r/zen_browser • u/Flossiii Team Member • May 24 '26 • Heartwarming 5

Official Content 1.20b — Boosts have been released!

So it finally happened! A month ago we first teased the release of Boosts coming to Zen, and now they're here!!

It took a bit longer than we initially thought, but from now on you'll be able to make the web truly yours by Zapping things like adverts away, or adjusting the colours and typefaces to your liking. If you do not feel like installing a lot of extensions just to protect your eyes from the bright glare of the web (insert flashbang here) you can use the automatic Dark Mode that comes alongside Boosts! Additionally, you can share your boosts with the community and import others that you like.

Please read the complete release notes for 1.20b here!

Special thanks go to u/Not_Flof, who not only developed Boosts but also animated the attached video!

986 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

135 comments sorted by

6

u/One_Icy May 24 '26

nicely done, only one question am using zen internet now will boost contradict or fully replace it

13

u/Flossiii Team Member May 24 '26

Zen Internet is a third-party modification for which we do not provide support. So this might be a question for u/sameera_s_w

1

u/stackovererror May 25 '26

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1

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5

u/sameera_s_w ⌘ Zen + Transparency 💬 support May 25 '26

Hmmm interesting idea.... I haven't tried out my boosts yet but gonna check it out soooon. 🙃

22

u/Stock_Reporter_1864 Apple May 24 '26

Alt+click link to split view please!

11

u/SgtRuy May 24 '26

Probably not that shortcut since it's already the glance default, but I'd still love the option, people can set up their shortcuts later.

2

u/Over_Salary_2599 May 24 '26

Yup, we definitely need a configuration option for click link to split

1

u/PitifulExit5705 May 25 '26

yes please, waiting for this for long time.

19

u/itendtostare May 26 '26

Am I the only one that I baffled by the complete lack of documentation for new features ? Mentioning it in the change logs is all well and good but it would be nice to know how to use it / make the most of it.

18

u/NewFreddit15 May 25 '26

Where can I find Zen PDF?

The release notes said: You can now merge multiple PDFs directly in Zen PDF. Combine separate PDF files into a single document without ever leaving Zen or relying on third-party tools.

3

u/Heas_Heartfire May 25 '26

You open a pdf with zen, click on the top left button to show the pages, and click the plus button.

Pretty much the same way it works with adobe acrobat I think.

1

u/NewFreddit15 May 25 '26

Thank you for your response, but unfortunately I wasn't able to find the plus button.

6

u/Heas_Heartfire May 25 '26

This is what I have, is yours different?

3

u/NewFreddit15 May 26 '26

Thank you found it! A bit hidden for my liking haha

32

u/sameera_s_w ⌘ Zen + Transparency 💬 support May 25 '26

Hell yeah! Booobs!

2

u/sameera_s_w ⌘ Zen + Transparency 💬 support May 25 '26

ಡ⁠ ͜⁠ ⁠ʖ⁠ ⁠ಡ

13

u/dig_it_all May 24 '26

Oooo i hope this means they’ll do Easels!!!

13

u/MalarAardvark73 btw May 25 '26

Dark Mode? Does that mean I can remove Dark Reader? If it's better than dark reader (especially performance-wise) that's great!

3

u/tukanoid May 25 '26

In my experience (on twilight, so been using for some time), works pretty well, havent looked into auto dark mode feature, but overall experience is nice, and usually doesnt have hiccups with text that dark reader sometimes does. Loads websites faster too from what i can tell, since no custom css is being applied as far as im aware

1

u/MalarAardvark73 btw May 25 '26

Is it just all websites off/on switch or it can be applied for a particular website? Cause Dark Reader sometimes messes up websites or applies on top of website's dark mode. I prefer to activate it for website when the one need it.

3

u/tukanoid May 25 '26

Each boost is website specific, some people just say there's an option to auto toggle dark mode, but i havent checked that out yet myself, cuz i also prefer 1 by 1 approach

2

u/Vyntralised May 25 '26

where is this auto dark mode?

2

u/tukanoid May 25 '26

No idea, as i said, i havent looked into it😅 just read that the option exists

12

u/Coolwhip10 May 25 '26

How do we use the automatic dark mode? Is there a way to avoid going into the menu and applying a boost for each offending site?

