New Tab page in Firefox

Revision Information
  • Revision id: 98279
  • Created:
  • Creator: Joni
  • Comment: removed enhanced tiles
  • Reviewed: Yes
  • Reviewed:
  • Reviewed by: heyjoni
  • Is approved? Yes
  • Is current revision? No
  • Ready for localization: No
Revision Source
Revision Content
Please update your version of Firefox for the latest features and security updates.

What are Tiles?

When you open a tab in Firefox, you’ll see several rectangles that each link to a different website. These are called Tiles.

new tab tilestiles 39

You can configure your Tiles to include your recently visited or frequently visited sites, along with suggested sites and sponsored content.

Directory Tiles

New Firefox users are initially given a set of Directory Tiles, as suggestions for sites of interest. They are eventually replaced by History Tiles as you continue to use Firefox.

History Tiles

History Tiles are chosen based on the most frequently and recently visited sites in your browsing history ("frecency").

Suggested Tiles

Suggested Tiles show sites that may be of interest, based on categories from your frecent browsing history. These tiles are clearly denoted as Suggested.

These tiles may be suggested by Mozilla or a paid partner. Suggested Tiles for partner sites are denoted as Sponsored.

What data is being collected and why?

To deliver Tiles, Firefox fetches all possible Tiles and determines for itself what Tiles to display. Data is only collected to report on the performance of Tiles in Firefox. No data is collected to deliver the Tiles experience.

To report on the performance of Tiles, Firefox reports back to Mozilla:

  • Geo/Locale
  • How many times a Tile is:
    • Displayed
    • Pinned
    • Clicked on
    • Blocked

The data is stored on a restricted access server for a maximum of 7 days, and then the IP address (the only data that would associate the Tile with an individual) is removed.

Where does my data go/get shared?

Data is transmitted directly to Mozilla and only aggregate data is stored on Mozilla servers. For both Directory Tiles and Enhanced Tiles, Mozilla is sharing aggregate numbers with partners on the number of impressions, clicks, pins, and hides their own content received. The little data that Suggested Tiles reports goes to a restricted access server located in the USA. This data is stripped of IP addresses within 7 days, meaning that no one can be identified. We retain this data for a maximum of 13 months and aggregate all data to be shared with advertisers. For both Directory Tiles and Suggested Tiles, Mozilla is only sharing aggregate numbers with partners on the number of impressions, clicks, pins, and hides their own content received.

Does Do Not Track (DNT) work with Tiles?

We do not consider any aspect of Tiles to be tracking users. However, we made the decision to opt users out of all sponsored Tiles experiences if they have turned on the Do Not Track feature (Tell sites that I do not want to be tracked), as we believe that most DNT early adopters are seeking to opt out of all advertising experiences.

Where a user’s Tiles settings have been defined by a DNT preference which itself has not changed, the Tiles settings will remain the same. As DNT becomes more widely adopted, we may review the policy of interpreting a DNT preference during Tiles onboarding.

Will ad blockers block Tiles?

Tiles has not been tested with ad blockers. Turn off Tiles instead by clicking on the gear icon and selecting Show blank page.

Where/what countries are tiles being served?

Enhanced and Directory Tiles are currently available in the following localized versions of Firefox: English, German, Spanish, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese and Russian. More versions will be released over time. Suggested Tiles are available in English starting with Firefox version 39. They will be available in other languages starting in version 40.

How do I turn it on/off?

You can turn off Enhanced Tiles by clicking on the gear icon on the top right corner of the new tab page, and selecting Classic to show only unenhanced History Tiles or Blank mode, which turns the Tiles off.

classic mode blank mode gear tiles

You can turn off Suggested Tiles by clicking on the gear icon on the top right corner of the new tab page, and removing the checkmark next to Include suggested sites.

tiles controls 39

To remove all sites from the New Tab page, click Show blank page.

See Customize your Firefox New Tab page to learn more about customizing the New Tab Page.