With millions of downloads, Waterfox gained its popularity back in the day because it was the only Firefox fork that had an x64 build when Windows 7 came out. This meant that you would get the same features as Firefox while also having improved speeds and sending less personal information to the Firefox servers. Mar 30, 2021 Waterfox is essentially Mozilla Firefox's code compiled as a 64-bit application for Windows. It includes support for all of Firefox's features including plug-ins, extensions and everything else you expect Firefox to do. Visually, the only different layout feature you might notice is the blue logo.
Mozilla Waterfox Review
Users on 64-bit Windows who download Firefox can get our 64-bit version by default. That means you get a more secure version of Firefox, one that also crashes a whole lot less. How much less? In our tests so far, 64-bit Firefox reduced crashes by 39% on machines with 4GB of RAM or more.
What’s the difference between 32-bit and 64-bit?
Here’s the key thing to know: 64-bit applications can access more memory and are less likely to crash than 32-bit applications. Also, with the jump from 32 to 64 bits, a security feature called Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR) works better to protect you from attackers. Linux and macOS users, fret not, you already enjoy a Firefox that’s optimized for 64-bit.
How do you get 64-bit Firefox?
Mozilla Waterfox Download
If you’re running 64-bit Windows (here’s how to check), your Firefox may already be 64-bit. Check your Firefox version (in the “About Firefox” window) and look for “(32-bit)” or “(64-bit)” after the version number:
- If you see “(32-bit)” and you are running Firefox 56.0 or older, updating to the latest Firefox version should automatically upgrade you to 64-bit.
- If you see “(32-bit)” and are running Firefox 56.0.1 or newer, then your computer may not meet the minimum memory requirement for 64-bit (3 GB RAM or more). You can still manually install 64-bit Firefox, if you choose.
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