Release Notes

Stay up to date with the latest changes to Zen Browser! Since the first release till 1.7.2b, we've been working hard to make Zen Browser the best it can be. Thanks everyone for your feedback! ❤️

Release notes for 1.7.2b 🎉

January 21, 2025

If you encounter any issues, please report them on the issues page.

Another stability update, where we've fixed a few more bugs and improved the overall feel of the app.

This is a small update, released primarily to keep Firefox up to date while we work on the next big update.

Fixes
  • Fixed firefox sidebar spacings
  • Fixed compact mode rounded corners
  • Fixed native fonts for windows and linux
  • Fixed sidebar hiding icons when they could easily fit
  • Fixed native rounded corners for each OS
  • Fixed an error when opening zen when having compact mode enabled
  • Fixed glance messing up with tabs after being closed
  • Fixed workspaces not initializing when the button is missing from the toolbar
Features
  • Update Firefox version to 134.0.2
  • Improved glance animations
  • Glance now opens automatically on essential tabs instead of a new tab
  • Add dark mode support for dialog box
  • Essentials/Urlbar background is now calculated based on the window color, making it look more blended
  • Adjusted overall spacings and rounded corners around the browser for a better feel

Release notes for 1.7.1b 🎉

January 19, 2025

If you encounter any issues, please report them on the issues page.

We are back again with yet another stability update!

The focus on this update was to finally fix main issues people have with essentias/pinned tabs and make the overall experience/UI much better.

We've improved the overall UI and feel of the browser, added new optimized and *bouncy* animations, added some quality of life improvements and overall just having a great time!

One thing to expect on future releases is the implementation of a new settings window, where all zen specific features can be easilly customized and toggled.

Fixes
  • Fixed essentials and pinned tabs not being correctly restored when using multiple windows
  • Fixed bookmarks failing to correctly initialize when using multiple windows
  • Fixed 1password always prompting for password with the message 'It looks like Firefox has been updated'
  • Fixed macos users having all toolbar buttons on the right side
  • Fixed having one extra pixel on the web views, leading to weird UI
  • Refactored overall UI and spacings
  • Fixed unloading tabs still taking up memory
  • Fixed essentials being deleted when closing the last window
  • Fixed split views leading to weird margins
  • Fixed the sidebar thinking the mouse is over them when it's not
  • Workspaces no longer run into problems caused by timing issues. This means a big improvement in reliability, especially when using multiple windows or processes at the same time
  • Fixed unloading tabs while having the devtools open
  • Fixed essentials trying to duplicate them before all windows have been restored
  • Fixed weird margins when using the web panels
  • Fixed animations when trying to switch workspaces but no other workspace exists
  • Fixed dialogs having bad contrast on some themes
  • Fixed the sidebar thinking it's being hovered when opening the URL bar
Features
  • Made compact mode individual for each window
  • New shadows, colors, fonts, spacing and animations!
  • Pinned tabs wont have a scrollbar (or max height) anymore unless it covers 90% of the screen
  • Compact mode delay before closing has been reduced
  • New compact mode animations and feel
  • Made the sidebar icons overflow! Meaning the size wont matter anymore on the number of top icons
  • Tweaked values for windows to provide a more native feel
Breaking Changes
  • Changed default setting for 'Essentials favicon in background' to false, These settings will be better handled once we have a customized settings page (toggle zen.theme.essentials-favicon-bg in about:config to change it back)
  • Changed the about:config 'close window with last tab' default value to false

Release notes for 1.7b 🎉

January 14, 2025

If you encounter any issues, please report them on the issues page.

This is a small update, but it brings some nice improvements to the workspace and the overall experience.

IMPORTANT FOR FLATPAK USERS: The app id has changed, please see this post for instructions on how to migrate

Fixes
  • Fixed wrong spacing when using right side tabs
  • Fixed urlbar being below the tabs visually #4276
  • Fixed the browser not closing when the last tab is closed (and the preference is set)
  • Fixed keyboard shortcuts being restarted on startup, saying they are corrupted
  • Fixed unfocusing the browser with `widget.gtk.rounded-bottom-corners.enabled` causes the bottom corners to stop being rounded #4294
  • Fixed a small border being visible at the top of the window #4264
  • Fixed compact mode not closing sometimes if the mouse is moved too fast
  • Fixed essentials not re-appearing when multiple windows are closed at the same time
  • Fixed spacing when a workspace doesn't have any icons
Features
  • Updated to firefox 134.0.1 (Fixes the YouTube issue!)
  • New workspace behavior when closing tabs, it's more customizable now
  • Improved workspace transitioning, giving it a more realistic and smooth feel
  • Made context switching animations context aware, making them more intuitive
  • Improved glance animations
  • Compact mode now has a better opening transition and compact mode sidebar has a small delay when closing
  • Essential tabs now have the favicon as the background
  • Enabled full LTO for windows and linux builds (speed and size improvement)
  • Added support for better UI in rounded corners, giving a more native feel to the app
  • Fixed paddings on the sidebar if the element-separation is too small
Breaking Changes
  • MacOS users default toolbar layout has the webpanels button removed
  • Disabled smooth scroll on tabs by default (like it was in previous versions)
  • Changed flatpak id from 'io.github.zen_browser.zen' to 'app.zen_browser.zen'

Release notes for 1.6b 🎉

January 7, 2025

If you encounter any issues, please report them on the issues page.

This new release includes more polishing changes and bug fixes. We are most excited about our latest release schedule. We are now using Firefox's Release Candidates for Twilight, meaning we can test out new Firefox versions before they are released to the public. This will allow us to fix any issues before they are released to the public.

It may be a bit late, but happy new year! We hope you have a great year ahead!

P.S. We also have a community-made Discord Server designed to discuss ricing and customizing Zen!

