Zen Browser has released an update to version 1.17.11b with several enhancements. The update fixes common issues for Windows users, including opening a tab from the sidebar now requiring only one click and entering fullscreen mode on multi-monitor setups no longer displaying a brief border. Additionally, the browser's performance has been improved by fixing page load hiccups caused by HTTP/3 connection failures, resulting in faster load times when encountering this issue. For Mac users with pinned tabs, the update addresses issues where certain pins wouldn't restore after quitting or relaunching the browser, making tab management more stable on macOS devices.

Zen Browser 1.17.11B released

The latest update for Zen Browser, version 1.17.11b, has just rolled out with some notable enhancements.

For Mac users specifically, there's one change you'll likely notice right away: the developers updated the default status panel look. Now, let's talk practical fixes.

One common annoyance reported by Windows users was the need for two clicks to open a tab from the sidebar, you know, when you're clicking through bookmarks or history. That habit feels weird after switching browsers occasionally. Good news: that behavior has finally been addressed in this 1.17.11b update. Now it should just work as expected, opening a single new tab with one click.

This also means navigating your stuff via the sidebar will feel much smoother and more natural, especially for those who prefer quick clicks over dragging tabs around.

There was another bug tripping up Windows users in multi-monitor setups: sometimes entering fullscreen mode would briefly show a border. It might seem trivial, but that visual glitch could be annoying during extended sessions.

That issue is now fixed too! Hopefully, it just disappears seamlessly when you go full-screen on your secondary display.

On the performance side, they also tackled page load hiccups caused by HTTP/3 connection failures. Before, if this happened, sometimes pages wouldn't render properly or would just hang.

Now, the browser intelligently transitions from a broken connection attempt (HTTP/3) to HTTP/2 to load the page content. This means you should see significantly faster load times whenever those specific kinds of errors occur, which is much better than letting an incomplete connection stall things.

And finally, they have also given some attention to pinned tabs, especially on macOS.

For Mac users, if certain pinned tabs were having trouble restoring after quitting or relaunching the browser, that seems fixed now. They should reappear correctly in their place when you reopen Zen Browser.

Additionally, any crashes specifically related to these pinned tabs are likely ironed out too, at least for our macOS crowd. Hopefully, this makes managing your essential open tabs more stable going forward.

Release Release build - Zen Browser 1.17.11b (2025-11-28)

Zen Stable Release New Features Enabled the new styled status panel by default just for macOS users for now. Fixes Fixed double clicking on the sidebar not opening a new tab on Windows.

Release Release build - 1.17.11b (2025-11-28) · zen-browser/desktop