Private Browsing - Use Firefox without saving history
Revision Information
- Revision id: 168926
- Created:
- Creator: Joni
- Comment: made the intro leaner
- Reviewed: Yes
- Reviewed:
- Reviewed by: heyjoni
- Is approved? Yes
- Is current revision? No
- Ready for localization: Yes
- Readied for localization:
- Readied for localization by: heyjoni
Revision Source
Revision Content
Private Browsing automatically erases your browsing information, such as passwords, cookies and history, leaving no trace when you close out. New versions of Firefox also have Tracking Protection, which prevents hidden trackers from collecting your information across multiple sites and slowing your browsing down.
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 keyloggers or spyware that may be installed on your computer.
Table of Contents
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
and then click .
Open a link in a new Private Window
- Right-clickHold down the control key while you click
on any link and choose from the context menu.
Tip: Private Browsing windows have a purple mask at the top.
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 Awesome Bar address list.
- Form and Search Bar entries: Nothing you enter into text boxes on web pages or the Search bar will be saved for Form autocomplete.
- Passwords: No new passwords will be saved.
- Download List entries: No files you download will be listed in the Downloads Window after you turn off Private Browsing.
- Cookies: 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 information 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 (cached files) or files that websites save for offline use will be saved.
Note:
- New bookmarks you create while using Private Browsing will be saved.
- Any files you download to your computer while using Private Browsing will be saved.
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 Settings
(click the Firefox menu , choose and select the 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.
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 Settings
and set Firefox to Remember history.
Other ways to control what information Firefox saves
- You can always remove recent browsing, search and download history after visiting a site.
- Read more articles on this topic: Passwords, forms, search, and history - control what Firefox suggests