Fixes
  • Fixed compact mode sidebar not hiding fully on some occasions
  • Fixed context menu checkbox icon aligments for Windows users
  • Fixed having multiple windows displaying the wrong essentials at startup
  • Fixed toolbar jittering when in compact mode #3916
  • Fixed grain texture not being clipped at window corners #2942
  • Fixed arrow keys not working after opening an extension popup #2743
  • Fixed wrong window buttons when opening customize toolbar in compact mode
  • Fixed animation for opening popups cliping their content #4050
  • Fixed weird colouring for toggle inputs #4047
  • Update application identifier for Zen Browser to align with new naming conventions (MacOS)
  • Fixed translations trying to be overriden on Windows builds
  • Fixed web panels closing and inmediately opening again when clicking on the toolbar button #4049
  • Fixed issues when building PGO, leading to bad optimization techniques
  • Fixed empty separations not appearing at the top toolbar
  • Fixed the spacing between the titlebar window buttons and toolbar buttons in MacOS
  • Fixed support for scrolling vertical tabs when opening a background tab
  • Fixed mod default preferences not displayed correctly until reopening the settings page or browser restart #3887
  • Fixed changing mod string preferences sometimes results in missing characters #3558
  • Fixed on-boarding search engine icons having large sizes #3575
  • Fixed preferences sidebar hidding on smaller screens #4051
  • Fixed coloring issue on tree elements such as search engine selection on the preferences page
  • Fixed pinning and unpinning extensions messing up the toolbar
  • Fixed duplicating a tab showing the default workspace container indicator #4132
  • Fixed common issues on the on-boarding pages such as button backgrounds and spacing #4035
  • Fixed visibility issues when selecting multiple essentials
  • Fixed syncing workspaces on some specific scenarios
  • Fixed glance buttons not being able to be clicked
  • Fixed horizontal spacing issues when using split views
  • Fixed naming issues between sidebar and web panels #4043
  • Fixed moving pinned tabs into the essential tabs container breaking the UI
  • Fixed compact mode not opening when hovering on the side when the window changes size
  • Improved security for Zen Mods, only allowing installs from the Zen Mods website
  • Fixed the completly broken save bookmark dialog
  • Fixed and improved the grain texture for workspace backgrounds (Thanks to @different55)
  • Fixed zen's app bundle ID giving an incorrect identifier
  • Fixed issue related to changing workspace with the 4 / 5 mouse buttons and we now take into consideration natural scrolling
  • Fixed some website dialogs overflowing the window
  • Fixed moving around pins not saving their position after a restart
  • Fixed extension Pin to Toolbar overlayed with gtk theme toggle #1934
  • Fixed opening home page instead of newtab when closing the last workspace tab #3201
  • Fixed essential icon not appearing on the context menu
  • Fixed accessibility issues on some native links
  • Fixed compact mode not closing when opening an extension dialog pinned to the sidebar
  • Fixed windows 11 titlebar looking weird when having a custom accent color
  • Fixed workspaces icons appearing on private mode once opening another window
  • Fixed having invalid shortcuts hard-locking the user inside the loading screen #4071
  • Fixed weird UI when dragging essentials around, making them look like they are clipping out of the view
  • Fixed compact mode sidebar flashing for some seconds when opening a glance window
Features
  • Updated to firefox 134.0
  • Added transitioning when changing between workspaces backgrounds
  • Browser background now goes grayscale when unfocused
  • Added support for Windows 11 setting 'Show accent color on window title bars and borders'
  • Enabled experimental features for twilight builds
  • Improved design of native zen dialogs
  • Re-enabled the default password manager
  • Improved on-boarding experience for new users
  • Added support for searching for emojis on the workspace icon picker
  • Added support for MacOS smart cards
  • Installed mods will now be correctly ordered in the settings page
  • Color picker dialog will now convert to a valid color if it's hex-like but invalid
  • Made workspace switching tab's animation smoother
  • Added developer tools shortcuts support!
Breaking Changes
  • Changed versioning scheme to match Firefox's Release Candidates
  • Removed option to disable workspaces. Workspaces are now a core feature of Zen, and it can be really easy to ignore them (they are hidden if you have just one workspace) if you don't want to use them. Most of Zen's functionality is built around workspaces, so we decided to make them a core feature. They were an option before because they were experimental.

Release notes for 1.0.2-b.5 🎉

December 26, 2024

If you encounter any issues, please report them on the issues page.

This release is just a small patch to fix a really annoying issue with extension popups not working correctly.

Fixes
  • Fixed compact mode staying open when toggling while having a popup open
  • Fixed extension popups not multiplying their height every time they are opened
Breaking Changes
  • Disabled firefox's login manager by default, because safer alternatives are available. Can be enabled again in the preferences

Release notes for 1.0.2-b.4 🎉

December 22, 2024

If you encounter any issues, please report them on the issues page.

This release includes many more bug fixes and improvements to the browser. We've also added an issue metrics file too see how many issues we've fixed each month!

Fixes
  • Fixed fullscreen notice having a weird animation
  • Fixed workspace indicator not hiding if the config is set to hide it
  • Improved accessibility for links on some native system pages
  • Fixed toolbar buttons disappearing if the window is too small
  • Fixed compact mode getting stuck when clicking on a pinned tab
  • Fixed opening customizable toolbar while having multiple windows #3819
  • Fixed glance not working on sites that prevented click event to happen #2480
  • Fixed compact mode animations on hover for macos, having laggy window buttons and splitter size for macos
  • Minor fixes to layout spacing and padding
  • Fixed URL bar being outisde of the window in compact mode while typing #3913
  • Fixed tab context menu not working when changing tab to a different workspace
  • Fixed fullscreen videos having a top-bar on certain layouts
  • Fixed wrong firefox version when using extensions API, therefor breaking some extensions
Features
  • Adjust mouse wheel delta multiplier for improved scrolling sensitivity
  • Disable Normandy studies by default
  • Zen Mods will now not load if the browser is opened in safe mode
  • Removed permission buttons in the URL bar into an unified button, saving space (single toolbar layout)
  • Added support for function keys in the range of F13-F24, also for nums lock and scroll lock keys
  • Add experimental window controls preference to hide the window controls always (zen.view.experimental-no-window-controls)
  • Fixed and improved PGO, LTO and clang plugins for all builds, improving performance
Breaking Changes
  • Due to a high amount of complaints, we've changed the 'Inspect Element' shortcut to 'Ctrl+Shift+L' (Windows/Linux) and 'Cmd+Opt+I' (macOS). This is done to prioritize the 'Copy current URL' shortcut
  • Removed opimized builds for linux and windows Learn more

Release notes for 1.0.2-b.3 🎉

December 19, 2024

If you encounter any issues, please report them on the issues page.

This release brings more bug fixing and ovcerall stability while also including some small polishing features/details. Our goal during the beta phase is to get everything as stable and ready for our stable release!

Note: We will be hosting a hall-of-fame event, where top 20 zen rices will be featured in the website!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Fixes
  • Fixed workspaces not being initialized correctly when creating a fresh profile
  • Fixed gradient generator not being correctly initialized on startup
  • Fixed moving around/reordering pinned and essential tabs not saving
  • Fixed pinned tabs and essential tabs not being saved correctly on the first run of a fresh profile
  • Fixed compact mode preferences page having wrong labels #3885
  • Fixed scroll direction when swiping workspaces with mousepads
  • Fixed weird margins in compact mode in certain conditions
  • Fixed trying to unload multiple tabs at once #3831
  • Fixed surrounding spaces for certain layouts while using the web panels sidebar
  • Fixed workspace indicator showing if workspaces are disabled
  • Fixed URL bar not showing while in compact mode + right sidebar
  • Fixed clicking on the URLbar not doing anything on some conditions
  • Fixed accessibility issues with system links
  • Fixed bookmarks toolbar being reset when changing toolbar layouts
  • Fixed having right side floating URL bar opening in single toolbar
  • Fixed not being able to click on window buttons when having collapsed sidebar on the right
  • Fixed opening unfloatable URL bar when having compact mode having a weird behavior
  • Fixed not saving essential tabs correctly, leading to data loss
Features
  • Added a 'Copy current URL' keyboard shortcut
  • Enhanced URL bar layout when it's not floating
  • Improved and polished compact mode switching animation (Can be disabled in about:config or when having performance issues)
  • Added delays when hovering on the window buttons, making it a bit less error-prone
  • Added experimental rounded corners for website (Disabled by default on macos)
  • Added fallback cache-based website favicon in case we fail to fetch the website's favicon for essentials/pinned tabs
  • Added a more optimized version of zen hardening, there should be less performance issues now and less font-rendering issues
  • Added a smoother scrolling experience by using msd physics and changing scroll values/offests (Disabled in macos)
  • Optimized workspace switching animations

Release notes for 1.0.2-b.2 🎉

December 15, 2024

If you encounter any issues, please report them on the issues page.

This release is a small patch to fix some issues and improve overall stability. Thanks everyone for the feedback!

