Watch Netflix in Full HD on Firefox

Paying for full HD streaming to Netflix and yet it doesn’t play in 1080p?

It’s because, for some stupid reasons best known to streaming services like Netflix, they do not stream full HD content in the Firefox browser. Not in Linux, not in Windows, or any other operating system.

You can check it by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Shift+D while playing Netflix in Firefox but NOT in full-screen mode.

netflix not playing full hd firefox — Netflix streaming in 720p

Don’t despair. There is a way to stream Netflix in 1080p. Let me show you how.\

Enabling Full HD streaming on Firefox With Extension

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Unfortunately, the extension has been removed from Firefox.

There is a third-party extension created by a lone developer that allows you to stream Netflix in full HD (1080p) in the Firefox browser.

The extension includes a “bundled version of Netflix’s playercore, which is then modified to include additional profiles depending on what you select in the options and re-allow toggling the bitrate menu.”

Go to the extension page in Firefox and click on “Add to Firefox”

Netflix 1080p

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A similar extension is also available for Chrome. Get it from here.

When you click on the “Add to Firefox” option, you should see a pop-up like the one in the below screenshot. Hit Add button here.

adding netflix 1080p firefox extension — Adding Netflix 1080p Extension

Once the extension has been added, restart Firefox.

Now when you play Netflix content, it should be streamed in full HD, i.e., 1080p.

Verify it. Play something in Netflix, don’t go fullscreen; press Ctrl+Alt+Shift+D to get the streaming stats. You should notice the improved quality now.

netflix playing full hd in firefox — Verify streaming quality with Ctrl+Alt+Shift+D keys

Press the same keys again to get rid of the stats overlay.

You should also see an HD tag beside the content in the browsing mode.

netflix playing full hd firefox — Netflix now displays the content in 1080 pixels (1080 is now HD, 720p is SD)

How cool is that! I would consider it one of the best Firefox extensions for Linux users.

This extension only works for Netflix. It DOES NOT work with Amazon Prime Video, Diseny+ and other streaming services.

Also, it won’t play Netflix in ultra HD (UHD or 4K). I have a laptop with a 4K screen. While it plays ultra HD content on MS Edge browser in Windows 11, it got stuck at 1080p even with the extension.

I hope the developer of the extension also brings the 4K feature.

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If you want to watch the US version of Netflix outside the US, you can use a premium DNS service like Unlocator to access it anywhere in the world. I use it to stream Murder She Wrote series on Peacock which is not available in India.

Conclusion

In case you are looking for some other awesome Firefox extensions, here is a list:

I don’t know why Firefox could not do this on its own when a lone developer did it by creating an extension. Perhaps some sort of legal issue.

It baffles me to see streaming services ignore Firefox and other “non-official browsers”. Netflix plays full HD on Edge in Windows but not on Edge in Linux or other operating systems. Similarly, Netflix streams full HD on Chrome in ChromeOS but not on Linux.

And Mozilla, with all its might, could not convince Netflix and these streaming services to bring high-quality streaming to its flagship browser. No wonder Firefox sees a continual decline.

Rant aside, I hope this helps you play Netflix in full HD on Firefox. If it also works for you, let me know in the comments.