Mozilla Firefox
What the default settings do
Firefox ships with Enhanced Tracking Protection set to Standard by default, which blocks known third-party trackers, cryptominers, and fingerprinters. Firefox also collects some telemetry data and sends it to Mozilla, including technical interaction data and crash reports.
Several features are enabled by default that connect to Mozilla and partner services, such as recommended stories and sponsored content on the New Tab page, Firefox Suggest in the address bar, and periodic data collection for product improvement. (Pocket, which used to supply those New Tab stories, shut down on July 8, 2025 and was removed from Firefox in version 140.) Recent versions also include generative AI features, such as an optional AI chatbot in the sidebar, and since Firefox 148 (February 2026) a dedicated AI Controls section lets you block them in one place.
A reasonable privacy baseline
These settings are found in Settings → Privacy & Security from the Firefox menu.
Enhanced Tracking Protection
Enhanced Tracking Protection → Strict
Standard mode blocks known trackers, cryptominers, and fingerprinters. Strict mode adds cross-site cookie isolation and blocks tracking content in all windows (not just private windows). This provides stronger protection with a modest increase in site breakage.
Cookies and Site Data → Delete cookies and site data when Firefox is closed → Consider On
Clears cookies when you close Firefox. This limits long-term tracking but means you will be logged out of all sites each session. You can add exceptions for sites where you want to stay signed in.
Firefox Data Collection and Use
Send technical and interaction data to Mozilla → Off
This sends telemetry about how Firefox performs and which features you use, along with general device information such as your operating system and hardware. Mozilla says it does not include your browsing history, searches, or saved passwords. Turning it off stops this collection, and Mozilla treats opting out as a request to delete previously collected telemetry, which it says happens within 30 days.
Allow Firefox to send backlogged crash reports on your behalf → Off
When enabled, Firefox automatically sends previously unsent crash reports to Mozilla. Turning this off means crash reports are only sent when you explicitly choose to submit them.
Allow Firefox to install and run studies → Off
Mozilla occasionally runs studies that install temporary extensions or change settings to test new features. Turning this off opts you out of these experiments.
Address Bar - Firefox Suggest
Suggestions from Firefox → Off
Firefox Suggest sends your keystrokes to Mozilla's servers to provide contextual suggestions including results from partners. Turning this off keeps address bar suggestions local to your bookmarks, history, and open tabs.
Suggestions from sponsors → Off
Disables sponsored suggestions in the address bar that are served based on what you type.
New Tab Page
These options are under Settings → Home → Firefox Home Content.
Firefox Home Content → Recommended stories → Off
With Pocket gone, the New Tab page now shows a feed of recommended stories curated by Mozilla (available in a number of countries, including the US, Canada, the UK, and several European countries). The recommendations are not based on a profile of you by default, but turning them off removes the feed and its associated network requests.
Recommended stories → Sponsored stories and Shortcuts → Sponsored shortcuts → Off
Mozilla places paid stories in the recommended feed and paid shortcut tiles on the New Tab page in some regions. They are labeled as sponsored, and turning them off removes them. If you keep recommended stories on, switching off sponsored stories alone is a reasonable middle ground.
AI Controls
Settings → AI Controls → Block AI enhancements → On (if you do not want AI features)
Added in Firefox 148, this single switch blocks Firefox's current and future generative AI features and stops the prompts and reminders that promote them. Mozilla says the choices you make here stay in place across updates, so new AI features should not quietly switch themselves on later.
Settings → AI Controls → individual features → Turn off the ones you do not use
If you want some AI features but not others, you can manage them one by one instead of using the master switch. At launch these included AI-powered translations, automatic alt text for images in PDFs, AI-assisted tab grouping, link preview summaries, and the optional AI chatbot in the sidebar. The chatbot is the one that sends what you type to a third-party provider (such as ChatGPT, Gemini, or Copilot), so it is the most important one to review.
DNS over HTTPS
DNS over HTTPS → Max Protection or Increased Protection
Firefox can encrypt DNS queries so your internet provider cannot see which domains you look up. "Max Protection" sends all DNS queries through the encrypted resolver and fails if the resolver is unreachable. "Increased Protection" falls back to your system DNS if the encrypted resolver fails. The default resolver is Cloudflare, which can be changed.
Permissions
Permissions → Location, Camera, Microphone, Notifications → Review and consider Block new requests
By default, Firefox asks each time a site requests access. You can preemptively block all new requests for each permission type and add exceptions only for sites you trust. This prevents unexpected permission prompts.
Trade-offs
- Strict Enhanced Tracking Protection may cause some websites to display incorrectly or lose functionality, particularly sites that rely on cross-site cookies for login or embedded content. You can disable protection for individual sites if needed.
- Deleting cookies on close means re-authenticating with every browser session. Adding exceptions for frequently used sites reduces friction.
- Turning off telemetry means Mozilla receives less data to identify and fix issues. Mozilla uses this data to improve Firefox and measure feature adoption.
- Disabling Firefox Suggest and the New Tab recommended stories removes features some people find useful for content discovery. Address bar results will be limited to your own browsing data.
- Blocking AI enhancements also turns off useful features such as page translation and PDF alt text. If you rely on translation, manage features individually rather than using the master switch.
- DNS over HTTPS in Max Protection mode may cause issues on networks that require specific DNS configurations, such as corporate or school networks with internal domains.
- Blocking all new permission requests means you will need to manually add exceptions when a legitimate site needs camera, microphone, or location access.
Who should not change these settings
- If you use a corporate or school network with custom DNS requirements, DNS over HTTPS may interfere with internal site resolution. Your IT department may require this to be off or set to a specific resolver.
- If you find the New Tab recommended stories useful for discovering articles, leaving them on is reasonable since they are not individually targeted by default. You can still turn off sponsored stories.
- If you use Firefox’s translation feature or the sidebar chatbot, do not flip the Block AI enhancements master switch; turn off only the features you do not use.
- If you want to help Mozilla improve Firefox and are comfortable with the telemetry collected, leaving data collection on supports an independent browser project.
- If Strict tracking protection breaks sites you use regularly and managing per-site exceptions feels burdensome, Standard mode is already a meaningful level of protection.
- If you prefer staying logged in across browser restarts, do not enable the setting to delete cookies on close, or carefully maintain your exceptions list.