Pale Moon
Moonchild Productions • BrowserApplication
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Pale Moon is a custom-built and speed-optimized Firefox browser. The project uses contributed Open Source code to create a full-featured, speed-optimized browser based on Firefox. Having seen the advantages on other systems (e.g., Linux) with regards to programs being compiled specifically for the capabilities of the machine it is installed on, it became obviously clear that Windows users were at a disadvantage. Mozilla only releases Windows executables with maximum compatibility in mind, meaning that Firefox is made to run on as many different systems as possible, sacrificing efficiency and speed in the process to be compatible with, by current standards, absolutely ancient hardware.
Mozilla does not provide optimized browser packages for Windows. That means you may lose speed and efficiency when you use your browser. That needs to change. Therefore, the Pale Moon project offers custom-built and optimized Firefox browsers for Windows Operating Systems. Make sure to get the most speed and efficiency out of your browser!
In This Post
Why It Stands Out
Optimize Privacy Settings
- Go to Preferences > Privacy.
- Adjust settings for tracking protection, do-not-track requests, and cookie management.
- Configure History settings to remove cookies or manage data privacy as desired.
Explanation: Tailoring your privacy settings helps control the information shared with websites, enhances your online anonymity, and prevents unwanted tracking, giving you more control over your browsing data.
Enable Hardware Acceleration for Performance
- Go to Preferences > Advanced > General.
- Locate the Hardware Acceleration section.
- Ensure Use hardware acceleration when available is checked.
Explanation: Enabling hardware acceleration allows Pale Moon to leverage your GPU for displaying, composing, scrolling, and animating web pages, significantly speeding up page rendering and improving overall browser responsiveness. If disabled, these tasks fall solely on your CPU, which can slow down performance.
Manage Pop-up Blocking Exceptions
- Go to Preferences > Web Content.
- Under the Pop-ups section, ensure Block pop-up windows is checked.
- Click Exceptions… to add or remove specific websites that you want to allow or block pop-ups from.
Explanation: While Pale Moon blocks annoying pop-ups by default, some legitimate websites use them for essential functions. Managing exceptions ensures you can access necessary content without being bombarded by unwanted advertisements.
Download Pale Moon
File size: 29.8 MB
OS support: Windows
Windows
Download Pale Moon 34.2.2 for Windows – x64
Download Pale Moon 34.2.2 for Windows – x86
Product Specifications
| Software Name | Pale Moon |
|---|---|
| Version | 34.2.2 |
| License | Open Source |
| File Size | 29.8 MB |
| OS Support | Windows |
| Language | Multi-language (37 languages) |
| Developer | Moonchild Productions |
| Homepage | https://www.palemoon.org/ |
| Changelogurl | http://www.palemoon.org/releasenotes.shtml |
| Last Updated | May 1, 2026 |
Notable Features
- Highly Optimized Performance: Pale Moon is custom-built and highly optimized for modern processors, ensuring a faster and more efficient browsing experience compared to generic browser builds. This optimization targets significant speed increases for page drawing and script processing.
- Firefox-Sourced Security: Built from 100% Firefox source code, Pale Moon inherits years of development in security, making it as safe and reliable as its Mozilla counterpart. It benefits from a large audit of security issues, addressing potential vulnerabilities and crash scenarios.
- Extensive Add-on Support: Enjoy broad compatibility with Firefox extensions (add-ons), themes, and personas. Pale Moon notably retains support for legacy Firefox add-ons built with XUL and XPCOM, which modern Firefox versions have dropped.
- Seamless Profile Migration: Users can easily migrate existing Firefox profiles, including bookmarks and settings, to Pale Moon using its dedicated migration tool. This allows for a smooth transition without losing personalized data.
- Reduced Memory Usage: By disabling redundant and optional code, Pale Moon uses slightly less memory than its base, contributing to a lighter footprint and improved system responsiveness, especially on systems with limited RAM.
- Modern Web Standards Support: The browser fully supports contemporary web technologies such as HTML5 and WebGL (v4), ensuring compatibility with a wide range of modern websites and web applications. It also supports SVG, Canvas, and downloadable fonts including WOFF.
- Enhanced Stability: Pale Moon aims to provide a more stable browsing environment, leading to fewer browser crashes and a more consistent user experience. This is achieved through careful development and addressing code correctness issues.
- Out-of-Process Plugin Execution (OOPP): Supports OOPP, which isolates plugins from the main browser process. This enhances stability and security by preventing plugin crashes from affecting the entire browser and protecting against potential vulnerabilities.
Technical Requirements
Minimum
- OS: Windows 7, 8, 8.1, 10, 11; Windows Server 2008 R2 or later
- Processor: A processor with SSE2 instruction support
- RAM: 1 GB of RAM
- Disk Space: At least 200 MB of free (uncompressed) disk space
Getting Started
Installation Steps
- Click the download button above to get the installer for your operating system (Windows x64 or x86).
- Locate the downloaded file (e.g., palemoon-34.2.2.win64.installer.exe) and double-click to run the installer.
- Follow the on-screen installation wizard, accepting the license agreement and choosing your preferred setup type (Standard or Custom) to complete the installation.
Compatibility: Compatible with Windows 7, 8, 8.1, 10, and 11, as well as Windows Server 2008 R2 or later.
Fix Common Problems
- Issue: Installation fails → Solution: Run the installer as an administrator by right-clicking the executable and selecting Run as administrator.
Common Questions
Is Pale Moon a free web browser?
Yes, Pale Moon is a free and open-source web browser, licensed under the MPL-2.0.
Can I use Firefox extensions with Pale Moon?
Pale Moon supports legacy Firefox add-ons built with XUL and XPCOM, which Firefox dropped support for in 2017. This allows users to continue using many older, beloved extensions.
What are the minimum system requirements for Pale Moon?
To run Pale Moon, you need Windows 7 or later (including Windows Server 2008 R2+), a processor with SSE2 instruction support, 1 GB of RAM, and at least 200 MB of free disk space.
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