Fixes
  • Fixed compact mode options not showing when using multiple toolbars
  • Fixed top-toolbar being overlapped by tabs sidebar in compact mode
  • Fixed macos window control when changing right side tabs to normal tabs
  • Fixed compact mode overlaping site when having bookmarks bar enabled
  • Fixed entering into customize mode while having collapsed tabs
  • Fixed compact mode not working when only having toolbar hidden in single sidebar layout
  • Fixed exiting compact mode with right sidebar for windows
  • Fixed weird shadows and sidebar resize splitter showing when collapsed sidebar
  • Fixed private mode indicator overflowing collapsed sidebar
  • Hide label in zen-workspaces when sidebar is not expanded
  • Fixed clicking on the URLbar suggestions not performing any actions
Features
  • Added new sidebar animation when entering compact mode
  • Updated to firefox 133.0.3
  • Added the very requested, very needed, feature rich, blazingly fast, innovative URL bar option we had in previous versions
  • Added an option to only have a floating URL bar when typing (default, please check look and feel settings)
  • Added a new animation when creating a new tab
  • Added the collapse/expand sidebar keyboard shortcut
  • Added new URL bar suggestions UI

Release notes for 1.0.2-b.1 🎉

December 11, 2024

If you encounter any issues, please report them on the issues page.

This release brings some commong bug fixes and improvements to the browser. Thanks everyone for the feedback!

Fixes
  • Fixed weird top-bar when mica is enabled with windows 11 accent color enabled
  • Fixed the urlbar being infinitely long
  • Fixed weird placement of macos window controls when having multiple toolbars enabled
  • Fixed dead links in the preferences page
  • Fixed an 'all-tabs' buttons appearing always and not being able to remove it
  • Fixed overlaping top toolbar in compact mode when having multiple toolbars enabled
  • Fixed gradient generator overflowing the dialog on some displays
Features
  • Added a preference to disable the new floating URL bar (May be open to bugs, the preference is used as a deprecated feature)
  • Added new and better compact mode animations
  • Hide top-buttons when they are empty, preventing having a huge space in compact mode

Release notes for 1.0.2-b.0 🎉

December 10, 2024

If you encounter any issues, please report them on the issues page.

This release introduces a new stage for Zen Browser, the beta stage! This means that we are getting closer to a stable release, and we are now focusing on fixing bugs and improving the overall experience.

We've made some significant changes to the UI, including a new layout for the browser called single toolbar and much more!

Fixes
  • Various fixes in version 20
  • Fix pinned tab state and favicon handling #2853
  • Prevent pins deletion from database on non explicit tab closes (window closing) #2875
  • Fix inconsistent cursor when resizing split view #2252
  • Fixed changing essential tab when switching workspaces
  • Fixed restoring pinned tabs to their pinned URLs on startup if the option is checked
  • Prevent creating new window for dragging pinned tab out of the window.
  • Fixed handling container-specific essentials (now available)
  • Fixed right-side sidebar on compact mode occupying the screen space
  • Fixed some titlebar buttons not covering full height
  • Fixed bug where a popup window would not close/open a new tab
  • Fixed switching workspaces with the mouse wheel being sluggish
  • Fixed weird layouts in very specific conditions on macos
  • Fixed HTTP pacing requests for improved performance
  • Fixed windows mica titlebar disappearing
  • Fixed random 'null's appearing for macos users
Features
  • New branding and logos!
  • Updated zen glance animations for smoother transitions and adjust timing (Still in development)
  • Add reset to pinned URL button to pinned tabs
  • Made the URL bar background more rounded
  • Updated to Firefox 133.0
  • Added support for -moz-gtk-csd-reversed-placement on Linux
  • Enhance workspace deactivation styles with grayscale filter for better visibility
  • Windows and linux ARM64 builds are now available on the github for testing!
  • Hide container label when URL bar is narrow
  • Macos ARM64 builds will now ship with PGO, performance increase!
  • Added different layouts for zen: single toolbar, multiple toolbars, and no toolbar
  • The URL bar will now be floating on the top of the page
  • Added native mica support for Windows 11
  • Added hiding window controls support
  • Created new animations for glance
  • Added context aware animations for workspace switching
  • New onboarding experience for new users!
  • Started experimenting with horizontal tabs
Breaking Changes
  • Urlbar now will open when clicking on it instead of on-mousedown
  • Changed default glance opening trigger to 'alt+click' on linux/windows systems
  • Removed collapsible sidebar expande on hover (mod will be available soon). This is due to the dificulty of maintaining it as we evolve the sidebar

Release notes for 1.0.1-a.19 🎉

November 10, 2024

If you encounter any issues, please report them on the issues page.

This release is a small patch to fix some issues that were introduced in the previous release. Thanks everyone for the quick feedback!

Fixes
  • Fixed inconsistent resize cursors in split view resize mode #2252
  • Fixed having a glance tab over an essential tab
  • Fixed restoring pinned tabs when using private browsing
  • Fixed not being able to remove sidepanel button from the toolbar #2792
  • Fixed support URLs pointing to a 404 pages
  • Fixed extra all-tabs and newtab buttons not appearing on customised toolbar
  • Fixed workspaces indicator appearing when workspaces are disabled
  • Fixed compact mode toolbar being active when the sidebar is open
  • Workspaces indicator will show the first letter of the name if there's no icon in collapsed mode
  • Fixed sidebar moving the website when having expand on hover enabled
  • Fixed closing glance not unloading the site, causing memory leaks
Features
  • Made essential tabs a bit smaller and more transparent
  • Changed glance looks and animations
  • You can now click on the workspace indicator to open the workspaces panel
  • Add workspace switching by scrolling sidebar
  • Added a max height to pinned tabs, making it less intrusive
  • Made workspace indicator stand less out

Release notes for 1.0.1-a.18 🎉

November 9, 2024

If you encounter any issues, please report them on the issues page.

This release brings some quality of life improvements and new features to Zen Browser! First thing you would notice, pinned tabs look like normal tabs now. Why? Because we added 'essentials'.

Essentials are a new way to manage your tabs, workspaces and pinned tabs. You can now have pinned tabs your workspace, and essentials will be the only tabs that are not workspace specific.

We've also started to experiment with new layouts and designs for the browser, and we've added a more native look to the browser!

