Firefox isn’t the most popular browser today — that honor goes to Google Chrome. But Firefox has a devoted set of users who find it to be the better browser. If you’re one of those people, here are some tips to make the most of Firefox.

Customizable Firefox toolbar

Choose which tools you want to see on your Firefox toolbar and maybe even discover new ones you haven’t heard of. Click on the menu button on the top-right corner and then click Customize. Drag and drop desired items onto the toolbar, which is located along the address bar near the top of the browser page.

Secret tweak interface

Catering to more tech-savvy users, Firefox’s secret interface gives you a peek behind the curtain into the world of coding. This helps you make adjustments to improve browser performance.

Primary password setup

If you want greater privacy over your Firefox browser, set up a primary password, pronto. The primary password (formerly called Master Password) acts as a key that unlocks all your passwords and information that could be detrimental if left exposed. To enable this function, click on Menu > Preferences > Privacy & Security, or type about:preferences#privacy directly in the address bar. Then check the box next to “Use a Primary Password” and follow the directions in the pop-up window.

Custom shortcuts

Mozilla has plenty of keyboard shortcuts, but you may prefer using shortkeys you’re already familiar with or ones that you use for other browsers. To create your own shortcuts, click on Menu > Add-ons and install the Shortkeys add-on.

URL autocomplete

Firefox’s URL autocomplete feature lets you type the name of a website without having to type in URL prefixes and suffixes (https://www, .com, etc.) in the address bar. If you’re logging on to Facebook, for example, just type in “facebook” in the address bar, press Ctrl + Enter (Mac: Command + Enter), and you’ll be redirected to Facebook.com.

Hardware acceleration

If your computer’s speed is fine but Firefox is slowing down (especially after comparing it to other browsers’ speed), it could be a problem with Firefox. To fix this problem, turn on hardware acceleration. Go to Menu > Preferences > General, scroll down to Performance, and untick “Use recommended performance settings”. Then, tick “Use hardware acceleration when available” and you’ll observe a noticeable difference in performance.

With every new version of Firefox, its features become smarter and more useful for business users. If you want to discover more ways to work more efficiently with better technologies, chat with our computer experts today.

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Is your Google Chrome browser a little slower lately? While Chrome is widely known as the browser of choice, it does have a habit of consuming a lot of system RAM. Additionally, there are times when it feels slower than before. Fortunately, these problems are simple to fix. Here are some speed hacks that will make Chrome faster.

Clear your browsing data

Chrome stores cached copies of websites you visit so it can load the page faster when you visit them again. It also keeps a database of your browsing history and cookies for the same purpose. As you visit more and more websites, these pieces of data accumulate in Chrome and can slow the browser down.

Thankfully, the solution is easy: clear your cache. Simply access your browsing history by entering chrome://history in your address bar. From the left panel, select Clear browsing data. Choose which data to delete by clicking on the checkboxes of all items you want deleted, like cached images or cookies. You can also select the time range that will be affected by the deletion. You can delete your history for the past hour, the last 24 hours, the last seven days, and from the beginning of time. Once you’ve selected the files you want to delete and their corresponding time range, click Clear data.

Disable extensions

Extensions are downloadable programs from the Chrome Web Store that you can add to your browser to give it more functionality and a personalized touch. For example, you can add an extension that blocks ads, one that shortens URLs, or one that shows your most important tasks of the day. While these extensions are useful, they can slow Chrome down if there are too many installed at once.

Most extensions will show on Chrome’s address bar, and you can quickly uninstall them by right-clicking on their icons and selecting Remove from Chrome. You can also manage all extensions by typing chrome://extensions in your browser and hitting Enter. From there, you’ll find a list of all the extensions you have (even those you don’t remember installing). Simply scroll through the list and click Remove to delete the extensions you don’t need.

Remove ads and malware

Sometimes, Chrome slows down because of malware or adware extensions. Extra toolbars, recurring pop-up ads, and web pages redirecting to other addresses are clear indications of these. Google once had a downloadable app developed for Chrome that scans and removes unwanted programs called the Clean Up Tool. In 2018, Google discontinued that app and made malware scanning even easier. Just type chrome://settings/cleanup in your browser, and click on Find to detect and remove harmful software on your computer.

A top-performing web browser benefits your business in many ways, including enhancing your employees’ productivity and speeding up communication. If your web browser is performing poorly or takes forever to load a page, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us so we can identify and fix the problem right away.

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As one of the fastest browsers in the market, Google Chrome is the perfect match for quick-paced internet users of the 21st century. But like any technology that stores information, Chrome’s performance can slow down and frustrate its users. It can also affect their productivity and lower their motivation. If you’re using Chrome and finding it sluggish, don’t fret. Simply follow these troubleshooting methods to improve your browser’s speed again.

Clear your browsing data

Chrome stores a cached copy of a website you visit, so it can load the page faster when you visit it again. It also keeps a database of your browsing history and cookies for the same purpose. As you visit more and more websites, these pieces of data accumulate in Chrome and can slow the browser down.

Thankfully, the solution to this is easy: clear your cache. To do this, simply access your browsing history by entering chrome://history on your address bar. From the left panel, select Clear browsing data. Choose which data will be deleted by clicking on the checkboxes of all items you want to delete, like cached images or cookies. You can also select the time range that will be affected by the deletion. You can delete your history for the past hour, the last 24 hours, the last 7 days, the last 4 weeks, or from the beginning of time. Once you’ve selected the files you want to delete and their corresponding time range, click Clear data.

Disable extensions

Extensions are downloadable programs from the Chrome Web Store that you can add to your browser to give it more functionality and a personalized touch. For example, you can add an extension that blocks ads, one that shortens URLs, or one that shows you your most important tasks of the day. While these extensions are useful, they can slow Chrome down when there are too many installed at once.

Most extensions will show on Chrome’s address bar, and you can quickly uninstall them by right-clicking on their icons and selecting Remove from Chrome. You can also manage all extensions by typing chrome://extensions on your browser and hitting Enter. From there, you’ll find a list of all the extensions you have (even those you don’t remember installing). Simply scroll through the list and click Remove to delete the extensions you don’t need.

Remove ads and malware

Sometimes, Chrome slows down because of malware or adware extensions. Extra toolbars, recurring pop-up ads, and web pages redirecting to other addresses are clear indications of these. Google once had a downloadable app developed for Chrome that scans and removes unwanted programs called the Clean Up Tool. In 2018, Google discontinued that app and made malware scanning even easier. Just go to chrome://settings/cleanup on your browser, and click on Find to find and remove harmful software on your computer.

A top-performing web browser benefits your business in many ways, including upping employees’ productivity and speeding up communication processes. It’s therefore critical that yours is fast and reliable. If your web browser is performing poorly or takes forever to load a page, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us so we can identify and fix the problem right away.

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