Listen up, Firefox-users! Did you know Mozilla offers thousands of free complete browser themes? That’s right, more than just a few color changes, complete themes can transform the entire look of your browser. We’ve covered awesome Windows 7 and 8 themes previously, but these are the themes that are compatible with the latest version of Firefox 21.0.
From a crisp white theme that is the direct opposite of the default red color theme to themes that embrace the darker side of things, Mozilla offers hundreds amazing themes for a variety of tastes.
FT DeepDark
The FT DeepDark theme, which won Best Firefox Theme of 2012, is a great theme for anyone who has to look at a screen for several hours at a time. The dark, sleek look is easy on the eyes and everything is black: Menus, new tabs, context; except for the neon contrast in the URL field and tabs. It also runs quicker than most themes and the animations are smooth. The only negative is that the icons tend to get crowded in the toolbar.
A Blue Fox
The A Blue Fox theme is a theme for anyone who loves a dark color scheme in their browser and the color blue. The buttons located at the top of the browser are in an an-easy-to-read light blue and the drop-down menus have a black background with blue font. The modern design is also a nice touch. The only con is a bug that may occur when going into full-screen mode, and a white-out screen appears.
NASA Night Launch
The NASA Night Launch theme is inspired by the night launch of the STS-116. Again, this is a great theme for people who prefer darker colors but is also for folks who want to keep the orange “Firefox” button in the top-left drop-down menu. The only con is the unattractive fraction of an inch parameter around the bottom of the screen and the vertical toolbar can become transparent when the theme is active.
FXChrome
For anyone who loves the look of Chrome but prefers the functionality of Firefox, the FXChrome theme is a great option. This theme makes Firefox look uncannily similar to Chrome, giving it the clean, sleek silver look Chrome is known for. The only noticeable con is when you hover over the toolbar buttons with your mouse, they become partially transparent.
Simple White
Simple White is exactly what it sounds like – a simple white theme for Firefox. This theme works best in Windows 7 and Vista since it utilizes Aero, the default transparent theme, but Windows 8 users have reported it works ok for them as well. It also gives your browser an elegant appearance by offering semi-transparent tabs. The only hiccup with this theme – you need to disable “Compatibility checking” under “Options” for it to work uninterrupted when Firefox releases new versions.
Noia Fox
The Noia Fox theme is several themes in one, and it offers support for Personas (separate skins to further customize Firefox). This theme comes in metal grey, light grey, blue and black and offers a modern, rounded look with cartoon-like icons. In the URL field, the text is also bolded so it can be more easily viewed. A con found in this theme – the autocomplete entries don’t become highlighted when they’re selected by up and down arrows.
FT GraphiteGlow
The FT GraphieGlow theme offers users a smooth graphite look in Firefox, as well as gun-metal grey coloring in all drop-down menus so it’s easy on the eyes. This theme also transforms the toolbar icons into smaller icons so they don’t take up as much space, and the transitions in this theme are quick. The only drawback is that sometimes the scroll tab gets stuck when page scrolling.
Update: This add-on is removed by its author.
Download FT GraphiteGlow.
rein
If you’re looking for a monochromatic theme for Firefox, the rein theme is an interesting theme to check out. The significant feature of this theme is that it changes to whatever color you specify. If you’ve chosen blue as your default Windows color, for example, blue will be visible in this browser. Rein also offers transparent tabs and minimalistic striping in the toolbar. The one con with this theme is that gets shaky when Firefox updates the browser.
Pink Fox Theme
For fans of the color pink, the Pink Fox Theme is a theme you’ll love. The buttons in the toolbar are neon pink, including the “Start Page,” “Bookmarks” and “Downloads” buttons, as well as the back and forward buttons. The browser is also gentle on the eyes – the URL field is black, as are the drop-down menus, all with neon pink text. The only con is that reading the neon pink text on black may pose a challenge for some. Light pink would’ve been a better option.
LavaFox V2
If you don’t mind the red default color of Firefox, the red and black colors found in the LavaFox V2 theme will definitely peak your interest. This theme is called a “dark and hot” theme and it offers animated scroll-bars and progress-bars, a custom toolbar with icons that glow, and the “Firefox” text in the top-left menu is replaced with the Firefox icon. The drop-down menus are also in black, as is the URL field, so they’re gentle to look at. The main drawback of this theme is that the tabs don’t extend to the top of the screen, making it hard to switch between tabs.
Remember, themes are more than just visually stimulating GUI’s – they can stimulate your work productivity big time if you know which “visual scape” your brain responds to best. Try a few until you find one you can’t live without. And if none of the above themes strike your fancy, there are several more that may. Check out the 10 best Firefox themes from 2012.