Fixes
  • Fixed release notes link being broken on some places
  • Fixed shadow offset, making the webview look weird on the left side
  • Fixed closing glance when there was only one tab left
  • Fixed custom color input accepting every possible value
  • Fixed glance buttons not having any background on hover
  • Fixed urlbar styling inconsistencies, some buttons had offset padding
  • Fixed having glance on pinned tabs
  • Fixed opening panel animation, making the popup view look weird while animating
  • Fixed web panels being reloaded when unpining them
  • Fixed not making a default workspace when creating a new profile on specific conditions
  • Fixed being able to unload splitted tabs #2236
  • Fixed having a duplicate new-tab button when creating new profiles
  • Fixed files being downloaded into a temp folder
  • Fixed opening glance inside a previous glance window, leaving the background transparent
  • Fixed issues causing intermittent video playback problems on some sites
  • Fixed an issue causing themes to reset to default after restarting
  • Fixed not updating workspace name in sidebar when saving
  • Fixed using the wrong macos window vibrancy material
  • Fixed custom colours doubling and colour dots getting pulled from other spaces
  • Fixed glance changing to the next tab if the current tab isn't the last one #2526
  • Fixed compact mode background being possibly transparent if the custom colors allow it
  • Fixed not having any background if the workspace hasnt gotten a color yet
  • Fixed texture slider not working #2711
  • Fixed white flash when navigating popups #2438
  • Fixed some translations issues
  • Fixed workspaces buttons scalling down when being clicked
Features
  • Color picker colors will now appear where the mouse has been clicked
  • Added a workspace indicator that will show the workspace name and icon
  • Created the first version of Zen Essentials!
  • Added support for forward/backward mouse buttons for switching workspaces
  • Pinned tabs and essentials will stay active in all windows
  • For macos, the browser will now have a transparency/blur factor, based on the theme's contrast. Giving a more native look to the browser
  • Improved UI theme colors generation and newtab aligment
  • Default border radius will be OS specific, giving a more native look to the browser
  • Added weather widget to the newtab
  • Updated to the latest stable version of Firefox (132.0.1)
  • Modified auto-detected colors to provide a more consistent experience
  • Hide the workspaces icons when there's only one workspace
  • Changed glance looks slightly
  • Glance tabs will now appear as a small square next to the parent tab
  • Added option to show newtab button at the top of normal tabs
  • Added option to add/remove newtab button separation border
  • Added touch pad gestures for switching workspaces
Theme Changes
  • Compact mode will now use '--zen-main-browser-background-toolbar' as the background color
  • Browser background isn't defined on zen-main-app-wrapper element anymore but on the #browser element
  • Added a new variable for the translucency of the browser in macos
Breaking Changes
  • Changed default layout of the browser, you might want to reset your layout to default
  • Disabled experimental webview border radius for macos users until we fix the font display issues

Release notes for 1.0.1-a.17 🎉

November 1, 2024

If you encounter any issues, please report them on the issues page.

This was another release with the sole purpose of fixing some issues that were introduced in the previous release. Thanks everyone for the quick feedback!

Fixes
  • Fixed compact mode sidebar breaking when open a link from the other subpanels #2218
  • Allow glance meta key only for macos #2429
  • Fixed changing activation method not applied to tabs #2429
  • Fixed bookmarks toolbar overflowing the top panel #2434
  • Fixed height changing when having too many tabs
  • Fixed Workspace icon jumping in sidebar if not in strip mode #2413
Features
  • Glance will now be in a single tab, meaning transitioning from glance to full tab will be seamless
  • Added escape key for glance
  • Glance will now be displayed as a little icon next to the active tab

Release notes for 1.0.1-a.16 🎉

October 31, 2024

If you encounter any issues, please report them on the issues page.

This release is a small patch to fix some issues that were introduced in the previous release. Thanks everyone for the quick feedback!

Fixes
  • Fixed infinite width toolbar when bookmarks bar was open
  • Fixed disabling 'show newtab button under last active tab' not hiding the button
  • Fixed wrong aligment on glance action buttons
Features
  • No new features, sorry

Release notes for 1.0.1-a.15 🎉

October 31, 2024

If you encounter any issues, please report them on the issues page.

This release introduces Zen Glance, a new convenient way to preview links!

Zen Glance allows you to open a link preview in a small window, without leaving the current page. This feature is perfect for quickly checking links without losing your place.

We've also updated to the latest stable version of Firefox (what a mess, everything got broken!), and we can already start to see some early stages of tab groups!

Start using Zen Glance today my 'ctrl+clic' or 'alt+click' on macos on any link and experience this new way of browsing!

Fixes
  • Fixed gradient theme not applying to sidebar using expand on hover #2360
  • Fixed color picker not being responsive to cursor #2350
  • Fixed toolbar not using gradient colors when in compact mode
  • Fixed display issue with titlebar buttons (macOS)
  • Allow installing unsigned Firefox addons #2258
  • Fixed glitch when quickly moving multiple tabs
  • Fixed website permission popups not displaying #2093
  • Fixed connection errors when using OCSP
  • Possibly fixed blurry font #2375
  • Fixed workspace button moving on hover if not shown as strip #2413
Features
  • Added Zen Glance!
  • Updated to the latest stable version of Firefox (132.0)
  • Enabled Captive Portal Detection by default
  • Added polyhedral optimizations to macOS builds
  • Added preferences to allow having toolbar/sidebar colored with background color, independently
  • Added support for workspace-theme specific accent colors
Breaking Changes
  • Changed the default layout of the customizable UI buttons

Release notes for 1.0.1-a.14 🎉

October 27, 2024

If you encounter any issues, please report them on the issues page.

This release is a small patch to fix some issues that were introduced in the previous release. Thanks everyone for the quick feedback!

Fixes
  • Fixed gradient generator not allowing closing the last color
  • Fixed the gradient generator not saving the texture if it's 0
  • Fixed transparent colors when not having any color selected
  • Fixed sidebar webpanels being in a darker contrast
Features
  • Added a confirmation dialog when the gradient generator has successfully saved the gradient

Release notes for 1.0.1-a.13 🎉

October 27, 2024

If you encounter any issues, please report them on the issues page.

This update brings custom gradient themes to workspaces!

Fixes
  • Closing the last pinned tab causes a new tab to open #2249
  • Fixed moving workspace to end of list and auto disable workspace reordering mode #2209
  • Fixed split view sliders not showing unless reordering mode is enabled #2269
  • Fixed malformed XUL for some themes, not showing on the preferences page
  • Fixed keyboard shortcuts for 'Shift + [N]' not working
  • Fixed Sidebar "Expands Tabs on Hover" option randomly resets to "Don't Expand Tabs by Default" #2156
Features
  • Added option to set New Tab button under the last open tab
  • Disabled support for Kyber KEM by default
  • Added color picker to generate gradient themes
  • Added option to give individual workspaces a gradient theme
  • The amount of maximum web panels is now a preference in about:config
Theme Changes
  • The variable '--zen-main-browser-background' will now contain the generated gradient
  • Added the 'unread' attribute for background tabs that haven't been accessed yet
Breaking Changes
  • Removed Show Expand Button option from settings

Release notes for 1.0.1-a.12 🎉

October 19, 2024

If you encounter any issues, please report them on the issues page.

This release is a small release that fixes some annoying bugs, and adds some small improvements.

These releases will commonly mostly contain bug fixes and small improvements as our current goal right now is to stabilize the browser.

Thanks everyone for the feedback!

Fixes
  • Fixed tab overlflow changing the height of the web view
  • Fixed 'cancel' button for workspaces creation not working
  • Creating tabs won't flash-bang the user anymore
  • Fixed tabs moving not closing expand on hover sometimes
Features
  • Fixed always rendering the split view overlay, pottentially fixing huge speed issues
  • Disabled 'all' webrender options by default, performance increase for unsuported GPUs

Release notes for 1.0.1-a.11 🎉

October 19, 2024

If you encounter any issues, please report them on the issues page.

This release brings some quality of life improvements and new features to Workspaces.

Fixes
  • Fixed right side tab bar not working (macOS) #334
  • Fixed compact mode moving titlebar buttons (macOS) #1872
  • Fixed expand on hover moving sites #2033
  • Fixed About Zen showing incorrect Firefox version #2150
  • Fixed workspace icon picker no longer showing (Windows) #2121
  • Fixed inconsistent padding on toolbar buttons #2176
  • Fixed workspace buttons lacking top and bottom padding when placed on the toolbar #2184
  • Allow reserved keyboard shortcuts to be changed
  • Fixed display issue for shortcuts with certain keybinds (macOS) #2189
Features
  • Improved light theme
  • Changed split view button icon
  • Added reordering mode to workspaces
  • Added button to disable all active Zen Mods
  • Workspace icon picker now supports all emojis by default

Release notes for 1.0.1-a.10 🎉

October 15, 2024

If you encounter any issues, please report them on the issues page.

