Hardening Firefox – a checklist for improved browser privacy

Summary

Firefox Privacy Checklist July 3, 2025 / 3 min read Updated: August 29, 2025 This checklist will walk you (and me) through the settings and extensions I use to improve my privacy when using Firefox. If you’re looking for a web browser that offers a high degree of privacy out of the box with minimal setup, Brave is a common choice. However, I prefer Firefox for several reasons: Firefox is developed by the nonprofit organization Mozilla. I value Mozilla’s commitment to open source software. Firefox is not based on Chromium. Brave, like most browsers, is based on Chromium, which is developed primarily by Google. While there are many web browsers to choose from, I’ve decided Firefox is best for me. This post is a checklist of how I’ve configured it to better protect my privacy while browsing the web. Access Firefox’s settings by clicking the menu button (three horizontal lines) in the top-right corner and selecting “Settings.” To access this, type about:config into the address bar and accept the warning. Warning: Changing advanced configuration preferences can impact Firefox performance or security. Proceed with caution. By following this checklist, you can significantly improve your privacy while using Firefox. Please let me know if I’m missing anything in the comments.