Gmail and Washington Post websites keep logging me out
I've tried all the solutions I've found in other, similar questions:
Yes, I've turned off blocking for those sites. I've gone through all the cookie domains I can find under Site Information>Cookies, then added those as "Allow" on Preferences>Privacy & Security>Cookies & Site Data>Manage Permissions I've gone to Preferences>Privacy & Security>History, and Private Browsing is not forced, and I checked "Remember browsing and download history" I've gone to Preferences>Privacy & Security>History, checked "Clear history when Firefox closes", UNchecked everything but "Cache", then restarted the browser Under Preferences>Privacy & Security>Cookies & Site Data, "Delete cookies and site data when Firefox is closed" is NOT checked
So, have I missed anything? Those two sites are two of my startup tabs, and it's a huge pain to log into them every time. (I also have 2FA turned on everywhere I can, so for Google services it's an extra pain, and I won't be able to log in if I don't have my phone handy.)
Thanks in advance for any help!
Chosen solution
Ugh! Somehow I had a bunch of cookie exceptions in the Preferences. I recently switched from Chrome to FF as my primary browser on this computer last week, but the computer is 5 years old, and I was probably using FF 5 years ago. I went and cleared out most of those domains that I didn't recognize, leaving in obvious metric/tracker/ad domains like 2o7, omtrdc, demdex, etc., and now my login sessions for the two sites in question persist across browser sessions!
Thanks jscher2000 and cor-el, and I hope documenting my resolution helps someone else.
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Hi MaxH42, it sounds as though your settings should preserve persistent cookies set by the sites. But is the problem with persistent cookies or session cookies? Let's test that question by experimenting with the "Restore previous session" option that re-opens your last set of windows and tabs at startup. Here's how:
(1) Check the "Restore previous session" checkbox -- first thing on the Preferences page
(2) Before shut-down, make sure those sites are open (for example, if they are among your home pages, press the Home button)
(3) Use Quit on the menu
What Firefox should do in that case is preserve not just persistent cookies but also the session cookies for those sites, which may facilitate access after session restore if one of those is required to keep you logged in.
(4) Start Firefox again -- any difference?
Thanks, I tried that and was again logged out from Gmail and WaPo, but not others like NY Times and Facebook. It's really perplexing...and annoying! It's enough to make me seriously consider going back to Chrome, despite their announcement on ad blockers.
Modified by Max Handelsman
What do you see under Devices & Apps on the Firefox Account setting page?
cor-el, I found two devices that were 2+ years old (computers that were since replaced), so I disconnected them, but other than that these all seem legit, except I'm not sure what the last one is (some parts anonymized for privacy):
Firefox on max-h***-macbook-pro Current device
Firefox on SM-G935T Last sync 20 hours ago near ***, United States
mh***’s Firefox on mh***-hnsymv2 Last sync 2 days ago near ***, United States
MaxH***’s Firefox on Study-PC Last sync 8 days ago near ***, United States
Max's Firefox at work Last sync 10 days ago near ***, United States
m***'s Firefox on ***-0501559713 Last sync 9 months ago near ***, United States
Mozilla email preferences Last active a day ago
Modified by Max Handelsman
Seçilmiş Həll
Ugh! Somehow I had a bunch of cookie exceptions in the Preferences. I recently switched from Chrome to FF as my primary browser on this computer last week, but the computer is 5 years old, and I was probably using FF 5 years ago. I went and cleared out most of those domains that I didn't recognize, leaving in obvious metric/tracker/ad domains like 2o7, omtrdc, demdex, etc., and now my login sessions for the two sites in question persist across browser sessions!
Thanks jscher2000 and cor-el, and I hope documenting my resolution helps someone else.
I had the very same problem. GMail forgot me each time I closed the browser, while other sites (even Google owned ones like YouTube) remembered me.
This happened after the update from Firefox 69 to 70, so I suspected the new Enhanced Tracking Protection features to be responsible.
I tried:
- Different Enhanced Tracking Protection levels
- Adding mail.google.com to tracking exceptions
- Disabling all Add-Ons
... to no avail.
Like MaxH42, what resolved it for me was to clear all history. After that, GMail remembered me again, even with Enhanced Tracking Protection set to Strict.