This release is a small patch to fix some issues on keyboard shortcuts that were introduced in the previous release.

Fixes
  • Fixed keyboard shortcuts not working in macOS #1629
  • Fixed handling of corrupted mod files
  • Fixed reseting shortcuts not working
  • Fixed settings UI when night theme is enabled while having a light website displayed
  • Fixed about page linking 'global Community' to a Mozilla page
Features
  • About page will now display the Firefox version used
  • Disabled forcing container grouping for workspaces

Release notes for 1.0.1-a.9 🎉

October 14, 2024

If you encounter any issues, please report them on the issues page.

This update brings further refinements to Zen Browser, focusing on stability improvements and new features for session management.

We've also enhanced pinned tab handling and workspaces to improve the user experience. Thanks everyone!

Fixes
  • Disabled forcing hardware accelerating, causing issues for some unsupported GPUs
  • Fixed compact mode overlapping the tabs
  • Fixed browser bottom padding misaligns #2007
  • Sidebar is blank when there's a moving video/picture on other open tabs #1900
  • Fixed extension menu breaking compact mode when held open #1925
  • Fixed 'Sidebar is very thin making stuff not appear correctly' #2015
  • Fixed 'Tabs sidebar Expand on Hover casuses jank with latest UI' #2033
  • Applied patches to fix mfsa2024-53 security issue
  • Major issue with zen sidebar disappearing and not re-appearing on restart #1979
Features
  • Updated to the latest stable version of Firefox (131.0.3)
  • Improved session storage of pinned tabs, now storing the triggering principal for more accurate state restoration
  • Added a new feature to save the pinned state of tabs in the session store, allowing for better tab management across sessions
  • Reduced the vertical tab toolbox width to 44px, providing a more compact layout and freeing up more screen space for content
  • Added support for containers in the sidebar websites
  • Changed amoled theme's base color
  • Worked on keyboard shortcuts
  • Improved light mode experience
  • Allow VAAPI/FMPEG APIs only for Linux
  • Twilight will now display the proper name on .desktop files
  • Added a better icon selection for workspaces, enhancing more icons
  • Created a "Force container workspace" option. Basically, force each container to belong to acertain workspace.
  • Bookmarks are now opened in the workspace's default container
  • Allow tab unloader to ignore picture-in-picture tabs

Release notes for 1.0.1-a.8 🎉

October 10, 2024

If you encounter any issues, please report them on the issues page.

This release brings Zen to Firefox v131.0.2, which patches a significant security vulnerability.

This update improves the split view and pinned tabs features.
We have also released Zen Twilight; automated unstable builds where you can test out the latest features!

Fixes
  • Fixed tab sidebar flickering when on the right
  • Fixed performance issue when scrolling
  • Fixed buffering issues on YouTube
  • Fixed Zen Mod settings page crashing when a mod ceases to exist
  • Fixed extension menu breaking compact mode when held open #1925
  • Fixed internal keyboard shortcuts for macOS #1629
  • Fixed display issues with certain keyboard layouts #1930
  • Applied patches to fix CVE-2024-9680 #1993
Features
  • Updated to the latest stable version of Firefox (131.0.2)
  • Added floating compact mode
  • Allow moving split view tabs with drag and drop functionality
  • Added option to reset pinned tabs to original state on close
  • Added support for syncing workspaces
  • Allow opening tabs by middle clicking the tab sidebar

Release notes for 1.0.1-a.7 🎉

October 1, 2024

If you encounter any issues, please report them on the issues page.

This release is a really small release to fix a very important bug that was introduced in the previous release.

Fixes
  • Fixed a critical issue with the sidebar being 1 pixel small
  • Fixed tabs separation always showing

Release notes for 1.0.1-a.6 🎉

September 29, 2024

If you encounter any issues, please report them on the issues page.

This release fixes a few critical bugs and introduces Tab Unloading! Unused tabs will free up memory with this new feature

Fixes
  • Fixed Firefox add-ons not updating #1173
  • Fixed expand-on-hover shifting web page #1718
  • Fixed cycling between workspaces with shortcuts
  • Removed duplicate shortcut options in the settings #1784
  • Restored missing keyboard shortcuts #1706
  • Fixed keyboard shortcuts not saving #1715
  • Fixed workspace names that start with an emoji #1732
  • Fixed shortcut keys incorrectly displayed on macOS
Features
  • Added Paste and Go button
  • Added Tab Unloading
  • Sidebar Web Panel can now be moved freely
  • Added warning when shortcut setting changes are unsaved
  • Enabled container tabs by default
  • Improved Expand Tabs on Hover layout
Theme Changes
  • Toggle inputs will not use the themed tertiary color
Breaking Changes
  • The keyboard shortcuts will be overriden by the defaults ones in this update

Release notes for 1.0.1-a.5 🎉

September 24, 2024

If you encounter any issues, please report them on the issues page.

This update is a small patch to fix some issues that weren't addressed in the previous release!

Fixes
  • Fixed issue with hovering over window control buttons (macOS)
  • (Hopefully) resolved all issues with keyboard shortcuts #1629
Features
  • Moved application menu button to the right
  • Added new shortcuts
  • Collapsed tab sidebar is now smaller

Release notes for 1.0.1-a.4 🎉

September 23, 2024

If you encounter any issues, please report them on the issues page.

This update addresses some significant issues with the previous release.

We appreciate your patience and support!

Fixes
  • The New Tab button is not visible #1640
  • The Unified Extensions button is not visible #1643
  • The workspace element can't be moved on the toolbar #1636
  • Expand-on-hover doesn't work properly when compact mode is enabled
  • Fixed an issue with reordering tabs
Features
  • Added a new system for handling keyboard shortcuts

Release notes for 1.0.1-a.3 🎉

September 22, 2024

If you encounter any issues, please report them on the issues page.

We are thrilled to announce that this release marks a significant leap forward for Zen Browser.

Since the last version (1.0.1-a.2), we've implemented numerous improvements and addressed key bug fixes, all aimed at enhancing your browsing experience.

We've made significant changes to the UI, including a new compact mode design, improved tab management, and a more intuitive user interface. We've also added new features, such as the ability to customize the tab bar and a new compact mode design.

We hope you enjoy this release and look forward to your feedback!

