make private session default
Hi.
I want firefox to open a private session by default, unless I use "new window" to open a non private session.
The previous answer: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1227360 Does not do this, it describes an insufficient work around.
More detail: 1. when I click on the icon in the doc (osx), it should open a private session. 2. when I use a short cut, (I would make it command-N), it would start a private session.
ONLY, when I tell firefox to create a non-private session (for me using command-shift-N), would it do so.
Why do I want this:
I do 95% of my browsing in private. But a few websites I need cookies and logins, ie mail/bank/etc.
I see no benefit to me, using a non-private browsing for all websites besides those needing a login.
Why does the work around not fit: Firstly I want the piece of mind of seeing private browsing. Secondly, I do not want to change settings in order to visit e-mail/bank/etc.
Is this important? Yes, to me it is. I was using opera, but now they've messed up this functionality in some update. I won't use anything by google (yes I understand opera is based on google), and safari doesn't have this functionality.
My optimal setup would be: 1. private browsing 2. ad-block 3. block-all-google-trackers, all trackers in general
All Replies (5)
Type about:preferences#privacy<enter> in the address bar. The button next to History, select Use Custom Settings.
Turn on Always Use Private Browsing Mode
If you use the setting that I suggested in the thread that referenced, it's virtually identical to running in Firefox Private Browsing mode. Private Browsing mode does not impact your ability to login to websites, since the websites should still have the ability to save the necessary cookies to your browser (although they will be deleted when the browser is closed).
The issue with Private Browsing mode is sometimes What happened to Tracking Protection?. This feature attempts to block tracking cookies from your browser, but may break some websites. If you opt to always run in Private Browsing mode, that feature cannot be disabled on specific sites only (although I believe that ability may be coming in the future).
The best recommendation I can make for you would be to set the Firefox history settings to Never Remember (virtually identical to Private Browsing mode) and set the Tracking Protection to Always. This will give you the option to disable Tracking Protection on specific websites (see the What happened to Tracking Protection? document for more information) in each session. However, you aren't able to disable Tracking Protection permanently for specific websites, meaning that it will activated again for all websites when you close Firefox.
Hope this helps.
I can't tell whether this reply is going to go commonly to the entire thread, or to Wesley. So.. I will reply to both here.
FredMcD: Your answer is almost perfect. But in this mode, I can't figure out how to start a non-private window. The "new window" option is missing. Is there a way to put it back?
Wesley Branton: Your answer doesn't solve the problem. I want the private-session coloring, I want all the aspects of the private mode. Why do I want the color, so that I know that it is happening.
Thank you both for the responses. If anyone figures out how to modify FredMcD to add the option of creating a non-private window, that would be great.
On Mac you would have to use the terminal to start Firefox with a -private or -private-window command line switch if you want to be able to start Firefox normally. Otherwise you would have to use two separate profiles and set one profile to Private Browsing mode and possibly use Sync to sync bookmarks and other personal data. On other platforms you can usually create two launcher to start Firefox with and without the command line switch.
See:
Unfortunately, other than my suggestion or cor-el's suggestion, I think you're going to have a difficult time finding a method that fits your requirements exactly.