Today I found the solution while searching for something different. Have a look at https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1337980

(1) about:config (2) in the search box, type: proton (3) set all "proton" settings to false.

Now the height of menu items adapts to the Windows default and the title bar is blue again. Problem solved.

Still I cannot understand why developers change the default design, instead of leaving the default design as is, and offering the users an option to switch to a new design, may i be proton or whatever. Insane. In my private opinion they have completely lost the focus on their users (think also of the odd gray folder icons in Thunderbird ...) - sooner or later users will react by searching for alternatives. But, of course, this is off topic here.

You can look at this extension:

• https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/photon-colors/

You can also create your own theme:

• https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/firefox-color/
• https://color.firefox.com

Nice try, but I don't want to have to install an AddOn to get a DEFAULT behaviour. As the name tells, I expect AddOns to ADD functionality or to MODIFY the default. Thanks, however.

Cannot switch proton to "false" any longer. (FF 92)

All tabs are shown in something between white and light gray now. The colour is the same whether the tab is active or not. Only difference between active and inactive tabs is a small border around the tab, which is nearly invisible.

I am getting more and more confused, not to say angry. I do NOT understand why developers are doing this. I do NOT have any respect for this kind of decision. Is there ANY developer in the Mozilla team having ANY means of usability? ANYONE paying attention to the fact that most of their users have less computer skills than they have, i.e. users do NOT want to hack with AddOns or CSS workarounds or anything else that requires IT know-how? I JUST want a browser that is useable. FF 89, 90, 91, 92 are all ... (censored) ... unusable. Please please please tell them!

Postscriptum. Same BS with Opera, all tab colours equal. What the hell is happening out there in the IT developers world? All of them gone crazy?

Same complaint here. Used the Proton false workaround last time Firefox updated and it returned the appearance to how it was before. Now, after an automated update to 92, it no longer changes the colours and leaves all tabs the same colour but with a thin line around the active one. How do I get it back to how it should be and not how some spotty developer decides it should be?

While I don't have a problem with updates that improve functionality, operation or security, but why should they also change the appearance? People get used to what they know and use and don't expect somebody else to impose their view of how it should look on them.

Problem: Firefox does not respect default windows title bar behavior.

Windows title bars change colour between active and non active windows. This is a default windows behavior. Developers should NOT be overriding the default behavior of the windows system.

I have watched and tried multiple so called fixes for this issue since Firefox V 88.0.1 without any success. I am stuck at version 88.0.1 as any update makes Firefox unusable for me.

No I should not have to create themes, re-code an application to follow what is the expected "Default" behavior for windows applications. I am profoundly bewildered by this decision by Firefox devs to break the default windows behavior. Do you actively want to force desktop users to an alternative browser?

I have been a long time user of Firefox and an active participant in the ICT and tertiary world.. I f I go, fellow colleagues and students will follow.

Please fix this. Restore the default windows behavior so that the title bar follows the system highlighted colour when active. I am at the end of my patience on this.

Update: It appears that the title bar is not the title bar in Firefox, although it has followed the default title bar behavior for so long behind tabs and "Menu"...

So I apologize for the above error in terminology, just the same I would highly recommend returning the default behavior style to change colour in the same way as the title bar..

The Fix for anyone else that is being confused or having problems with this: Select a new tab, right click on the top bar (tabs, menu) and select "Customize Toolbar". In the lower left Select the ☑ Title Bar to turn the Windows Title bar back on. The default "Windows Title Bar" follows the correct behavior.

I hope this helps for anyone else being confused by this :)

Thanks for the suggestion but it doesn't answer the question or cure the problem. The problem isn't that the Title bar isn't displayed, I don't need a Title bar to tell me the window is Firefox, I want the active tab to be a different colour to the non-active ones. Up until FF88, it always was, from FF89, setting Proton to false made it that way but from FF92, even that workaround has no affect. If you look at my two screenshots, you'll see that the active tab is the same colour as the others, it just has a thin border around it, all putting a tick in the Title Bar box does is add a Title Bar.

