Mozilla Firefox quietly removes Direct2D support on Windows: Here's What it means for Users

Mozilla is dropping support for “Direct2D” in Firefox on Windows. The change takes effect with “Firefox 146” and ends the browser’s use of Microsoft’s graphics system for 2D rendering. The company suggests using “Firefox 140 ESR” for those who still need Direct2D.

What is Direct2D

Direct2D is a graphics system developed by Microsoft. It allows Windows apps to draw text, images, and shapes using the computer’s graphics card instead of the processor. Direct2D is an integral part of Windows and remains active in many applications.

Programs such as Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, and other Windows software still use it to make visuals faster and sharper.

Users do not interact with Direct2D directly. It runs in the background and helps apps and websites appear clear and consistent on screen.

Firefox added Direct2D support to improve performance on Windows. It made text and images load faster and relied on the GPU for better visuals.

Firefox version 146 Drops Direct2D support on Windows

Over time, Mozilla moved to Skia, a cross-platform graphics engine that works the same way on Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android. Skia handles how Firefox draws shapes and text, while WebRender manages how those drawings reach the screen through the graphics card.

Skia also powers Chrome and many other apps. This change made it easier for Mozilla to maintain one graphics system across all platforms.

Mozilla confirmed in a bug report that Direct2D had been deprecated for a year. The team has now removed it completely and deleted the hidden preferences that allowed users to enable or disable Direct2D manually.

There is now no way to turn Direct2D back on in Firefox. Users who still need it can stay on Firefox 140 ESR, which will keep support for a while longer. That version is not meant for most users.

“Direct2D has been deprecated for a year now in preparation for removing it completely. It is now time to remove support for it by disallowing the pref entirely,” wrote Lee Salzman, Software Engineer at Mozilla, in the bug report.

Here are the hidden preferences that allowed users to force or enable Direct2D in Firefox:

gfx.direct2d.disabled
gfx.direct2d.force-enabled
gfx.direct2d.target-independent-rasterization.disabled

Most users will not notice any difference. Firefox will continue to use hardware acceleration through Skia for drawing and Direct3D for handling the GPU work behind the scenes. These systems now perform the same role that Direct2D once did.

Some users may see small differences in how text or graphics appear, but general browsing performance should remain the same. The removal may also improve stability for some Windows setups that had problems with older graphics drivers.

That’s not all. Firefox now lets you create desktop shortcuts for profiles in Nightly. Don’t forget to check our hands-on article on Firefox Split View Tabs. Mozilla has also started testing a built-in, browser-only VPN in Firefox.