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Ff 60.0.2, Win 7 (64bit) desktop, not deleting cookies when I Exit, despite my settings.

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My FF settings are to Keep cookies until I Exit Firefox. It used to be that when I exited FF, all cookies for that session would be deleted.

I am finding since FF v.60, that after exiting and then restarting FF, that there are cookies there from previous session(s). This even occurs across system shutdown and restart.

 As an aside, I do not wish to delete my history. I would prefer to keep my history across sessions while expecting only the cookies to go away.

Also, using private windows to find my desired cookie behavior would be a decrease in capability for me. I regularly use the separate cookie feature of private windows to let me log in and out of alternate email accounts while keeping my primary email account connenected in my basic "non-private" session.

I am running FF 60.0.2, on Win7, 64bit Home Premium SP1 desktop that is kept updated.

My relevant Firefox settings for Options > Privacy & Security > Cookies and Site Data are: Accdept cookies and site data from websites; Keep until I close firefox; Never accept 3rd party cookies; Tracking protection always; Send "Do not track" always.

I have been using the Ghostery extension for years and years.

What I seem to have encountered is change of not deleting cookies across Firefox sessions. Is this a "new feature"? Or is there some error across versions?

How can I get back to my expected behavior?

Thanks in advance.

My FF settings are to Keep cookies until I Exit Firefox. It used to be that when I exited FF, all cookies for that session would be deleted. I am finding since FF v.60, that after exiting and then restarting FF, that there are cookies there from previous session(s). This even occurs across system shutdown and restart. As an aside, I do not wish to delete my history. I would prefer to keep my history across sessions while expecting only the cookies to go away. Also, using private windows to find my desired cookie behavior would be a decrease in capability for me. I regularly use the separate cookie feature of private windows to let me log in and out of alternate email accounts while keeping my primary email account connenected in my basic "non-private" session. I am running FF 60.0.2, on Win7, 64bit Home Premium SP1 desktop that is kept updated. My relevant Firefox settings for Options > Privacy & Security > Cookies and Site Data are: Accdept cookies and site data from websites; Keep until I close firefox; Never accept 3rd party cookies; Tracking protection always; Send "Do not track" always. I have been using the Ghostery extension for years and years. What I seem to have encountered is change of not deleting cookies across Firefox sessions. Is this a "new feature"? Or is there some error across versions? How can I get back to my expected behavior? Thanks in advance.

All Replies (7)

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Please list all extensions you are using as that info was not sent.

If using a some programs like ccleaner that can be the issue while a benign program like a uninstaller can also effect this.

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I am running exactly one extension, Ghostery.

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What does your setting for this part of history clearing look like? take a screen shot of it.

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Your History preferences screen looks different from mine. I am using FF60.0.2. I attach a screen shot, of my control screen.

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Hi Bob_FFQuest, your settings should work.

Where are you finding the previous session cookies? Is it in the new dialog shown by the "Manage Data" button on that page?


Note: Some CCleaner users posted that CCleaner identifies data in the SiteSecurityServiceState.txt file -- which stores information about HTTP Strict Transport Security flags -- as "cookies" because there is a theoretical possibility that a site could use HSTS flags to identify previous visitors. Firefox does not consider or manages HSTS flags as cookies. Example threads:

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Hi Jscher2000,

 Yes, I too thought it should work. Similar settings in earlier  FireFox versions did work. 

I attach a screen shot from the "Manage Data" button on that page. I got this immediatedly after exiting from fireFox, waiting 10 seconds, then starting a new fireFox session.

My default home page, the one that first comes up, is about:blank From there I go to (Tools) > options > privacy and security > manage data

I would expect the cookies to have been deleted, but I see this time there is one is left over from the previous session--this, without having first gone to any external web pages.

I would prefer the cookies be automatically deleted when I exit FireFox. But they aren't anymore.

My first Firefox install, umpteen years ago may have been from an unprivielged user account. Subsequent upgrades have at times alternated between this unprivileged user account and an admin account. Would anyone know if this situation might be screwing me up?

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Hi Bob_FFQuest, thank you for the screenshot. The dialog shows nothing in the Cookies column, but 48 KB of "local storage" data from Yahoo. Storage could contain any kind of data; you can clear that separately to see whether it stays cleared if you do not visit Yahoo. If data appears without your visiting Yahoo, possible one of your add-ons interacts with Yahoo in the background??