Edge responds as FF always used to do, with the active tab a different colour to the others as can be seen in the screenshot. However, Edge does not seem able to display a Menu Bar as I have, and use, in Firefox, otherwise I would have dropped Firefox and moved over to Edge instead.

I suppose my other alternative would be to roll back to FF88 and turn off updates. Any ideas on how I can do that and retain all my bookmarks and settings?

@rgilbert07 yes, that's exactly what I meant. Title bar/menu bar is "nice-to-have" (and one of the advantages of FF, there _IS_ a menu bar (not in Chrome or Edge)), but what I really need is to identify the active tab against inactive tabs. Whenever there is just a little amount of sunshine or other light falling in from besides or behind, you don't have any chance to see anything. Absolute annoying nuisance.

More and more browser developers stop paying respect for their users. Edge has changed to wide menuitem spacing now - unusable. Opera - same tab as here, unusable. I have always been reluctant using Chrome but currently it has the best UI.

Regretfully I see that mankind is losing rationality & common sense. Insanity wins.

[Profanity removed by moderator. Please read Mozilla Support rules and guidelines, thanks.]

Glad I'm not the only one. As I said, I don't have a problem with updates that improve the inner workings of a program but when it alters the appearance and removes features that were always there in the past, it isn't an upgrade but a downgrade in my view. Edge and Chrome don't have a menu bar (File, Edit, View, History, etc.) and FF now has widely spaced bookmarks and the lack of focus on the active tab. FF91 worked fine with Proton set to false (although the bookmarks were still spaced out too much for my liking), FF88 and before just worked. Is an upgrade back to FF88 feasible without losing all my bookmarks and settings?

I like the way a moderator edits a post because he doesn't like the language but doesn't offer any advice on the problem. I suppose it means somebody reads posts on here, just nobody can be bothered to suggest an answer.

I can't remember what I wrote, but maybe I've been too angry so I'd like to apologize. This board is _their_ place so _they_ set the rules.

There is rumour we will get back narrow bookmark spacing with the next major version. There has been a plea at "Mozilla ideas" which got more than 150 upvotes, which may be the reason that the developers finally woke up. I suggest to start a new petition as soon as FF 93 is released.

Just this moment I found: https://mozilla.crowdicity.com/post/719939

Whoever reads this topic, please support the idea!

Supported it but just successfully upgraded to FF88.0.1 so now have a highlighted active tab and narrow spacing on the bookmarks......

Followed these instructions https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1338970#question-reply and when FF restarted it even re-opened the tabs I had active previously.

"upgraded to FF88.0.1" ... *rofl*

@rgilbert, best idea ever. Just this moment I went back to 88.0.1 and this is exactly the UI that I want. Title bar, menu bar, tab colours: excellent. Bookmark spacing, _all_ menuitem spacing: excellent.

After uninstalling FF 92, they asked for feedback and I gave feedback. Hopefully there will be more users taking the opportunity to tell them they're wrong way.

I didn't bother uninstalling, just followed the instructions in the post I linked to, closed FF92, installed FF88.0.1 and when I opened FF again, all the tabs I had open previously were there but with a UI I wanted.

I must admit, I did a full backup before doing it in case everything went wrong, but it wasn't needed and only took a few minutes.

One question, how do I turn off automatic updates completely? I have an option to turn them on or Check for updates and allow me to choose. Now I'm getting a daily pop-up telling me there is a later version available and I have to click on Not Now to make it go away. My concern is sooner or later I am going to click on update without thinking and end up back with FF92.

In the registry editor, go to the location \HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Mozilla\Firefox (or create it if missing). At this place create a DWORD "DisableAppUpdate" and set it to "1".

Seems to have worked, not been prompted to update for the last couple of days. Thanks.

Hopefully they will take note of people's complaints and FF93 will be back to how it should be. Until then, I'll stick with 88.