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The purple mask of Private browsing mode, where is it?

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  • 10 have this problem
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  • Last reply by BluePencil

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Hi, there! I installed Firefox 42.0 on my PC that is running Windows 7 SP1 32bit and it's stable. But the purple mask, the new feature of the Private Browsing mode, doesn't work in the following scenarios. I cannot see the purple mask at the top of the windows.

1. Right-click the "Mozilla Firefox" shortcut, and select Properties. Add " -private" to the end of the target box; \Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe" -private.

2. Tools > Options > Privacy > History, click the check box next to "Always use Private Browsing mode".

Do you have any advice?

Best Regards, BluePencil

Hi, there! I installed Firefox 42.0 on my PC that is running Windows 7 SP1 32bit and it's stable. But the purple mask, the new feature of the Private Browsing mode, doesn't work in the following scenarios. I cannot see the purple mask at the top of the windows. 1. Right-click the "Mozilla Firefox" shortcut, and select Properties. Add " -private" to the end of the target box; \Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe" -private. 2. Tools > Options > Privacy > History, click the check box next to "Always use Private Browsing mode". Do you have any advice? Best Regards, BluePencil

Chosen solution

You will only see the purple mask if Firefox is in normal mode and you open a New Private Window. If you are in permanent Private Browsing mode then there is no need to show the icon and it is suppressed.


You can use an extension to get Private Browsing mode support per tab.

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Chosen Solution

You will only see the purple mask if Firefox is in normal mode and you open a New Private Window. If you are in permanent Private Browsing mode then there is no need to show the icon and it is suppressed.


You can use an extension to get Private Browsing mode support per tab.

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Hello cor-el. Thank you for your prompt reply.

If I turn on the InPrivate Browsing mode in Internet Explorer 11 permanently, I can see the blue icon "InPrivate" on the left side of the address bar. So I hope Firefox will display the purple mask on the top of the windows permanently just like IE, without add-ons.

Thank you, BluePencil