"Private window" as a separate browser
I have two PCs, both running the same versions of Firefox for years. A little over a year ago, after an update, a new "Private" icon appeared in my taskbar in addition to the normal Firefox icon on one of my machines, but not the other one. This presented, and functioned as two different, independent browser applications; I could just click on the private browser icon to open the private browser without opening the "regular" Firefox. I don't know where this came from, but I like it... but it never changed on my other PC, and I can't find how to apply it; is there a setting or something I'm missing? Why did it happen automatically on one machine, but not the other?
All Replies (3)
This merely means that you start Firefox in PB mode using a command-line switch, you may still be able to open a regular window via "Ctrl+N".
A major difference between a regular window and a private window is that PB windows keep all data in memory and do not use the disk cache, but use a separate cookie jar kept in memory, cookies from regular windows stored in cookies.sqlite in the profile folder can't be accessed. All PB mode windows share the same PB mode cookies jar, you need to close all PB windows or close and restart Firefox to start with a fresh PB cookies jar.
But there wasn't a command line switch; one day I suddenly had 2 separate (and different) icons next to each other in my taskbar and on my desktop. I didn't do anything to make it that way; I wouldn't have known how to, or occurred to me that I even could. I certainly didn't do anything with the "command line".
As for the nature of PB and what it's for, I get that, but I liked having them function independent of each other, at least in appearance. Another difference I did notice though, is that If I accidentally close the main browser while PB is open, then I lose all of the tabs I had open; but on the PC that has them separate, I can open and close the PB browser all I want, but when I go to the regular browser, all of my tabs are still there... so something is different on the "back end".
That is about this pref on the about:config page.
- about:config => browser.privateWindowSeparation.enabled => false
You can open the about:config page via the location/address bar. On the warning page, you can click "Accept the Risk and Continue" to open about:config.
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