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Get Firefox Share back with Share Backported

Mozilla removed the Share icon and functionality from the Firefox browser when it launched Firefox 57, generally known as Firefox Quantum.

Share integrated sharing functionality directly in Firefox. Instead of having to rely on share functionality on sites, by extensions, or by using manual means to share, Firefox users could activate the share button to use the built-in functionality.

Built-in share offered some advantages over share functionality embedded on sites: it did not require scripts to run on sites and limited tracking because of that. Share was a controversial feature on the other hand as it was only beneficial to users who did share content.

Mozilla revealed the Share feature back in 2014 for the first time after the organization added the social API to Firefox in 2012. Mozilla Labs developed a Share extension in 2011 interestingly enough.

Share Backported

firefox share backported

Firefox users who miss the Share functionality that Mozilla removed from the web browser in Firefox 57 can restore it by installing the Firefox extension Share Backported.

Share Backported as the share icon back to Firefox. A click on the icon displays the default sharing services that users may post content to.

The default selection includes social networking sites like Facebook, Reddit and Twitter, and messaging services like Gmail, Telegram or Outlook.

Just click on the share button and select one of the options to share the active page or information on the page. Share Backported opens a new window whenever one of the available services is selected. All services require that you sign in to an account before share functionality can be used, and the window that is opened displays sign in options if you are not signed in already.

firefox share

The functionality that is provided depends on the service; if you select Twitter, the site's title and URL is added by default but you can add more text to the message before sending it to Twitter.

Share Backported supports several options; you can hide any service from the Share menu and change the dimensions of the window that is opened when you select a service's share option.

The extension supports Mastadon and Shaarli as well, but you need to add custom URLs in the options to enable those two.

Share Backported supports the Container functionality of the Firefox web browser and the Facebook Container extension that Mozilla published recently.

Closing Words

Share Backported is a useful extension for Firefox users who used the browser's native Share functionality and users who share content regularly.

While I don't use Share features outside of sharing new blog posts on Twitter, Facebook and Google Plus, I'd like to see a design option that implements Mozilla's latest Share design at least as an option.

It would also be useful, probably, if the developer would add options to add custom services to the share feature.

Now You: do you share content on the Internet?

 

This article was first seen on ComTek's "TekBits" Technology News

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