About PrefBar

PrefBar started as a simple toolbar to get easy access to common preferences like Javascript, Flash, the proxy used for web access, ... Over the time, PrefBar got further developed to be a container for nearly everything, that can be placed on a button, checkbox or menulist.

With the ongoing Firefox development, the button management, provided by PrefBar, got more and more obsolete. Nowadays it is much easier to do the same with individual Addons for each task.

This website will be kept updated with informations about replacement addons and it still provides a PrefBar archive for historic reasons.

Get PrefBar replacement Addons Access PrefBar archive

What's New

Replicated PrefBar screenshot with up-to-date technology

As the PrefBar addons.mozilla.org page is no longer available, I decided to host some old screenshots here, to show what PrefBar used to be.

While going over the screenshots, I thought: "Wouldn't it be interesting to replicate the most recent screenshot with replacement Addons?".

Here is the screenshot that I used to show some features that I actually used:
Screenshot with PrefBar toolbar items

And this is the same without PrefBar at all:
Screenshot with some replacement Addons

Used Addons:

I didn't add anything to toggle Flash. I have uninstalled Flash completely on all my devices years ago.

2019-07-27 - Manuel Reimer

Alternative global website color toggler available

I've already created a website color toggler which works per tab: Toggle Website Colors (Tab). This solution has the advantage that it only changes colors on one tab and doesn't modify all other tabs and windows. This works well for everyone who wants to have something handy for some rare cases where websites have bad readable colors.

But this "per tab" solution pointed out to have some limitations for everyone who wants to remove author-defined colors for all websites (for some kind of "global dark theme). In the meantime the Firefox built-in color toggle feature, which was used by PrefBar, also got available to WebExtensions, so it is now possible to offer this as a second option for toggling website colors: Toggle Website Colors (Global).

So now you have the choice: Selective "per tab" color toggling, which may have some limitations as it is limited to what I can do with CSS without breaking too much pages, or the "global" color toggling, which controls a Firefox feature inside the renderer.

2019-07-19 - Manuel Reimer

Some more "toggle icons" finished

Actually these "toggle thingies" are surprisingly easy to make, so I've made a few more:

2019-01-23 - Manuel Reimer

Another replacement addon ready: Toggle Fonts

If you want to toggle website fonts with just one click (just like the PrefBar "Fonts" checkbox allowed to do), then feel free to try my latest Addon:

Toggle Fonts

2019-01-13 - Manuel Reimer

Replacement for the Language menulist available

After some time, I decided to create another "PrefBar functionality replacement Addon".

To test multilingual websites it may be required to switch the browser language, sent to the webserver, to test the automatic language switch on the webserver. This is what my new Addon "Language Switch" is meant for. You may create a list of language identifiers, in the way you need it for your testing, just like it was possible with PrefBar.

You may find the new Addon here: Language Switch

2018-06-23 - Manuel Reimer

Standalone replacement for "Referrer checkbox" available

I've created a simple "Referrer toggle" Addon for everyone who wants to disable this "feature" by default. It is already reviewed by Mozilla and can be installed from here: Toggle Referrer

2017-10-21 - Manuel Reimer

Standalone replacement for "Page2Image" button available

If you need a "Firefox 57 proof" replacement for the "Page2Image" button, please have a look at this one: Save Screenshot.

2017-07-03 - Manuel Reimer

Standalone addon available which replaces "Colors" checkbox. Migration planning list online. Please tell me which buttons you need!

My second standalone "PrefBar button" is online: Toggle Website Colors.

This replaces one of the most requested features: The colors checkbox. This makes it possible to read pages with a bad color choice more easily by disabling all the colors, so you can read the text "black on white".
The addon adds this feature to the browser context menu, so you don't need to waste space on your toolbar. This way you can have the addon enabled all the time and if you need to disable colors once in a while, it is directly availble.

I've also published a page with my current migration planning. Please tell me if you still use some of the buttons, either via mail or on the mozillazine forum thread! Please also tell me if you did own buttons and want me to port them to WebExtensions. Otherwise it would be your job to do this until Firefox 57 is out!

2017-06-05 - Manuel Reimer

First standalone addon available which replaces "Restore Tab" button on PrefBar

I've created a first standalone Addon to replace the "Restore Tab" button, which was provided by PrefBar, so far.

You can download "Undo Close Tab" button from here: Undo Close Tab

I strongly recommend everyone to remove "Restore Tab" from PrefBar and get the new Addon as replacement.

I'm still working on some more buttons, but some of them need API which is only available with Firefox 54. So stay tuned for further updates on more Addons.

Just as a reminder: My plan is to port all buttons, that I need into standalone Addons. PrefBar itself will no longer work with Firefox 57 and higher! If there are PrefBar buttons, you don't want to loose, then please tell me so we can find a possible solution.

2017-05-06 - Manuel Reimer

To view older news, have a look at the news archive