How to use Firefox containers

Firefox Firefox Last updated: 55% of users voted this helpful

Firefox containers let you separate your browsing activities into color-coded tabs for banking, work and personal browsing. This allows you to always open new tabs in containers of your choosing for a more private browsing experience. Each container is isolated from the others, so you can access sites logged into different accounts. This article explains how to enable and use the Firefox containers manager to open containers from the main browser interface quickly.

Note: To use Firefox containers, you must first install the Multi-Account Containers extension developed by Mozilla. For more information, see the Multi-Account Containers article.

containerTabs

Enable Firefox containers

  1. In the Menu bar at the top of the screen, click Firefox and then select Preferences or Settings, depending on your macOS version.Click the menu button Fx89menuButton and select Settings.
  2. In the General panel, scroll down to the Tabs section.
  3. Make sure the box next to Enable Container Tabs is checked.
Note: Containers are disabled in Private Browsing windows and when Never Remember History is selected in your privacy settings.

Open a new tab in a container

You can open a tab in a container from the containers panel.

  1. Right-clickHold down the control key while you click or long-click the New Tab button.
  2. Select a container in the list.
    containersNewTab

Open a link in a new container tab

You can open a link in a new tab on the same or a different container.

  1. Right-clickHold down the control key while you click any link to open the context menu.
  2. Select Open Link in New Container Tab.
  3. Select the desired container.
    container right-click menu

Manage your containers

There are two ways to get to the containers manager.

  • Open the containers manager from the Settings:
    1. In the Menu bar at the top of the screen, click Firefox and then select Preferences or Settings, depending on your macOS version.Click the menu button Fx89menuButton and select Settings.
    2. In the General panel, scroll down to the Tabs section.
    3. Click the Settings button next to Enable Container Tabs.
  • Open the containers manager from the New Tab button:
    1. Right-clickHold down the control key while you click or long-click the New Tab button.
    2. Select Manage containers in the containers panel.

Always show the container selection panel

You can make the container panel appear when you click the New Tab button, instead of just opening a No Container new tab.

  1. Open the containers manager (see above).
  2. Check the box next to Select a container for each new tab.
    selectContainerNewTab

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