Manage browsing history and personal data in Firefox

 

This tutorial only applies to users running Mozilla Firefox browser on Windows, Mac OS X, Linux.

As the evolutionary progress of modern web browsers continues, so does the amount of data that gets left behind on your device after a browsing session. Whether it’s a record of websites you’ve visited or a record of your file download details, a significant amount of your personal drive stays on your hard drive after you close your browser.

While each local storage of these data elements serves a legitimate purpose, you cannot be comfortable without a virtual track on the device – especially if it is shared by more than one person.

This tutorial shows you how to manage and / or delete your history , cache, cookies, saved passwords and other data in Firefox browser .

First, open your browser, click on the Firefox menu, represented by three horizontal lines and located in the upper right corner of the browser window. When the pop-out menu appears, select Options

Privacy options

Firefox’s Options dialog now appears. First, click on the privacy icon. Next, mark the History section

The first option found in the History section will be labeled Firefox and will have a drop down menu with the following three choices.

• Remember history: When selected, Firefox records a log of all your browsing history.
• Remember history: When selected, Firefox does not record any browsing history.
• Use custom settings for history: You are allowed to customize a number of Firefox’s history settings, details below.

The next option, an embedded link, clearly labeled your recent history . Click this link.

Clear all history

All History Delete Delete dialog window will appear. The first section in this window, labeled Clear Time , is accompanied by a drop-down menu and allows you to clear personal data from the following predefined time intervals: everything (default option), last hour , last two hours , last four hours , today

The second part specifies which data element will be deleted. Before forwarding, it is very important that you fully understand what each of these items is before deleting something. As they follow.

• Browsing and Download History: Firefox records logs of all files downloaded through the browser, as well as the names and URLs of all web pages you visit.
• Forms and Search History: When you enter information as your name and address in a web form, Firefox will save it locally – using it to auto-pop up these fields in the next session. Meanwhile, when you type keywords into the browser’s search bar, data will be stored on your hard drive for future use. Mozilla has chosen to combine these two elements together when deleting them.
• Cookies: Websites use cookies to store user-specific preferences, login credentials in the form of small text files, and more.
• Cache: Cache contains temporary files that are used to speed up page loading on the next visit. This can range from image files to full web pages
• Active Login: If selected, any of your sites you have logged in to (via HTTP authentication) will be automatically logged out.

• Offline Website Data: Some websites may choose to keep files on your hard drive that may facilitate access to the site even if an Internet connection is not available. These files are classified as offline website data.
• Site Preferences: Firefox stores specific settings, such as pop-up window allowances, specific to individual websites. This choice may be deleted if you wish.

Each item is accompanied by a check mark for deletion. Make sure your preferred options are checked (and unselected). To complete the removal process, now click the Clear Game button.

Remove individual cookies

As we discussed above, cookies are most often used by websites to delete text files and drop flashing through one clear all history feature. However, there may be occasions when you want to maintain some cookies and delete others. If you find yourself in this situation, first return to the Privacy Options window. Next, remove the individual cookie link in the History section .

The Cookie dialog now appears. You can now see the cookies that Firefox has stored on your local hard drive, categorized by websites created by them. To delete a specific cookie only, select it and click the Remove Cookie button. To delete all cookies that Firefox has saved, click the All Cookies button.

Use custom settings for history

As mentioned above, Firefox allows you to customize a number of its history settings. The following customizable options are provided when selecting from the drop-down menu when using custom settings for history .

• Always use private browsing mode: If enabled, Firefox will automatically start in private browsing mode. For information about whether or not information is stored while browsing in this mode, visit our personal browsing tutorial .
• Remember my browsing and download history: When enabled, Firefox will also keep a record of all the websites you have visited that you have downloaded.
• Remember Search and Form History: When enabled, Firefox will store most of the information submitted by web forms and keywords to search engines through the browser’s search bar.
• Accept cookies from the site: When enabled, Firefox will store all cookies managed by websites on your local hard drive.
• Clear history when Firefox is closed: When enabled, Firefox will automatically delete all history-related data elements when the browser application is shut down.