
Customize Waterfox Suggest settings.
Use quick actions in the address bar.

Privacy and security

The largest page, covering tracking protection, cookies, history and connection security.

Enhanced Tracking Protection and tracking protection exceptions.
Global Privacy Control, which tells sites not to sell or share your data.
DNS over HTTPS and Ultra Protection, Waterfox’s DNS over Oblivious HTTP setup.
HTTPS-Only Mode and connection upgrades.
Proxy and connection settings.
Website certificates and third-party certificate trust.
Resist Fingerprinting.

Ad Blocking

Waterfox has a content blocker built in, with its own settings page.

Waterfox ad blocking: the master switch, filter lists, custom filters and exceptions.

Passwords and autofill

Save and manage usernames and passwords.
Have Waterfox suggest strong passwords.
Use a Primary Password to protect stored logins.
Alerts for breached websites.
Fill in payment methods automatically.
Fill in addresses on web forms automatically.

Appearance

Browser styles and colors: choose Nova, Proton or Photon, and pick from twelve palettes.
The status bar.
Change website appearance, fonts and colors.

Downloads

Choose where files are saved and whether Waterfox asks each time.

Tabs and browsing

Tab and toolbar layout, including vertical tabs.
Tree tabs and automatic tab grouping.
The tab menu and display controls.
Container tabs and private tabs.
Picture-in-Picture and DRM-controlled content.
Performance settings.
Recommendations as you browse.

Accessibility

Zoom, fonts, website contrast and keyboard navigation.

Control audio and video playback with your keyboard.

Languages

Choose the interface language and your preferred language for web pages.
Website translation, which runs locally on your machine.
Use the Waterfox spell checker.

Permissions and data

Website permissions for location, camera, microphone and notifications.

Waterfox ships with telemetry disabled and locked, so there is no data collection to opt in or out of here. See the Privacy Policy for the full list of connections Waterfox makes.

About Waterfox

Your version number, update history and update settings.

What is not in Waterfox Settings

Some panels present in Firefox are absent because the underlying feature is not shipped:

Safe Browsing. Waterfox does not check the sites you visit or the files you download against Google’s Safe Browsing service.
Data collection and studies. Telemetry, Normandy and Nimbus are off and locked at build time.
AI Controls. General-purpose AI and chatbot surfaces are not shipped. See the LLM Usage Memorandum.
Mozilla product promotions. There is no “More from Mozilla” section, VPN or Relay integration.

Common questions

How do I restore a previous session or reopen closed tabs?

Open Settings, select General, and under Startup check Open previous windows and tabs. Waterfox restores your previous session by default.

To reopen a tab you just closed, press Ctrl + Shift + T, or Command + Shift + T on macOS.

How can I block or reduce ads?

Waterfox blocks ads and trackers out of the box. Open Settings, select Ad Blocking, and adjust the filter lists or add exceptions. See Waterfox ad blocking.

Where have my old Look and Feel options gone?

Several fine-grained appearance toggles moved out of Settings. Seven remain for the Photon style. The rest are still available through about:config.

Adapted for Waterfox from the original Firefox article Change Firefox options, preferences and settings. Original content by Mozilla Contributors. Licensed under the CC BY-SA 3.0.