Customizing the way your browser stores and organizes data
Sweeping Up
Web browsers collect a large amount of data about the user’s browsing habits. If you care about privacy, you might want to clean up your browser and configure some custom privacy settings.
The web browser is one of the most popular desktop applications. Regardless of whether you prefer Firefox, Chrome, Opera, w3m, Internet Explorer, Safari, or another browser, you probably spend a lot of time on the Internet. To make life easier, modern web browsers (and web servers) collect information about us and our behavior. Thanks to this system of data storage and collection, we benefit from amenities such as automatic completion of URLs and access credentials, as well as predictive content buffering. But keeping all this browser data around also has some disadvantages – especially if you're concerned about privacy. This article offers some tips for cleaning up browser user data. The examples in this article use Firefox 57, but other browsers have similar features.
Basic Settings
To tweak Firefox settings, choose Edit | Settings. Alternatively, you could just type about:preferences in the address bar or click on the button with the three horizontal dashes in the upper right corner (Figure 1) and then select the gearwheel icon.
Figure 1: In Firefox 57, you can open the settings via the menu.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
US / Canada
UK / Australia
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
System76 Releases COSMIC Alpha 7
With scores of bug fixes and a really cool workspaces feature, COSMIC is looking to soon migrate from alpha to beta.
-
OpenMandriva Lx 6.0 Available for Installation
The latest release of OpenMandriva has arrived with a new kernel, an updated Plasma desktop, and a server edition.
-
TrueNAS 25.04 Arrives with Thousands of Changes
One of the most popular Linux-based NAS solutions has rolled out the latest edition, based on Ubuntu 25.04.
-
Fedora 42 Available with Two New Spins
The latest release from the Fedora Project includes the usual updates, a new kernel, an official KDE Plasma spin, and a new System76 spin.
-
So Long, ArcoLinux
The ArcoLinux distribution is the latest Linux distribution to shut down.
-
What Open Source Pros Look for in a Job Role
Learn what professionals in technical and non-technical roles say is most important when seeking a new position.
-
Asahi Linux Runs into Issues with M4 Support
Due to Apple Silicon changes, the Asahi Linux project is at odds with adding support for the M4 chips.
-
Plasma 6.3.4 Now Available
Although not a major release, Plasma 6.3.4 does fix some bugs and offer a subtle change for the Plasma sidebar.
-
Linux Kernel 6.15 First Release Candidate Now Available
Linux Torvalds has announced that the release candidate for the final release of the Linux 6.15 series is now available.
-
Akamai Will Host kernel.org
The organization dedicated to cloud-based solutions has agreed to host kernel.org to deliver long-term stability for the development team.