Fixes
  • Can't split tab, if one of the tabs has been previously split
  • Exit button padding is not correct #1583
  • Font size is too small on tabs #1580
  • Misaligned padding across window #1542
  • Fixed exiting from split view with more than 6 tabs #1539
  • Fixed the sidebar ignoring the mobile user agent checkbox on creation #1536
  • "Hide the default container indicator in the tab bar" doesn't work when opening container with shortcut or via link #1472
  • Left, Bottom, and Right borders visible when in full screen mode #1513
  • Fixed checkboxes on context menu not being aligned
  • Fixed Mods not being applied to every single window opened
Features
  • Compact mode now allows to only hide the toolbar
  • Added support for customizing the tab bar
  • Added a new layout that saves vertical space
  • Added support for workspaces icon strip (Quick workspace switching)
  • Increased the font size on tabs
  • Added support for customizing all the buttons that where before at the bottom left
  • Added support for context menu clicks on the tab bar (compact mode and on hover)
  • Added support for a new compact mode design
  • Allowed text fragments for the DOM by default
  • Added support for resizing split views
  • Added a keyboard shortcut to cycle through workspaces backwards
  • Compact mode now stays open for a longer time if the mouse exits the app
  • MacOS buttons will now be at the left side of the toolbar
  • Updated to the latest version of Firefox (130.0.1)
  • Added a way to modify compact mode behavior from right clickin the tab bar
  • No paddings or borders will be shown when in fullscreen no more
  • Applied a more consistent design for the tab bar
  • Correctly signed the Windows updater
Theme Changes
  • Themes will now be able to have string and number values
  • The configuration schema for mods has been updated. All current mods have been updated automatically.
Breaking Changes
  • Removed Galaxy and Dream mods
  • Removed the 'legacy-toolbar' preference

Release notes for 1.0.1-a.2 🎉

September 17, 2024

If you encounter any issues, please report them on the issues page.

This release could be considered a hotfix release for the previous version.

Since we've started doing pretty big UI changes in order to gain more stability, it's normal that we may encounter some bugs... But not that many!

This release fixes some of the most important bugs that were introduced in the previous version and adds some small improvements.

Fixes
  • Fixed padding of buttons when expanding the sidebar
  • Fixed favicon not centered when collapsed
  • Fixed compact mode overlapping the tab bar
  • Fixed fullscreen when entering compact mode
  • Fixed close icon showing on pinned tabs
  • Fixed websites moving when hovering over tabs
  • Removed 'private browsing' text from the toolbar
  • Fixed avatars not being rounded
  • Fixed paddings for personal toolbar
  • Fixed width of the tab not being correct
  • Fixed the tab bar not being visible in fullscreen
  • Sidebar wont interfere with the toolbar anymore in compact mode
  • Fixed release notes pointing to a 404 page
Features
  • Added entering animation when creating a new tab
  • Added support for other tab icons such as audio and microphone
  • Added more customization towards rounded borders and padding
  • Newtab button is now colored when expanded
  • MacOS users will have the legacy toolbar location by default
  • Workspaces are disabled on private browsing

Release notes for 1.0.1-a 🎉

September 15, 2024

If you encounter any issues, please report them on the issues page.

This version marks a more stable alpha release.

This release brings a few improvements to the UI and some important quality of life features for workspaces, such as separate pinned tabs, custom icons and assigned tab conainers!

We've also added a new AppImage installer for Linux users and started signing our Windows builds with a verified digital signature, making Windows Defender and other antivirus software less annoying!

Also, we've made the browser's layout more stable for mods, improved overal UX and added an a better theme support (Now called Zen Mods)!

Fixes
  • Window borders show in full-screen mode #1404
  • Collapsed sidebar widens on warning #1325
  • Blurry font when using 2x pixel density (macOS) #440
  • Firefox Add-ons won't update #1173
Features
  • Added verified digital signnature to Windows builds
  • Added Zen to Homebrew Cask repository
  • Enabled private search suggestions by default
  • Improved Theme Store settings page
  • Added Night and Colorful mods
  • Restore browsing session on startup by default
  • Added preference for custom workspace icons
  • Redesigned url bar and workspaces
  • Added preference for separate pinned tabs per workspace
  • Fixed padding on right side tabs and expand-on-hover
  • Repositioned List All Tabs button
  • Allow binding tab containers to workspaces
  • Added new AppImage installer
  • Improved bookmarks sidebar interface
  • Added compatibility for legacy Zen Theme preferences

Release notes for 1.0.0-a.39 🎉

September 9, 2024

If you encounter any issues, please report them on the issues page.

This release is the thirty-eighth alpha release of the 1.0.0-alpha series.

Fixes
  • Scrolling between tabs is buggy/slow #1340
  • Broken hover effect with NewTab button with compact density interface #1224
  • Issue on Google Meet regarding WebRTC #972
  • Zen Browser.app is damaged and can’t be opened on macOS #1245
  • Fixed issue with ⌘ keyboard shortcuts on macOS #376
Features
  • Successfully added Apple developer certificate (macOS)
  • Fixed issue with ffmpeg VA-API decoding
  • Ensure tab becomes visible when selected
  • Ensure top toolbar remains visible when dragging the window
  • Briefly show tab sidebar when switching tabs in compact mode
  • Enabled JPEG XL support by default
  • Enabled moving pages in the Web View Sidebar
  • Improved responsiveness of the top toolbar
  • Enabled fused multiply-add instructions (optimization)

Release notes for 1.0.0-a.35 🎉

September 2, 2024

If you encounter any issues, please report them on the issues page.

This release is the thirty-fifth alpha release of the 1.0.0-alpha series. Things are getting stable!

Fixes
  • Zen Browser is damaged and can't be opened on macOS #53
  • Can't reorganize tabs in compact mode #1168
  • Theme Store settings page doesn't display installed mods #1125
  • No Homebrew support #273
  • Remember last active workspaces on startup #240
Features
  • Added option to restore legacy toolbar interface
  • Added profile-guided optimization (Windows)
  • Added experimental Zen Labs settings
  • Changed interface colors
  • Disabled efficiency-mode by default (Windows)
  • Enabled GPU-accelerated web rendering by default
  • Enabled Video Acceleration API for media decoding
  • Improved support for translations
  • Added Identical Code Folding compiler optimization

Release notes for 1.0.0-a.33 🎉

August 30, 2024

If you encounter any issues, please report them on the issues page.

This release is the thirty-third alpha release of the 1.0.0-alpha series.

Fixes
  • Tab bar stuck on right side #1115
Features
  • Fixed policies for updates
  • Enforce HTTPS-Only Mode
  • URL bar improvements
  • Fixed issue with opening links from external apps
  • Compact mode now takes element separation into account
  • Added labels to buttons during expand-on-hover

Release notes for 1.0.0-a.30 🎉

August 26, 2024

If you encounter any issues, please report them on the issues page.

This release is the thirtieth alpha release of the 1.0.0-alpha series.

Fixes
  • Letterboxing option is missing #475
  • Collapsed tabs move when audio is playing #608
  • Screensaver starts while a video is running in fullscreen #619
  • Can't scroll through list of workspaces #603
  • Can't rename created workspace #604
  • JavaScript won't execute in the browser console #913
Features
  • Added support for 24 more languages!
  • Update installed mods from the browser settings

Release notes for 1.0.0-a.29 🎉

August 24, 2024

If you encounter any issues, please report them on the issues page.

This release is the twenty-ninth alpha release of the 1.0.0-alpha series.

Fixes
  • Text on websites is blurry #383
  • Expanded compact mode triggers too early #520
  • Ampersand in workspace name breaks workspace menu #439
Features
  • Added Spanish translations
  • Added documentation for contributing
  • Added support for multi-tab splitting with shortcuts
  • Fixed sidebar shortcuts

Release notes for 1.0.0-a.28 🎉

August 22, 2024

If you encounter any issues, please report them on the issues page.

This release is the twenty-eighth alpha release of the 1.0.0-alpha series.

Fixes
  • No way to restore native theming to toolbar #426
  • Address bar icons are hidden #430
  • Tabs don't appear in vertical tab bar #429
  • Location bar is not focused when opening new window #414
  • The treshhold for the expanded tab sidebar in compact mode is too high #389
Features
  • Enabled JPEG XL
  • Changed Zen Core Components license to CC BY-SA
  • Added support for color mods in theme creation
  • Fixed sidebar shortcuts
  • Started work on browser translations

Release notes for 1.0.0-a.26 🎉

August 20, 2024

If you encounter any issues, please report them on the issues page.

