According to Mozilla, Covid-19 dramatically changed the way we use browser extensions.

Since March 2020 (when Covid-19 was declared a global pandemic), here’s how the usage of Firefox extensions has changed.

Has Covid-19 Changed How We Browse?

In a recent Mozilla blog post, Mozilla outlined a comparison of extension installations between the three months before lockdown and the earliest three months after lockdown started. Mozilla only looked at Firefox extensions with at least 10,000 users.

Working and Studying Remotely

Firefox users flocked towards extensions that would allow them to work and study from home. Here are the extensions that were installed the most during the early months of lockdown:

Tree Style Tab

Tree Style Tab experienced a growth of 126 percent. With this extension, you can manage your tabs in a tree-like format. You can organize your tabs into groups based on different topics.

Given the overload of tabs you need to work, study, and stay informed, it’s no wonder that Firefox users grew fond of this extension.

To Google Translate

To Google Translate increased from an average of 222,000 monthly installations to over 504,000 monthly installs, which equates to an increase of 126 percent.

This extension allows you to easily translate languages by selecting the text and right-clicking your mouse. This makes translating languages much easier as you don’t have to manually copy the text and open a translation tool.

Zoom Scheduler

Zoom Scheduler installs grew by 1,522 percent. Since people were working from home and communicating via Zoom, finding convenient ways to set meetings made life easier.

The extension allows you to link your Zoom meetings with your Google Calendar. When you use Zoom Scheduler, you can directly schedule a meeting from your Google Calendar on your Firefox browser.

Dark Background and Light Text

Dark Background and Light Text installs surged by 351 percent. This extension is a great way to avoid eye strain from screens.

The Dark Background and Light Text extension allows you to view web pages with light text and dark backgrounds.

Entertainment

Since the regular entertainment activities were closed and everyone was stuck indoors, Firefox users were looking for the best ways to entertain themselves:

YouTube NonStop

YouTube NonStop installs increased by 45 percent. This means that more people turned to YouTube to listen to music. This extension allows you to play music on YouTube without the “Video paused. Continue watching?” prompt.

BetterTTV

This extension allows you to enjoy an enhanced streaming experience through filters, emotes, and improved chat features. Since livestreaming gained popularity during lockdown, BetterTTV extension installs increased by 46 percent.

Watch2Gether

The Watch2Gether extension is one of the methods people used to do things together while apart. With an increase of 82 percent in installs, it’s clear that watch parties were very popular during lockdown. The Watch2Gether extension lets you share content from a video website into a Watch2Gether viewing room.

Digital Privacy

The focus wasn’t just on work and entertainment. Lockdown also encouraged Firefox users to take their digital privacy more seriously:

Facebook Container

Facebook Container is a social media browser extension that prevents Facebook from tracking your online behavior. During lockdown, more people enjoyed using Facebook but also found it important to keep themselves safe while doing so. Facebook Container installs increased by 211 percent.

Privacy Badger

Privacy Badger is one of the must-have privacy add-ons for Firefox. Installs of this extension increased by 80 percent. Privacy Badger helps you block sneaky trackers on your browser.

Privacy Badger blocks trackers based on their behavior, meaning that the longer you have it, the better.

Cookie AutoDelete installations jumped up from 42,000 to a whopping 206,000. This extension helps you get rid of any cookies that are not being used, except those you have specified to keep.

The Way We Browse Has Permanently Shifted

As we slowly bounce back to normal life, the browser extensions mentioned above will remain useful. From now on, regardless of whether you’re working remotely, entertaining yourself at home, or maintaining your online privacy, you’ll always know which Firefox extensions to use.