Cookies allow the sites you visit to uniquely identify your browser and piece together your online behavior into an extensive profile. For those concerned about their privacy in an era of widespread tracking, disabling cookies provides a way to regain control.
In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll dive into everything you need to know to manage cookies in Firefox on all your devices. From the different types of cookies and how they work, to a full set of step-by-step instructions tailored to Windows, Mac, iOS and Android. Let‘s get started!
Contents
What Are Cookies Exactly?
You‘ve probably heard about the privacy implications of cookies, but what exactly are these tricky little files?
Cookies are small text files that websites store on your computer. They contain information like unique identifiers, site preferences, login data, shopping cart contents, and more. When you visit a site, it can access any cookies stored by your browser and vice versa.
This allows sites to identify your specific browser across visits. For example, cookies enable remembering your username when you return to a site so you don‘t have to log in again. Helpful, right?
On the other hand, companies can use cookies to track your movements across multiple sites to target ads and build detailed profiles about your interests and habits. This is where privacy concerns arise.
Types of Cookies
There are a few varieties of cookies to understand:
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First-party cookies – Set by the main site you directly visit. Required for basic functionality like maintaining your session. Less invasive as they can‘t track you outside their domain.
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Third-party cookies – Added by third party content embedded in sites, like ads and analytics tools. Used primarily for cross-site tracking due to their expansive reach.
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Session cookies – Temporary cookies that last only until you close your browser. They are deleted automatically.
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Persistent cookies – Remain saved on your device for much longer based on lifespan set by site (hours, days, weeks, years). Enable continuous tracking until they expire or are manually cleared.
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Flash cookies – Unlike regular cookies set through the browser, these are stored through Adobe Flash plug-in. Harder to detect and control.
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Zombie cookies – Cookies that resurrect themselves even after you delete them. This is accomplished by sites re-spawning a cookie with a new ID.
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Supercookies – A virtually indestructible type of cookie with the ability to re-generate itself and evade tracking protections.
This covers some of the most common varieties – there are many more nuanced iterations. But in general, third-party persistent cookies pose the biggest privacy risk due to long-term tracking capabilities.
How Cookies Work: Under the Hood
Ever wonder what‘s happening behind the scenes when a cookie is created? Here‘s a quick rundown:
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You visit a website for the first time.
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The site‘s server sends an HTTP header request along with the webpage content:
Set-Cookie: cookie_name=cookie_value; Expires=Expires_date; Path=URL_path -
Your browser sees this and stores the cookie in a designated cookie folder. A unique ID is also generated.
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Next visit, your browser automatically sends the cookie data back to the server in the request headers:
Cookie: cookie_name=cookie_value -
The server identifies the cookie ID and can now link this visit to the previous one!
This enables client-side storage unique to your browser. Companies can leverage cookies to track you as you surf the web by associating your behavior back to a single persistent ID.
Pretty sneaky, aren‘t they? Let‘s talk about how Firefox aims to curb this tracking next.
Firefox‘s Stance on Cookies and Privacy
Mozilla Firefox is widely known as the privacy champion among browsers. While Chrome, Safari and others have increased tracking protections lately, Firefox has long led the charge.
Some examples of Firefox‘s privacy-first initiatives include:
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Enhanced Tracking Protection – Provides default blocking of cross-site and social media trackers identified through Disconnect list.
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Total Cookie Protection – Isolates cookies to prevent tracking cookies from interacting with each other across sites.
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DNS over HTTPS – Encrypts DNS requests to prevent ISPs from collecting visited sites. Rolled out by default in 2020.
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First-party isolation – Contains cookies and site data to only first party context. Prevents leakage across sites.
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Firefox Monitor – Alerts you about potential online data breaches containing your information.
Mozilla is transparent about development plans and continues innovating new protections like SmartBlock, which strikes a balance between privacy and functionality by selectively unblocking trackers based on breakage level.
Next up, let‘s walk through exactly how to manage cookies within Firefox on your devices.
Step-by-Step Guide to Disabling Cookies in Firefox Browser
The process of disabling cookies is straightforward on both desktop and mobile Firefox. We‘ll cover how to block cookies completely, delete existing ones, and allow exceptions.
But first, let‘s look at the desktop instructions for Windows and Mac.
