How do I launch Firefox for Windows 8 Touch?

Revision Information
  • Revision id: 38245
  • Created:
  • Creator: Yuan
  • Comment: Change the browser name to "Windows 8 (Metro) style Firefox"
  • Reviewed: No
  • Ready for localization: No
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Have a Windows 8 machine? Looking for an alternative browser other than Internet Explorer? Now you can get a Firefox Nightly build which comes with a special Windows 8 version designed from the ground up for Microsoft's latest OS Windows 8.

Installing Windows 8 (Metro) style Firefox

  1. Visit Nightly download website: https://nightly.mozilla.org in any browser.Install_Nightly download website
  2. Click the "Windows Express" or "Windows Standard" link to start download. Depending on your connection speed, the download may take up to a few minutes. Thanks for your patience… it’ll be worth the wait!
  3. Start the install process by clicking "Run":Install_run application
  4. Then, just follow the steps (we’ve made the process as painless as possible).
  5. Double-click on the Firefox icon whenever you want to go online in Windows Classic.
Note: Firefox Nightly cannot run on Windows RT devices. And due to Microsoft's restrictions on thrid-party browsers, Firefox nightly can't be downloaded from Windows Store at this moment.

Launching Windows 8 (Metro) style Firefox

To launch the Firefox Nightly tile in Windows 8, you need to set Firefox Nightly as the default browser.

  • If Firefox Nightly is set as default, the tile on the start screen will look like following: Firefox Nightly as default
  • And if Firefox Nightly is not set as default, the tile on the start screen will look like following:Firefox Nightly not as default


How do I make Windows 8 (Metro) style Firefox as the default browser?

If you are prompted with this dialog in Windows Classic, you can click "Yes" to make Firefox Nightly as your default browser.Set as default prompt

However, if you have turned off the notification, the following is another approach to make Nightly as default.

  1. If you are on Windows 8 Start screen, swipe from the left and tap on "Search" charm. Then search "default" and Windows will show "Default Programs" in the search results. Click on it to to open Default Programs window. Alternatively, if you are in classic Windows, you can open the Default Programs from control panel.Search for default program
  2. Click/tap on "Set your default programs" link at the topDefault programs
  3. Find "Firefox Nightly" from the given list and click on "Set this program as default" optionSelect Nightly as the default
  4. Once you set the default choice, Windows may show a notification window asking you to select the application to open http links. Select Nightly from the given list.Choose Nightly to open http links
  5. That's it. And now, you can enjoy a Firefox optimized for your Windows 8!