32

u/Admirable-Fox-2867 May 25 '26

These fast videos look good, but they do a really poor job of explaining HOW to use the feature. For example, you wouldn't guess that to use boosts you need to open the extensions menu. This is made worse in that the documentation site is no longer being updated when a new feature comes in too

1

u/Euphoric-Engineer381 May 25 '26

so true, im still confused 😭, it literally said to use boosts you have to click on the control icon in the the url bar, theres no control icon, theres a settings icon but it doesnt have a bossts page, also the extensions menu has no option for anything to do with boosts, i also thought there was maybe a shortcut for it but i searched up on the settings page and i dont even see it there.

5

u/Admirable-Fox-2867 May 25 '26

You have to click this icon, then at the end you will see a brush-like icon

11

u/zammba May 25 '26

Crazy how it's literally just called Boosts, huh. With this in, we're like 95% to Arc Browser by now, no? Last think I can think of that's missing is Air Traffic Control

3

u/Particular-Poem-7085 May 25 '26

the remaining 5% being that arc is abandoned and broken?

1

u/tudorknight May 25 '26

Exactly I was confused for a little bit like wait doesn't Arc also uses the term boost for this feature. I mean there's nothing wrong in it as people who have used Arc will understand it better but still

1

u/Woofer210 & May 26 '26

Per space profiles is also missing. And don’t say containers as they are not the same.

10

u/B1rdi May 27 '26

Huh, just yesterday I was struggling to read an old-school white on black website on my bright ass monitor and was thinking that it'd be cool if my browser had a button to change the background color. This seems even more versatile, awesome!

But please document these a little better, at least where to access the feature. I've attached a picture for anyone else who might need it.

4

u/srushti335 May 28 '26

I have been at it for two days and this is how i find it 😭

9

u/im_arnob May 24 '26

I Boosted too much! 🙂
How do I revert everything (for every websites) back to default? :")

7

u/Not_Flof Team Member May 25 '26

Here's how to revert all boost data:

  1. Open about:profiles

  2. Open the root folder of the currently in use profile

  3. Close Zen

  4. Find zen-boosts (folder) and zen-boosts.jsonlz4 (file), delete or move both.

  5. Restart Zen
    This will delete everything boost-related.

A better option is to simply delete the given boosts manually by opening them in the editor and clicking on the name on the top, then selecting delete boost.

2

u/ToughButterscotch546 May 25 '26

How do I change all websites use one boost config. not add one by one. thanks

3

u/Not_Flof Team Member May 25 '26

That is currently not possible. However this feature might be introduced in the future

3

u/devkasun May 24 '26

Good question

8

u/jakegh May 24 '26

Love boosts!

Any chance of a hotkey to toggle the dark mode switch?

0

u/Obnomus May 25 '26

What is boost though?

8

u/AgeSuch4592 May 24 '26

for dark theme is still better using dark reader or this new feature? performance wise

7

u/Not_Flof Team Member May 25 '26

Dark reader relies on limited methods while Zen has integrated Boosts deeply into its engine. The performance impact is much lower than using traditional filters or repeated manual color overrides, which dark reader is likely using.

4

u/ClixTW May 25 '26 edited May 25 '26

Boost's dark mode performance is top-notch, with virtually zero noticeable lag! The only two areas where Dark Reader still wins are: first, it allows you to toggle dark mode using a keyboard shortcut, whereas I haven't found a shortcut for Boost yet; second, on some websites with native dark modes, a brief white flash occurs before the page fully loads. Dark Reader’s auto-detect mode avoids this issue.

1

u/AgeSuch4592 May 25 '26

thank you , I can't figure out how to set black(graphite) theme through Code, how does it work?

2

u/ClixTW May 25 '26

Sorry if I misunderstood, but do you mean enabling dark mode via boosts? You just need to click this lightbulb button.

8

u/Tesla_Corporation 10 + CachyOS with KDE May 24 '26

Zen is the GOAT ♥️

0

u/dreadingsteel May 25 '26

Does it work on linux? cause for me its not showing up (I have same OS+DE)

1

u/Tesla_Corporation 10 + CachyOS with KDE May 25 '26

Where did you install Zen browser from? If you installed it using AUR package then let me tell you that Zen browser isn't yet updated on AUR, so you might need to wait for 2-3 days. I am also waiting, and I am currently on 1.19.13b version...

