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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.

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 {for not fx63}[[Content Blocking (formerly Tracking Protection)|Content Blocking (Tracking Protection)]]{/for}{for fx63}[[Content blocking|Content Blocking]]{/for}, which prevents hidden trackers from collecting your information across multiple sites and slowing your browsing down. <!-- hiding video because it's now outdated -- TO LOCALIZE THE CAPTIONS FOR THIS VIDEO, SEE https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/localize-a-support-video#w_localize-video-caption-files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://wikipedia.org/wiki/Keylogger keyloggers] or [http://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 Private Window from the Firefox menu''' *Click the menu button [[Image:Fx57Menu]] and then click {button New Private Window}. *;{for not fx63}{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}{for fx63}[[Image:Fx63menu-NewPrivateWindow]]{/for} The Private Browsing home page will open in a new window. '''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 win}[[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 win}[[Image:private mask 57 win]]{/for}{for mac}[[Image:private mask 57]]{/for}{for linux}[[Image:private mask 57 linux]]{/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 in the [[Awesome Bar - Search your Firefox bookmarks, history and tabs from the address bar|address bar]] drop-down list. * '''Form and Search Bar entries''': Nothing you enter into text boxes on web pages or the [[Add the Search bar to your Firefox toolbar|Search bar]] will be saved for [[Control whether Firefox automatically fills in forms|Form autocomplete]]. * '''Passwords''': No new [[Password Manager - Remember, delete, change and import saved passwords in Firefox|passwords]] will be saved. * '''Download List entries''': No files you download will be listed in the [[Where to find and manage downloaded files in Firefox|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. See [[How do I turn on the Do-not-track feature?]] for more information about tracking. 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://wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_cache cached] files) or files that websites save for offline use will be saved. {note} '''Note''': * New [[Bookmarks in Firefox|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]]: # [[T:Optionspreferences]] # Select the {menu Privacy & Security} panel and go to the '''History''' section. # Choose '''Never remember history''' from the drop-down menu.<br>{for not fx61}[[Image:Fx60HistorySettings-UseCustom]]{/for}{for fx61}[[Image:Fx63CustomHistory]]{/for}<br>This is equivalent to always being in Private Browsing mode. {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 {menu Privacy & Security} [[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: [/products/firefox/privacy-and-security/passwords-forms-search-and-history Passwords, forms, search, and history - control what Firefox suggests]