The private browsing mode of Mozilla Firefox adds an additional layer of privacy to the browsing activities of any user of the Firefox browser. Activating the Firefox private browsing mode prevents the browser from recording any browsing activity as sites visited, and media downloaded if they are not saved upon download.
In addition, Firefox has Enhanced Tracking Protection that prevents hidden trackers from collecting the user’s data across multiple sites and slowing the pace of browsing. When in Firefox private browsing mode, the browser does not add the sites visited to your browsing history, does not add cookies, and form entries are not copied. The Firefox private browsing mode helps to protect the user’s privacy especially for shared computers and even PCs that you access in public places like cafes.
In this article, follow us on a step-by-step description of how you can enable or disable Firefox private browsing mode, using the Mozilla Firefox browser. The default mode of the Firefox browser allows for recording of the browsing history, saving of passwords, adding of cookies, and recording of forms, etc. Therefore, upon the closing of the Firefox private browsing session, the default Disable Firefox private browsing mode is activated.
You can begin a Firefox private browsing session by clicking on the browser menu button and picking the option “New Private Window”, which opens the private browsing session in a new page with a purple icon that shows the Private Browsing Home page. In addition, you can open a link in a new private window, by right-clicking the link and then choosing the “Open Link in New Private Window” option.
Let us not give the steps to be taken to enable Firefox private browsing mode which allows the browser to delete all the relevant data at the close of any browsing session.
- Click on the Firefox menu button and select Options.
- Next, click on the Privacy tab among the options menu.
- Pick the option “Use Custom Settings for History”. Then check the “Always use private browsing mode” setting.
In the alternative, you can also select the option “Never remember history” from the drop-down menu, as this implies that private browsing has become the default setting for the Firefox browser.
- After making these changes on the settings of the browser, in order to enable Firefox private browsing, you must restart Firefox.
When the enable Firefox private browsing mode has been activated, the purple mask that usually comes up when you activate a Firefox private browsing window, will not come up.
In order to disable Firefox private browsing mode, go to the Privacy and Security options on the browser and uncheck “Always Use Private Browsing” and navigate the Options dialog to select “Remember History”, after which Firefox can now be restarted.
While activating the Firefox private browsing mode adds some level of privacy for the user, it has to be stated that private browsing does not make you invisible or anonymous on the internet. Indeed, there is no absolute privacy in browsing, as your internet service provider, employer (in the case of connectivity provided via your employer), or the sites visited could still trace your browsing footprint of pages viewed. You are also not safe from keyloggers or spyware that could be installed on your computer while browsing certain sites.