This release is the twenty-sixth alpha release of the 1.0.0-alpha series.

This is a short release that addresses some important bugs.

Fixes
  • Issue with edge detection for expand-on-hover sidebar feature #355
Features
  • Updated to the latest stable version of Firefox (129.0.2)
  • Updated CSS to improve compact mode and vertical tabs styling
  • Updated the browser logo for Windows to a higher resolution
  • Fixed severe issue with platform specific preference handling
  • Added feature to set a default workspace

Release notes for 1.0.0-a.24 🎉

August 20, 2024

If you encounter any issues, please report them on the issues page.

This release is the twenty-fourth alpha release of the 1.0.0-alpha series.

This release brings the long-awaited expand on hover feature, as well as some bug fixes and improvements to the theme store and documentation.

Fixes
  • Mute button is shown on inactive collapsed tabs #322
  • Visual bug on bottom sidebar buttons #304
  • Closing tabs makes other tabs briefly smaller #337
  • Checkboxes are hard to see #103
Features
  • Added a frequently asked questions page to the documentation
  • Added platform specific preferences to Zen mods
  • Added expand-on-hover feature for the tab sidebar
  • Improved scrollbar appearance on Windows
  • Improved URL bar background color

Release notes for 1.0.0-a.23 🎉

August 18, 2024

If you encounter any issues, please report them on the issues page.

This release is the twenty-third alpha release of the 1.0.0-alpha series.

We have made a lot of improvements and bug fixes since the last release note. I will go over the most important changes since version 1.0.0-a.17.

Thanks to everyone for the feedback and support!!

Fixes
  • No option to disable dimming inactive tabs #225
  • Closed tabs reappear if restore previous tabs on startup is enabled #230
  • Can't move tabs between workspaces #237
  • Zen Browser is damaged and can't be opened on macOS #53
  • Floating URL Bar does not close #252
  • Web panel can go out of bounds if it is not pinned #267
  • Bookmarks bar does not match the selected theme #264
  • Tab backgrounds overlap on hover #303
Features
  • Added support for the latest stable version of Firefox (129.0.1)
  • Added security warning when changing the language
  • Locked preferences for Mozilla telemetry and experiments
  • Refactored parts of the Zen interface theme
  • Disabled Reader Mode's parse-on-load function
  • Updated network and buffer preferences
  • Improved font rendering
  • Introduced support for WebAssembly SIMD
  • Optimized macOS version for Nehalem architecture
  • Added Branding Assets page
  • Released Theme Store
  • Added documentation for submitting mods
  • Added confirm theme removal button
  • Released Floating URL Bar feature as an official theme
  • Released an official theme to remove browser padding

Release notes for 1.0.0-a.17 🎉

August 11, 2024

If you encounter any issues, please report them on the issues page.

This release is the seventeenth alpha release of the 1.0.0-alpha series.

This release includes some bug fixes and improvements.

Thanks everyone for the feedback! We've skipped version 1.0.0-a.16 because of the size of the releases. One more step closer to the first stable release!

Fixes
  • Toolbar only partially shown in Compact Mode #205
  • Closed tabs are not really closed #216
  • Getting 0xc0000142 error while trying to open zen.exe #209
  • Fixed pinned tabs separator display issue #195
Features
  • Added support for default keyboard shortcuts
  • Added JavaScript Bytecode Cache
  • Added shortcuts for split views
  • Updated UserAgent for website panels (Mobile UserAgent)
  • Added support for zsync in AppImages
  • New tab button is now stuck to the last tab
  • Any inactive tab will be dimmed
  • Allowed prefetching for network requests
  • Added security measures for the browser (Sandboxing)
  • Added more optimizations for Specific CPUs
  • Added shortcuts for cycling through workspaces
  • Fixed settings linguistics
  • Promoted hardware acceleration for flatpaks
  • Added shortcut for toggling the sidebar
  • Windows generic CPU support is now stable!

Release notes for 1.0.0-a.15 🎉

August 7, 2024

If you encounter any issues, please report them on the issues page.

This release is the fifteenth alpha release of the 1.0.0-alpha series.

I've skipped version 1.0.0-a.14 because of the quality of the release, it was not good enough to be released.

This release includes some bug fixes and improvements.

Thanks everyone for the feedback! It may look like a small release but it includes some important fixes and improvements.

Fixes
  • Blank space when closing tabs #181
  • Tab bar: misaligned icons and hover background #180
Features
  • Added support for the latest version of Firefox (129.0)
  • Reworked on split views
  • Improved the performance of the browser
  • Allow the sidebar to be at the right side of the browser

Release notes for 1.0.0-a.13 🎉

August 5, 2024

If you encounter any issues, please report them on the issues page.

This is a smaller release to fix some bugs and improve some small details.

Im going to try doing more frequent releases from now on, see how it goes.

Fixes
  • Task Manager Icon Missing in Flatpak Version #146
  • Condensed Vertical Tabs not working in Compact Mode #160
  • Remember sidebar width on toggle #149
  • Fixed startup issue with AppImage
  • Fixed typos on the onboarding experience
Features
  • Allow to remember sidebar width even after collapsing it.

Release notes for 1.0.0-a.12 🎉

August 4, 2024

If you encounter any issues, please report them on the issues page.

This release is the twelfth alpha release of the 1.0.0-alpha series.

This release includes some nice features and improvements. The main focus of this release was to improve some small details and improve stability.

Fixes
  • Task Manager Icon Missing in Flatpak Version #146
  • Clicking "Next" on "Choose your search engine" intro page does nothing #145
  • Crash Report on Intel Mac running Monterey 12.7 #144
  • Fixed pinned tabs not being properly aligned
  • "Delete Web Panel" closes the sidebar #143
  • Disallow remove workspace deletion for default workspace #136
  • Fixed small sidebar display bug #125
Features
  • Added support for the vertical tabs to remember their width
  • Added support for disallowing the sidebar web panels to closed when clicked outside and floating (Settings)
  • Added support for the sidebar web panels to remember their width and if they are floating
  • Allow installing unsigned extensions
  • Imrpoved onboarding experience
  • New compact mode design, it's much better now
  • Reduced CPU requirements for MacOS Intel CPUs
  • Reduced blur for floating URL bar
  • Allow the sidebar to be wider, customisable in about:config

Release notes for 1.0.0-a.11 🎉

August 2, 2024

If you encounter any issues, please report them on the issues page.

This release is the eleventh alpha release of the 1.0.0-alpha series.

We skipped some releases because we were working on some big features and improvements. This release includes some big performance improvements and support for other platforms.

Hopefuly things will get a bit more stable from now on.

Fixes
  • Fixed the browser crashing when updating on macOS #84
  • Fixed 'Couldn't load XPCOM' error on some Windows installations #107
  • Fixed the browser crashing when updating on Linux
  • Fixed pinned tabs not being properly aligned #110
  • Remove padding around close button on Windows #134
  • Fixed a part of the tab list and the corner border is showing/clipping in Fullscreen #124
Features
  • Added support for Windows Generic CPUs
  • Added support for Linux Generic CPUs
  • Added support for macOS x86_64 CPUs
  • Added support for macOS arm64 CPUs
  • Allow the user to change the sidebar's max width
  • Started to work on a new onboarding experience
  • Support for AppImage. Both specific and generic.
  • New icons for MacOS and Windows/Linux. Different icons for each OS.
  • Added a floating URL bar option
  • Added option to hide the toolbar as well in compact view
  • Move security button to the right of the URL bar
  • Added introduction for side web panels
  • Drastically improved the performance of the browser
Breaking Changes
  • Changed the ID for AppImage to io.github.zen_browser.zen

Release notes for 1.0.0-a.8 🎉

July 29, 2024

If you encounter any issues, please report them on the issues page.

