Firefox Could Soon Open as Fast as Edge on Windows 11 - What's Coming and 5 Ways to Speed It Up

Firefox is working on the same Windows 11 trick that makes Edge open faster - here is what it does, when it might arrive, and what you can speed up today.

Mozilla has opened a bug to add Windows 11's "accelerated app launches" to Firefox.

It is still an early test, not something you can switch on yet.

The good news is that a few settings already make Firefox feel quicker while you wait.

What Edge Got, and Why Firefox Wants It

At the end of October, Microsoft said Edge now opens about 15% faster for most people, and up to 33% faster when the PC is busy. It uses a new Windows feature called accelerated app launches.

Here is the idea in plain words. Normally, when a browser is already open and you click a link or its Start menu icon, Windows starts a brand-new copy of the program, which finds the open one, hands over your click and closes again.

With accelerated launches, the open browser tells Windows once: "send my launches straight to me". The middle step disappears, so the window or tab shows up sooner.

• It works when the browser is already running. It speeds up clicks on links, the taskbar and the Start menu, not the very first start after you turn the PC on.
• Edge needs a recent Windows 11. Microsoft lists Windows 11 25H2, 26H1 or 26H2 with the October 2026 optional update (KB5127936) or newer.
• Edge is first, not the only one. Microsoft says it is also bringing the work to Chromium, the engine behind Chrome and many other browsers.

Where Firefox Is Right Now

The Firefox work lives in Mozilla's public bug tracker as bug 2087194. A developer is assigned to it and an early test patch exists.

In a quick local test, a clicked link reached an open Firefox in about 3 milliseconds instead of about 70. That is one developer's first measurement, not a promise for every PC.

• It is off by default. The switch will sit behind a hidden setting until Mozilla is happy with it.
• There is no release date. No Firefox version has been targeted yet.
• Some questions are still open. For example, which window should get the link if you run several Firefox profiles at once.

Make Firefox Feel Faster Today

You don't have to wait for Mozilla. These five steps take a few minutes and work on Windows 10 and 11.

1. Update Firefox. Open the menu, then Help > About Firefox, and let it finish - or grab the latest Mozilla Firefox installer.
2. Let Firefox open with Windows. In Settings > General, under Startup, tick the option to open Firefox automatically when your computer starts up - it is then already running when you click your first link.
3. Make it your default browser. On the same page, choose Make Default, so links from email and other apps go straight to Firefox.
4. Trim your add-ons. Type about:addons in the address bar and disable the extensions you no longer use - each one adds work at startup.
5. Still slow, refresh it. Type about:support and click Refresh Firefox - it keeps your bookmarks, passwords and history but clears old settings and add-ons.

Should You Switch to Edge or Chrome for Speed?

Probably not just for this. The gain is a fraction of a second on a click, and it only counts while the browser is already open.

If you want to try the faster launch now, Microsoft Edge has it today on an up-to-date Windows 11. Google Chrome should follow once the Chromium work lands, but Google hasn't given a date.

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