This site will have limited functionality while we undergo maintenance to improve your experience. If an article doesn't solve your issue and you want to ask a question, we have our support community waiting to help you at @FirefoxSupport on Twitter and/r/firefox on Reddit.

Search Support

Avoid support scams. We will never ask you to call or text a phone number or share personal information. Please report suspicious activity using the “Report Abuse” option.

Learn More

Tracking protection remaining on in normal mode after using private mode

  • 3 replies
  • 4 have this problem
  • 5 views
  • Last reply by cor-el

more options

In Firefox 54.0.1, tracking protection remaining on in normal mode after using private mode and returning to normal mode. Is this a bug?

In Firefox 54.0.1, tracking protection remaining on in normal mode after using private mode and returning to normal mode. Is this a bug?

All Replies (3)

more options

There are two prefs that control Tracking Protection:

  • privacy.trackingprotection.enabled (false)
  • privacy.trackingprotection.pbmode.enabled (true)

It sounds that both are true in your case or you haven't disabled private browsing mode.


You can open the about:config page via the location/address bar. You can accept the warning and click "I'll be careful" to continue.

more options

That's not my point.

I did turn off private browsing.

After I close off private browsing - even after restarting Firefox - privacy.trackingprotection.enabled remains true.

I have tried this on multiple computers.

I know how to use about:config to toggle prefs but I shouldn't have to.

Surely, it should revert to false.

more options

Turning off private browsing mode doesn't affect the two prefs I posted above. The prefs only determine when Tracking Protection is active. By default only privacy.trackingprotection.pbmode.enabled is set to true to enable Tracking Protection in private browsing mode. If privacy.trackingprotection.enabled is set to true then this pref likely shows as user set (bold) and and you have made this change manually and this means that Tracking Protection is active in normal mode.