How to Switch From Chrome to Firefox (and Why You Should Do It)
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Google makes phones and watches , but its main business is selling advertising. This side of the company has been in the news for all the wrong reasons lately. From scammers hijacking sponsored links to Google itself sending targeted ads to minors , it’s easy to see the consequences of prioritizing ad revenue over user experience. Google Chrome will soon block ad blockers and disable some of your favorite browser extensions. While this is good for Google’s bottom line, it’s probably not the experience you’re looking for from your browser. The good news is that there are alternatives: my favorite is Firefox.
Why you should switch to Firefox
First, you should know that some of the most popular Chrome alternatives are still based on Chromium, the open-source web browser engine developed by Google. If major changes are announced for Google Chrome, you can be sure that they will also affect popular Chromium-based browsers such as Brave, Opera and Microsoft Edge.
Firefox does not use Chromium, but instead has its own browser engine called Gecko. This means that while Chrome will soon combat ad blockers and other extensions, Firefox will not. Firefox is also owned by Mozilla Corporation, which is a subsidiary of the non-profit Mozilla Foundation . Its main incentive is not to sell ads, which is why Firefox has a lot of useful privacy protections built into it. My colleague Justin Poth interviewed privacy expert Princeton professor Janet Vertesi , and she recommends switching to Firefox as one of the best ways to reduce your dependence on Google.
The case against Firefox
Even though Firefox is the best Chrome alternative for most people, it still has its problems. The biggest one is that Google is its main source of funding. Google pays Firefox a large sum to remain the default search engine in its browser. Firefox’s future would look very different if Google stopped funding it, which could soon happen pending a recent court decision to declare Google a monopoly . But for now these are just speculations.
Firefox has also made some strange decisions lately, such as enabling a privacy feature that actually sends aggregated data to advertisers . Its default settings also collect a bit of data, but you can easily turn them off if you change a few Firefox settings .
There are also potential compatibility issues. It may be tempting to put all your eggs in the Firefox basket, but it’s probably best to leave a Chromium-based browser installed in case some websites don’t work properly in Firefox.
How to switch from Chrome to Firefox
Switching from Chrome to Firefox is actually quite easy. Just remember that you shouldn’t uninstall Chrome until the transition is complete: just close the app (or close it if you’re using a Mac). When you’re ready to move, install Firefox on your computer and open the browser. You will see the import tool. If you don’t see it, click the three-line button in the top right corner, go to Settings > General, and select Import Data . Select your current browser from the drop-down menu and click the + button next to it. This will show you all the data that can be imported. If everything went well, you should see your browsing history, extensions, bookmarks, and other data in this list. When everything is ready, click Import .
Once the process is complete, click “Done” and you’re done. You can download some of the best Firefox extensions for free, learn useful browser keyboard shortcuts , and change your default browser to Firefox.
There’s only one thing left: Firefox Sync, which can sync Firefox settings, browsing data, open tabs, extensions, and bookmarks across devices. Open the three-line menu in the top right corner of the Firefox window and select Settings > Sync . On this page, set up your Firefox Sync account. The next time you install Firefox on another device, you can sign in to your account to quickly restore all your Firefox data.
An even more private alternative to Firefox
There are several more proprietary, although often less user-friendly, alternatives to Firefox. The best for most people is Mullvad Browser . Mullvad browser, created in collaboration with The Tor Project , does not collect data and has powerful anti-fingerprinting features. Mullvad is known for offering one of the best privacy-focused VPN services —you can pay for it in cash, and you don’t even need an email address to create an account. The company has collaborated with the right people to create this browser, which comes pre-installed with the uBlock Origin ad blocker and the NoScript script blocker. Its default search engine is also privacy-friendly DuckDuckGo .
While there are other great privacy-focused browsers , Mullvad is my current favorite.