This release is the eighth alpha release of the 1.0.0-alpha series.

This release includes some small bug fixes and improvements. The main focus of this release was to improve some small details and improve stability.

Fixes
  • Lowered the CPU requirements for Linux users
  • Fixed browser updater crashing on some Linux distributions #76
  • Added more contrast to web context menus on light mods #88
  • Fixed horizontal separator not showing on pinned tabs #100
  • Created a small hotfix for mods and some broken extensions #89
Features
  • Added support for the latest version of Firefox (128.0.3).
  • Improved the compact view mode
  • New logo for the browser!
  • Imrpoved speed of the browser
Breaking Changes
  • Changed the ID for flatpak to io.github.zen_browser.zen

Release notes for 1.0.0-a.7 🎉

July 27, 2024

If you encounter any issues, please report them on the issues page.

This release is the seventh alpha release of the 1.0.0-alpha series. This release includes some important bug fixes and improvements. The main focus of this release was to improve some small details and improve stability.

Fixes
  • Fixed the browser crashing when updating on Linux #76
  • Fixed workspace deleting button, deleting the wrong workspace #81
  • Fixed the expanded sidebar for the compact view #79
  • Fixed small margin on hidden windows
Features
  • A grid system for pinned tabs
  • Flatpak support
  • More performance improvements
  • Added newtab wallpapers (Version 2)
  • Enabled hiding floating sidebar web panels when clicking outside
  • Branded more the installer
  • Used more intuitive icons for the sidebar
  • Improved animations
  • More compact view stability improvements

Release notes for 1.0.0-a.6 🎉

July 24, 2024

If you encounter any issues, please report them on the issues page.

Hello there! Sorry for not updating so frequently, i've been busy this week.

Welcome to the sixth alpha release of the 1.0.0-alpha series, gettin' closer to the first stable release!

This release includes a lot of bug fixes and improvements. The main focus of this release was to improve some small details and performance.

Fixes
  • Fixed pinned tabs not being displayed correctly
  • Fixed pressing "Bookmarks" twice in the bottom left doesn't close the bookmarks tab #74
  • Fixed wrong colors for web-content popups #70
  • Fixed padding when DOM fullscreen is enabled #67
  • Tab Bar Icons Hidden When Many Tabs are Open #64
  • Disabled Zen Workspaces when private browsing is enabled
  • Fixed web view padding when opening a hidden popup #54
  • The Windows NSIS installer correctly installs the browser in the right path now instead of "Mozilla Developer Preview"
  • Fixed overall Windows installer branding
  • Fixed update URLs and support links
Features
  • Improved performance of the browser
  • Added support for the latest version of Firefox (128.0.2)
  • Improved the compact view mode
  • Started working on flatpak support
  • Improved the workspaces feature by adding icons and control buttons
  • Implemented better branding for the Installer
  • Created better better visual feedback for the user with Animations and Split views
  • Made an opt-out for the watermark
  • Enabled further customization by adding Pilled Buttons toggle
  • Added performance focused user settings by default
  • Added theme-related profile avatars
  • Added a way to expand the sidebar tabs and to be able to customize the sidebar
  • Started experimenting with PGO builds. Currently Linux only.
  • Added scrollable tabs support
  • Added context menu button for quick sidebar website addition
  • Enabled smooth scrolling by default
  • Added container identification to the tab bar
Breaking Changes
  • Updated CPU requirements for x86_64-v3
  • Changed the way profile avatars are stored, may not be any issues, please report them if you find any

Release notes for 1.0.0-a.5 🎉

July 16, 2024

If you encounter any issues, please report them on the issues page.

This release is a very small release that includes some speed improvements and privacy improvements. This release is the fifth alpha release of the 1.0.0-alpha series.

Fixes
  • Fixed license not being clear #62
  • Fixed Zen not being able to execute on some Linux distributions #36
  • Fixed sites like whatsapp web not working correctly #59
  • Fixed some background overlapping the browser view #48
Features
  • Improved performance of the browser, specially for Windows users
  • Changed some of Firefox's default privacy settings to improve privacy
  • Allowed using GPU for rendering by default
  • Set the default user agent to Firefox

Release notes for 1.0.0-a.4 🎉

July 14, 2024

If you encounter any issues, please report them on the issues page.

This release is the fourth alpha release of the 1.0.0-alpha series. This release includes a lot of bug fixes and improvements. The main focus of this release was to improve some small details and the compact view mode.

This release is very small but it includes some important fixes and I wont be able to work on the browser for the next few days so I decided to release it now.

Sorry!

Fixes
  • Fixed the compact view mode not displaying correctly when it's not fullscreen #58
  • Fixed "Weird margins in popup windows" #54
  • Fixed pinned tab icons not being displayed correctly #52
Features
  • Improved compact view mode
  • Tabs with no icons will now display a default icon
  • Improved workspaces feature (Experimental)
  • Added support for pinned tabs

Release notes for 1.0.0-a.3 🎉

July 14, 2024

If you encounter any issues, please report them on the issues page.

This release is the third alpha release of the 1.0.0-alpha series. One big feature of this release is the new workspaces feature. This feature allows you to create different workspaces with different tabs and configurations. This release also includes a lot of bug fixes and improvements.

Fixes
  • Fixed subwindows not being displayed correctly #54
  • Fixed Zen's compact view mode #45
  • Fixed displaying tab icons when they are pinned #52
Features
  • Added support for workspaces (Experimental)
  • Better support for macOS aarch64
Breaking Changes
  • Changed the update URL meaning that since 1.0.0-a.2 (previous release) the browser will be able to update itself

Release notes for 1.0.0-a.2 🎉

July 12, 2024

If you encounter any issues, please report them on the issues page.

This release is the second alpha release of the 1.0.0-alpha series. It includes a lot of bug fixes and improvements given the feedback we received from the first alpha release. This release is still not considered stable, but it's a big step towards the first stable release.

Fixes
  • Fixed rounded corners of browser views for some websites #48
  • Fixed audio icon overlapping with the tab container #41
  • Changed to the correct branding for Zen Home #50
Features
  • Added support for macOS aaarch64!
  • Some performance improvements
Breaking Changes
  • Removed support window's stub installer. It's under development.

Release notes for 1.0.0-a.1 🎉

July 11, 2024

If you encounter any issues, please report them on the issues page.

This release will be the first release considered as stable. It's still in alpha, but it's the first release that we consider to be stable enough for daily use. You can start using it as your main browser right now if you are reading this!

Fixes
  • Fixed a bug where the browser would crash when opening any extension #34
  • Fixed extension icon resolution on the toolbar #35
  • Applied a fix for that affected some Linux users #36
Features
  • Stable support for split views
  • Updated Firefox to version 128.0
  • Vertical tabs are now supported
  • Better profile management system
  • Full support for sidebar web panels
  • Other minor UI additions and improvements
  • Added support for an automatic update system