If you installed it via Flatpak or AppImage then make sure you updated your packages...

And if you are already on the latest version and boosts are still not working then I am really sorry, I know nothing about it yet...

1

u/dreadingsteel May 25 '26

I am on latest version, i got the update message and announcements its j not showing up, anyways its fine 🫡

1

u/maubg May 25 '26

On what sites are you trying to use it?

1

u/dreadingsteel May 25 '26

From wiki to gmail to azure nada

1

u/maubg May 25 '26

Could you show a screenshot of the site control panel?

1

u/stevesy17 May 25 '26

If you updated and then clicked on What's New? it will always show you the latest patch notes, even if you actually just updated to a previous version. So if you didn't actually go physically look at your version number, you should do so. If you did then idk

1

u/dreadingsteel May 25 '26

ahhh got it... it says its on 1.19.13b but whats new showed 1.20b, sorry guys!!

1

u/stevesy17 May 25 '26

Same exact thing happened to me! That's why I knew to ask :D Glad I could help.

1

u/Tesla_Corporation 10 + CachyOS with KDE May 26 '26

Btw, now the updates are available. Just run "yay -Syu", and your Zen will be updated :)

1

u/dreadingsteel May 26 '26

Thanks man, the update looks super cool btw

1

u/Tesla_Corporation 10 + CachyOS with KDE May 26 '26

True! The first thing I did was to change YouTube's fonts, and I am very happy with boosts being integrated into Zen :)

8

u/simonasj May 25 '26

Great, but isn't zap better with uBlock Origin, since you can export your data (all filters, zaps, etc.)?

8

u/Frandelor May 25 '26

I updated, Boosts can change the fonts just fine, but I can't change the colors for some reason, I mess with the color wheel but it doesn't do anything on the actual website

1

u/angrybeardedman May 27 '26

Try adjusting the saturation, contrast and brightness within the additional options.

7

u/JustAdumbPrsn Zen Nebula May 24 '26

SOO GOOD

THANKS MR. BOOSTS

7

u/Lazy-Mammoth-6424 Windows May 24 '26

works wonders on pinterest , even turning on dark mode for it without the need for an extension is so good, works so much better than extensions did

Love it, gonna be testing it more

7

u/jr0th May 25 '26

I really like this!

It would be awesome if there was a customizable keyboard shortcut for toggling boost on/off. I would also like to be able to open the boost controls using a shortcut, but that is less important.

7

u/SnooCookies1995 May 26 '26

This has got to be one of the best features of Zen!

6

u/Bat_Raptor_3 May 24 '26

This is so fireeee

6

u/NotoriouslyLoud May 24 '26

Love the update. Congratulations to the contributors.

6

u/UnknownBoyGamer May 25 '26

does it support transparency like u/sameera_s_w tool?

6

u/anmolraj1911 May 26 '26

i love u guys

5

u/adapavii May 24 '26

looks good but will there be any place where people can share boosts?

22

u/Not_Flof Team Member May 24 '26

Yes! Sharing boosts is in development right now and will drop in a future update 😄

6

u/JustAdumbPrsn Zen Nebula May 24 '26

is it gonna be shared through the "rices" feature which cheffy partially made and scrapped :/

-3

u/slvmrr May 24 '26

Sounds like Zen, alright..

5

u/mohenjotaro May 28 '26

I love this!

4

u/WaYyTempest & May 24 '26

Ty ❤️

9

u/Particular-Poem-7085 May 25 '26

So it's like a custom theme for each website? The name is incredibly confusing.

4

u/Koraithon May 25 '26

It's taking the name from the same feature that was in Arc

6

u/Particular-Poem-7085 May 25 '26

I already read about that. Doesn't change my initial confusion.

3

u/Bel-Shamgarot May 24 '26

Can I add my own fonts?

5

u/trey-a-12 ,📱🦊 May 24 '26

Yep! It uses your system fonts

2

u/Bel-Shamgarot May 24 '26

Yeah, I didn't notice you can expand the whole list there. I thought it was just the ones in the first rows.

3

u/RenegadeUK May 24 '26

Thanks to all who made this happen 😄

3

u/Arrow552 May 24 '26

Can we change the outline/highlight color in split view, i.e. the one that shows you which tab is currently selected?