Disable All Cookies in Firefox on Windows & Mac
Here‘s how to fully disable third-party cookies on a Windows PC or Mac computer:
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Click the main Menu button > Preferences
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Select the Privacy & Security tab
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Under Enhanced Tracking Protection, choose Custom
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Check the box for Cookies and select All third-party cookies from the drop-down
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Click Reload All Tabs if prompted
That‘s all there is to it! Now third-party tracking cookies are completely blocked.
However, this may cause some sites to break since cookies are needed for essential functionality. Let‘s go over how to clear existing cookies next.
Deleting Cookies from Firefox on Windows and Mac
To delete cookies while preserving your other Firefox data:
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Go to Preferences > Privacy & Security
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Click the Clear History button
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Choose the Everything time range
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Check Cookies only
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Click Clear to confirm deletion
And your cookies are deleted! Your browsing history, stored passwords and other data remain untouched.
Manage Cookie Settings in Firefox Mobile Browser
Now let‘s explore the process for managing cookies within Firefox mobile apps for Android and iOS.
On Android devices, do the following to customize cookie behavior:
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Tap the main Menu button and select Settings
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Choose Privacy and security > Block cookies
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Select the cookie types you want to block
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Tap back to save changes
To delete cookies on Android:
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Go to Settings > Delete browsing data
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Select Cookies
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Tap Delete browsing data
For iOS devices, use these steps to handle cookies on a per-site basis:
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Visit the site and tap the shield icon next to the URL bar
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Toggle on Enhanced Tracking Protection
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Select cookie types to block under Tracking Content
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Tap Done in the upper right
To completely wipe cookies from an iPhone or iPad:
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Navigate to Settings > Privacy and Security
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Tap Clear Private Data
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Select Cookies
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Confirm by tapping Clear Private Data again
And that covers disabling, allowing and deleting cookies across all platforms! Let‘s move on to…
When You Might Need to Re-Enable Cookies
Although blocking cookies improves privacy, it can sometimes prevents sites from working properly. For example:
- Videos not loading
- Getting logged out repeatedly
- Pages displaying incorrectly
- Features breaking
In these cases, you may want to make exceptions for specific sites by enabling cookies again:
- Visit the site and click the shield icon next to the URL
- Turn off Enhanced Tracking Protection
- Reload the page to allow cookies
This site-by-site approach balances functionality and privacy when needed.
Leverage Additional Tools for Enhanced Cookie Blocking
Beyond Firefox‘s built-in shields, you can further enhance privacy with extensions like ad blockers and VPNs featuring:
- Ad blocking – Prevents ads from storing cookies and tracking you across sites
- Tracker blocking – Stops analytic scripts, pixels and other stealthy trackers
- Anti-fingerprinting – Blocks browser fingerprinting used to identify you
- VPN encryption – Encrypts traffic to hide activities from ISPs
Some top options include:
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AdGuard – Open-source ad blocker that excels at nixing trackers in all forms. Easy to customize filter subscriptions.
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NordVPN – Provides ad and malware blocking via CyberSec feature. Based in Panama with strict no logs policy.
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ProtonVPN – Developed by privacy pioneers Proton. Blocks trackers, ads and malware by default.
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ExpressVPN – Blazing speeds and simple apps.Provides website and tracker blocking through Threat Manager.
Pair the comprehensive tracking protections in Firefox with one of these secure VPNs or ad blockers to take your privacy to the next level.
Common Cookie Questions Answered
Let‘s wrap up with answers to some frequently asked questions about Firefox‘s cookie handling:
No, cookies are not deleted automatically unless you actively change settings to clear them on browser close.
Potentially. Saved passwords are cleared along with cookies unless you have a password manager enabled like Firefox Lockwise.
Absolutely. Firefox has robust default protections like Enhanced Tracking Protection and Total Cookie Protection, making it one of the most privacy-centric browsers.
Not by default. But you can easily configure it to block all third-party tracking cookies for maximum privacy.
Yes, Firefox gives you full control over deleting Flash cookies. Simply select "Remove All Site Data" in website data settings to wipe them.
Take Your Privacy Back with Firefox Cookie Controls
Cookies provide helpful functionality but also enable extensive tracking of your online activities. With companies building detailed user profiles, it‘s no wonder many want to disable cookies for privacy.
Luckily Firefox puts you in the driver‘s seat with flexible cookie configuration across all your devices. Implement its built-in tracking protections, learn to fully block cookies on desktop and mobile, and incorporate privacy extensions to reclaim control of your data.
What steps will you take to rein in cookies in Firefox? The choice is yours – now you have all the knowledge you need to tailor cookie settings to your comfort level. Your privacy is worth protecting.
