Desktop url shortcuts and the new private browsing window and a couple questions
This new update really turned private browsing upside down (not in a good way in my eyes). The other features all seem great, just not this one.
My first question is how can I use my shortcut desktop url's and have them open in the private window. They all default to the regular window (I'm assuming it takes priority over the private window so that is why they go directly there). Any idea's how I can use the links without having to go into the links properties and copy/paste into the browser? (Open file doesn't work either in-case anyone wanted to suggest it)
My second question is how do downloads work with the two browser windows? If I download something in private browsing is it shared with the normal window's downloads and vice-versa? (I can probably find this one out on my own but I'm here anyways, might as well ask)
My last question is when you open the private browsing window, and then when I close the regular window (leaving only the private window open), it doesn't save your tabs like normal is this supposed to happen or is that just a problem with mine?
Also, I'm not interested in the permanent private browsing that has been suggested in some other topics.
I love firefox, but this update has made private browsing awkward and tedious. I really hope they give the option to return the private browsing sessions.
Thanks, and sorry for ranting a little bit (and for the likely large amounts of poor grammar and badly formed sentences)
Chosen solution
Hi there!
Let me make sure I answer all of your questions:
1. Unfortunately, you seem to have discovered one of the edge cases where the new per-window private browsing doesn't work well with your workflow, since you have local bookmarks that you open locally. Indeed, it appears that local desktop bookmark files are opened in the main (non-privacy) window. It might be worth filing a bug about this, but I don't know how high priority this would be to fix as it's an edge case. Have you considered just dragging these bookmarks into the Private Browsing window instead?
2. Downloads in Private Browsing aren't shown in the normal downloads list. They're listed on their own, but only for that private session. Once you close that window and open a new private window, any records of that download is gone (except of course that the file you downloaded will be on your disk unless you remove it!).
3. When you close a window in Firefox while still having other windows open, you need to restore those windows from the History menu. This article shows you how: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/how-do-i-restore-my-tabs-last-time?esab=a&s=restore+window&r=1&as=s#w_restore-the-previous-session-from-the-history-menu
Thanks for your feedback and for using Firefox! Sorry that your workflow has been impacted by the recent change. It was a popular request from users to get per-window private browsing, but if you're managing a list of local bookmarks that you want to click on, I can see how this made things worse.
One thing you might want to consider if you're into locally stored data is to create a new Firefox profile and use that as your "private browsing" profile. That way you could store that profile along with your bookmarks that I assume you keep hidden somewhere, and then just turn off Firefox completely and launch with this special profile any time you want to go incognito. This article introduces you to the concept of profiles: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/profile-manager-create-and-remove-firefox-profiles?esab=a&s=managing+profiles&r=0&as=s#os=win7&browser=fx20
Cheers, David
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Chosen Solution
Hi there!
Let me make sure I answer all of your questions:
1. Unfortunately, you seem to have discovered one of the edge cases where the new per-window private browsing doesn't work well with your workflow, since you have local bookmarks that you open locally. Indeed, it appears that local desktop bookmark files are opened in the main (non-privacy) window. It might be worth filing a bug about this, but I don't know how high priority this would be to fix as it's an edge case. Have you considered just dragging these bookmarks into the Private Browsing window instead?
2. Downloads in Private Browsing aren't shown in the normal downloads list. They're listed on their own, but only for that private session. Once you close that window and open a new private window, any records of that download is gone (except of course that the file you downloaded will be on your disk unless you remove it!).
3. When you close a window in Firefox while still having other windows open, you need to restore those windows from the History menu. This article shows you how: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/how-do-i-restore-my-tabs-last-time?esab=a&s=restore+window&r=1&as=s#w_restore-the-previous-session-from-the-history-menu
Thanks for your feedback and for using Firefox! Sorry that your workflow has been impacted by the recent change. It was a popular request from users to get per-window private browsing, but if you're managing a list of local bookmarks that you want to click on, I can see how this made things worse.
One thing you might want to consider if you're into locally stored data is to create a new Firefox profile and use that as your "private browsing" profile. That way you could store that profile along with your bookmarks that I assume you keep hidden somewhere, and then just turn off Firefox completely and launch with this special profile any time you want to go incognito. This article introduces you to the concept of profiles: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/profile-manager-create-and-remove-firefox-profiles?esab=a&s=managing+profiles&r=0&as=s#os=win7&browser=fx20
Cheers, David
I came here looking for solutions to problems 1 and 3 myself--unfortunate to see this is intentional behavior.
I can adapt to not being able to open a private Firefox window to start on the occasions I prefer to do so, that's not a big deal (in spite of the fact I can do that in all the other browsers.)
However, losing my session in the standard Firefox window if I choose to close that while a private window is open? This really is bizarre. Private is intended to be a completely separate mode with no crossover or connection to the regular browser window, so it seems odd that on its next startup, Firefox would refuse to recognize the last regular session. I really hope the devs take it under consideration to change this behavior in a future update.
I appreciate Firefox, I'm still using Firefox, but I find I'm using Google Chrome (Chromium, actually) more and more as it just fits my workflow better. Of course the workarounds available in Firefox are fine, good to know they're there, but the other browsers just work as you'd expect without this strange logic. In my opinion, Mozilla is making a mistake with these deviations.
Modified by m330
This has been disabled deliberately and the only way to open external links in a New Private Window seems to be by dragging a link in an open Private Browsing window.
It doesn't even work with the -private-window command line switch.
This still opens the link in a normal window, so you get two windows, one normal window with the link and an empty private window.
- Bug 829180 - Externally opened urls may open in private browsing windows
- Bug 856839 - External Links Always Open in A New Non-Private Window
(please do not comment in bug reports: https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/page.cgi?id=etiquette.html)