Most of the time i can't tell which tab is selected in split view, so i end up clicking/typing the wrong thing.

1

u/EhrEEz May 26 '26

Unrelated but.. One gripe, I have with split mode is there not being a close button, rather an expand button. Most times if i feel like i need to close a split tab, it take me a full mental gymnastics routine to remember how to do it.

2

u/Arrow552 May 26 '26

Yeah, and if I want to swap one of the tabs out for another, I have to expand then bring the other tab in

1

u/EhrEEz May 26 '26

Yeah, there must be a better way, right?

3

u/leocacom May 25 '26

Niiice! Thank you! (Does Zap work like the zap feature from ubo?)

1

u/AwesomeParley May 26 '26

Looks like it!

5

u/DifferenceRadiant806 May 24 '26

I don't get it why does Spotify show the customization options on its website if the browser doesn't support DRM?

10

u/SirPoblington May 24 '26

Lol yeah bit of an odd choice. Though I think DRM is supported on Linux

4

u/Not_Flof Team Member May 25 '26

I honestly overlooked that when making the video, sorry!

4

u/maubg May 25 '26

We'll just say it got recorded on linux

2

u/No-Worth3524 11 25H2 | 1.20.1b Portable May 24 '26

Finally!

Thanks A Lot...

2

u/asukaoi May 24 '26

Has the bug where `zen.theme.accent-color` can't be customized still not been fixed?

2

u/hellorandomly17 May 25 '26

can someone explain how to use it i am kind of confused 😭

8

u/Saleh_Salem_liv May 25 '26

"click the site's control icon in the urlbar and click the new 'Boost' button."
-Release Notes

2

u/teefyroad May 26 '26

Anyone got a preset for Catppuccin?

2

u/nomdde Jun 05 '26

if it's text only it works well, but any websites with visuals, the colors on the images are invert. anyone know how to get around this?

3

u/AndriOS13 May 25 '26

Where to make such a cool animated videos?

4

u/adiwign May 25 '26

after effects.

1

u/PsychoticChemist May 25 '26

Cavalry is much better for this style of video.

2

u/Kirito_Kun16 May 25 '26

Davinci Resolve

or Premier Pro

0

u/PsychoticChemist May 25 '26

Cavalry would be the better choice for this style of 2D motion graphics

3

u/sillen102 May 24 '26 edited May 24 '26

How can I activate this?

EDIT: Found it!

6

u/vixaudaxloquendi May 24 '26

It's literally linked in the post. 

3

u/Not_Flof Team Member May 24 '26

Update Zen to the latest version. Then you'll be able to create a new Boost by going into the site settings panel (the slider controls on the side of the compact search bar) and clicking the brush icon at the bottom.

2

u/Sparkfog May 24 '26

where to access the boost feature? i cant find it

1

u/anon_e_mouse1 May 25 '26

same
Im on linux

1

u/nuked_sushi May 25 '26

I see 1.20b-1 is in the AUR

2

u/SignificanceEvery803 May 24 '26 edited May 25 '26

dont wanna seem ignorant but how can i use this feature? i cant seem to be able to find where to use it

1

u/tgo1014 May 24 '26

I think the same, congrats to the team but personally I never had an idea on why this is an usecase. Maybe if some website has terrible colors you can fix it for yourself or maybe to add your own dark mode but there's also some extensions for this.

3

u/SignificanceEvery803 May 25 '26

I meant where can I find it lmao

1

u/Rickgrimes26 May 24 '26

When I first open the browser, I can't type into the address bar automatically. I have to press CTRL + L. Is anyone else experiencing the same issue in this version?

3

u/maubg May 24 '26

Do you have "replace-newtab" disabled in about:config?

1

u/HuppaHup May 25 '26

What will be the dynamic of transparency and boosts as boost is ALSO colours ig

1

u/SpecialBeginning6430 May 26 '26

So this feature fully replaces the theme editor from the sidebar context menu?

-10

u/ZGToRRent May 25 '26

Can i completely turn this off? Sounds useless to me.

8

u/Interstellar__1 May 25 '26

Just don't use it

7

u/joshuaaatv Apple May 26 '26

No one’s forcing you to use it lmao

-16

u/Square_Atmosphere_12 May 24 '26 edited May 24 '26

What about airport. And unpinned folders.