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private browsing mode not indicated with command line option -private

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  • Last reply by cor-el

gwodus
gwodus
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When I start FF with command line option -private, it does go into private browsing mode. But the Firefox menu button in the upper left is still orange. Shouldn't it be purple with the mask icon? The private browsing indication it actually pretty important if you have multiple FF instances open.

Tested with FF 20.0.1 on Windows 7 64 Bit.

When I start FF with command line option -private, it does go into private browsing mode. But the Firefox menu button in the upper left is still orange. Shouldn't it be purple with the mask icon? The private browsing indication it actually pretty important if you have multiple FF instances open. Tested with FF 20.0.1 on Windows 7 64 Bit.

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cor-el
cor-el
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No, you only get a purple mask if you aren't in permanent PB mode as happens with the -private command line switch or the setting in "Options > Privacy", but have normal and PB mode windows open.
You can't open a normal window if you are in permanent PB mode (entry if Firefox/File > New Tab is missing and replaced with New Private Window).
You should still have the (Private Browsing) in the title bar, but you wont see this if the title bar is hidden.

Future Firefox versions will support Private Browsing per tab, this is already available in the Private Tab extension.

The Firefox menu button gets purple or you get a purple PB mask on the menu bar or tab bar (Linux) if you are in a PB tab and all Private Browsing mode tabs get a dashed underlining unless you are in permanent PB mode.