Set Old Preferences Interface as Default in Firefox

Starting with the version 38 of Firefox web browser, now the new preferences interface has become the default. So when you open the options in the new version of Firefox (by clicking on the hamburger options icon and then the options) the new preferences interface is opened in a new tab. You can also access this new preferences interface by type about:preferences in any tab. But if you do not like this new interface and want to use the old preferences window to change Firefox’s settings, then you can easily revert back to the older interface. Here is how:

  1. Open Firefox browser (install the latest version, if you have not already done so). Type about:config in the address bar and press Enter.
  2. This will open the configurations interface in which you can search for browser.preferences to narrow down the search to settings we want.
  3. Find the setting browser.preferences.inContent and double-click on it to switch its value from true to false.Firefox Old Options Interface
  4. That’s it. Now you can try opening the Firefox options once again. This time, it will open in its separate window just like in the older versions.

Conclusion: You can enable the older interface of Firefox options that opens in a separate window instead of the newer preferences that open in a new tab. Both ways of changing the Firefox settings work exactly the same and you can use any of them depending on your comfort levels.