Fingers crossed: Firefox 64-bit for Windows to be released when Firefox 42 comes out

While there is certainly some truth to the saying that good things take time, no one probably anticipated the drama surrounding the release of a 64-bit version of Firefox. If they would have, they would have probably not used it in this case.

So, Firefox has been available as a 64-bit version for Linux and Mac systems for a very long time. There are also 64-bit development versions of Firefox for Windows, but no stable versions yet.

Mozilla switched gears in the development process several times in the past five or so years making the 64-bit version of Windows a priority, then almost dumping it, and then a priority again.

After making the 64-bit version a priority again in 2014, Mozilla has been trying to get a stable version out but it has been delayed several times for various reasons since then. It is largely unclear why it took Mozilla that long of a time especially since Firefox spin-offs like Pale Moon or Waterfox have been available as 64-bit versions for years.

A recent discussion on the company's Bugzilla bug tracking website indicates that Mozilla may finally be ready to release a stable 64-bit version of the browser for Windows.

Firefox 42 will be released November 3, 2015 if things go as planned. Before you start jumping up and down in joy, you should know that the release won't be pushed to the public right away.

Mozilla will only release the 64-bit version of Firefox 42 Stable to the official FTP directory but not to the download pages on the Mozilla website.

So, if you have been waiting to get your hands on a stable 64-bit version of Firefox, you need to point your current browser to the latest release directory and snag it from there.

We won't update the download page with Windows 64 builds for 42. We are waiting for some partner changes before making that public. However, the binaries will be available on the ftp for testing:

The reason for this is that Mozilla is waiting for "some partner changes" for the 64-bit version of Firefox. It is unclear who these partners are and what these changes entail though.

Mozilla announced earlier that the 64-bit version of Firefox would ship without NPAPI plugin support.