clear cookies on exit Except for listed Exceptions
Firefox used to allow clearing history including cookies on exit while retaining those cookies marked as exceptions in the privacy panel. It appears that the clear on close now deletes all history, regardless of exceptions settings. It would be highly useful to be able to specify which sites can set "permanent" cookies while also allowing other sites to set session cookies only *and* allowing users to clear all history, cookies, etc. for site not specifically excepted from such history clearing settings. Does anyone know what was changed such that this mo longer works as it used to in earlier versions? Are exceptions functioning as intended now, or are exceptions meant to be global, including clear on exit settings?
All Replies (5)
If you want to keep cookies that have an allow exception then you can't use Delete browsing, search and download history on Firefox.
Instead you have to let all cookies expire when Firefox closes.
Tools > Options > Privacy > Cookies: Keep until: "I close Firefox"
I'm encountering this problem in Firefox 3.6.12 and it's been occurring for a while -- so I'm not sure exactly what update changed the behavior but wish they'd put it back so any marked "Allow" in the Exceptions would be retained like they used to be.
Meanwhile, I've come up with a partial workaround using the free third-party Windows utility named CCleaner from http://www.piriform.com/ccleaner, which has the ability to selectively delete cookies when it's run.
How the utility operates on cookies is controlled in its Options > Cookies settings where there are two lists, one for cookies to delete and another for those to keep. By default, all cookies are in the Cookies to Delete column. To prevent that, I moved the cookies I wanted to retain to the second list and then scheduled CCleaner to run automatically at set intervals using Window's Task Scheduler and the following command-line"C:\Program Files\CCleaner\CCleaner.exe" /AUTO. See the CCleaner Online Help for scheduling it to run automatically.
Once that is in place you can tell Firefox to keep cookies until the expire and let CCleaner handle getting rid of all of them all except for the ones you've indicated you want retained. This isn't as good as having Firefox do it every time you start and exit the program, but is better than nothing...
Hope this helps.
Update
I just found this Mozilla extension called "CookieCuller" that might help it's at https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/82 and has a "Cookie Keep List".
Martin M modificouno o
For some reason, the cookie exception list is considered to be a "site preference" - so If you have Firefox set to delete "site preferences" (among the other options) when you exit, for some reason it deletes all of these exceptions... so everything gets deleted. I have it set not to delete "site preferences" but to delete cookies, etc. This way it deletes all cookies and leaves the exception list as is. It's a completely nonsensical way of implementing this feature, if you ask me. And what else is considered a "site preference"?? Oh well ;)
Another add-on besides 'Cookie Culler' is "Selective Cookie Delete": https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/selectivecookiedelete/
Both are very good but in different ways. I use Selective because it seems to be less work. And it hasn't failed me yet. Just be sure to go into Options / Privacy / Settings and UNclick clearing cookies.
Sorry cor-el your not right on this one. I personally know better cause I have it set up where I have all cookies blocked except the ones I want (session cookies) and I have it set to Automatically delete my information when I shutdown firefox. All you have to do to keep that exception list up and working is make sure that you make sure that Site Preference is UNCHECKED... everything else can be checked including cookies you can even run it while surfing and it still won't mess you up. The reason this is... Is due to the fact; that your "Exception List" is considered a Site Preference and thus all information on that list get's left alone. I've even used CCLEANER with firefox and as long as you leave Site Preferences UNCHECKED even there it won't delete your Exception list (for Images, Cookies and Add On's so no offense but please make sure of your answer before you post... and if your not 100% sure... don't post at all. The only real concern I would have is making sure to back up that list so that if my computer dies (as in needing a new one..not being turned off) I would still have it backed up on my external hard drive...(by the way I did search through the "permissions" file that's in firefox folder in appdata/local and in appdata/roaming and didn't see ANY of the cookies I have on my exception list.) so you may want to update that information as well.