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Firefox Private Browsing is great for viewing websites without saving things like cookies, temp files, and a history of the pages you visit.

As you browse the web, Firefox remembers lots of information for you - like the sites you've visited. There may be times, however, when you don't want people with access to your computer to see this information, such as when shopping for a present. '''Private Browsing allows you to browse the Internet without saving any information about which sites and pages you’ve visited.''' {for fx42} Private Browsing also includes [[Tracking Protection in Private Browsing]], which prevents companies from tracking your browsing history across multiple sites. To learn more about Private Browsing with Tracking Protection in Firefox, see [[Tracking Protection in Private Browsing]]. {/for} We'll show you how it works. <!-- hiding video because it's now outdated -- TO LOCALIZE THE CAPTIONS FOR THIS VIDEO, SEE https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/localize-a-support-video#w_localize-video-caption-files [[Video:http://youtu.be/r3s-zDwLjb0]] --> {warning}'''Important:''' Private Browsing doesn't make you anonymous on the Internet. Your Internet service provider, employer, or the sites themselves can still track what pages you visit. Private Browsing also doesn't protect you from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keylogger keyloggers] or [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spyware spyware] that may be installed on your computer.{/warning} __TOC__ = How do I open a new Private Window? = There are two ways to open a new Private Window. ==Open a new, blank Private Window== *Click the menu button [[Image:New Fx Menu]] and then click {button New Private Window}. *;{for not fx57}{for winxp}[[Image:private browsing - fx29 - winxp]]{/for}{for win7,win8,win10}[[Image:private browsing - fx29 - win8]]{/for}{for mac}[[Image:private browsing - fx29 - mac]]{/for}{for linux}[[Image:private browsing - fx29 - linux]]{/for}{/for}{for fx57}{for win}[[Image:private tab menu 57 win]]{/for}{for mac}[[Image:private tab menu 57]]{/for}{for linux}[[Image:private tab menu 57 linux]]{/for}{/for} ==Open a link in a new Private Window== *[[T:contextmenu]] on any link and choose {menu Open Link in New Private Window} from the context menu. *;{for winxp}[[Image:Link in Private Window Fx20 WinXP]]{/for}{for win7,win8,win10}[[Image:Link in Private Window Fx20 Win7]]{/for}{for mac}[[Image:Link in Private Window Fx20 Mac]]{/for}{for linux}[[Image:Link in Private Window Fx20 Lin]]{/for} {note}'''Tip:''' Private Browsing windows have a purple mask at the top.{/note} ;{for not fx57}{for winxp}[[Image:Mask - WinXP]]{/for}{for win7,win8,win10}[[Image:Mask - Win8]]{/for}{for mac}[[Image:Mask - Mac]]{/for}{for linux}[[Image:Mask - Linux]]{/for}{/for}{for fx57}{for win}[[Image:private mask 57 win]]{/for}{for mac}[[Image:private mask 57]]{/for}{for linux}[[Image:private mask 57 linux]]{/for}{/for} = What does Private Browsing not save? = * '''Visited pages''': No pages will be added to the list of sites in the History menu, the Library window's history list, or the [[Search your bookmarks, history and tabs with the Awesome Bar|Awesome Bar]] address list. * '''Form and Search Bar entries''': Nothing you enter into text boxes on web pages or the [[Search bar - Easily choose your favorite search engine|Search bar]] will be saved for [[Control whether Firefox automatically fills in forms with your information|Form autocomplete]]. * '''Passwords''': No new passwords will be saved. * '''Download List entries''': No files you download will be listed in the [[Use the Downloads window to manage downloaded files|Downloads Window]] after you turn off Private Browsing. * '''Cookies''': [[Cookies - Information that websites store on your computer|Cookies]] store information about websites you visit such as site preferences, login status, and data used by plugins like Adobe Flash. Cookies can also be used by third parties to track you across websites. For more info about tracking, see [[How do I turn on the Do-not-track feature?]]. Cookies set in private windows are held temporarily in memory, separate from regular window cookies, and discarded at the end of your private session (after the last private window is closed). * '''Cached Web Content''' and '''Offline Web Content and User Data''': No temporary Internet files ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_cache cached] files) or files that websites save for offline use will be saved. {note} '''Note''': * New [[Create bookmarks to save your favorite webpages|bookmarks]] you create while using Private Browsing will be saved. * Any files you download to your computer while using Private Browsing will be saved. {/note} =Can I set Firefox to always use Private Browsing?= Firefox is set to remember history by default but you can change this setting in your Firefox Privacy [[T:optionsorpreferences]] (click the Firefox menu [[Image:New Fx Menu]], choose {for win}{button Options}{/for}{for mac,linux}{button Preferences}{/for} and select the {for not fx56}{menu Privacy}{/for}{for fx56}{menu Privacy & Security}{/for} panel). When you change your History setting to '''Never remember history''', this is equivalent to always being in Private Browsing mode. For more information, see [[Settings for privacy, browsing history and do-not-track]]. {warning}'''Important:''' When Firefox is set to '''Never remember history''' you won't see a purple mask at the top of each window, even though you are effectively in Private Browsing mode. To restore normal browsing, go to your Privacy [[T:optionsorpreferences]] and set Firefox to '''Remember history'''. {/warning} =Other ways to control what information Firefox saves= *You can always [[Delete browsing, search and download history on Firefox|remove recent browsing, search and download history]] after visiting a site. *Read more articles on this topic: [https://support.mozilla.org/products/firefox/privacy-and-security/passwords-forms-search-and-history Passwords, forms, search, and history - control what Firefox suggests]