Browser Privacy Settings Everyone Should Change
The privacy settings worth changing in Chrome, Safari, Firefox and Edge, where to find them, and which popular ones, like Do Not Track, no longer do anything.
Every browser now advertises privacy, but they start from very different places. Ten minutes in the settings closes most of the gap. Below is what to change in Chrome, Safari, Firefox and Edge, and which well-known settings you can ignore because they no longer do anything.
| Browser | Default tracking protection | The setting to change | Global Privacy Control |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chrome | Third-party cookies allowed | Settings > Privacy and security > Third-party cookies > Block third-party cookies | Not built in |
| Safari (Mac) | Cross-site tracking prevented | Settings > Advanced > Use advanced tracking and fingerprinting protection > in all browsing | Not built in |
| Firefox | Standard: blocks tracking cookies and known fingerprinters | Settings > Privacy & Security > Enhanced Tracking Protection > Strict | Built in, off by default |
| Edge | Tracking prevention set to Balanced | Settings > Privacy, search, and services > Tracking prevention > Strict | Not built in |
Menu names from each browser's official help pages, checked September 24, 2026. Labels can differ slightly between versions.
Chrome: block third-party cookies yourself
Third-party cookies are the ones set by companies other than the site you're on, mostly to follow you from site to site. Google spent years planning to phase them out, then in April 2025 dropped that plan, along with a prompt that would have asked users to choose. Chrome still allows them unless you say otherwise.
Go to Settings, then Privacy and security, then Third-party cookies, and select Block third-party cookies. If a particular site stops working, add it as an exception on the same page.
Two more settings are worth a look under Privacy and security, then Security:
- Safe Browsing. Standard protection is on by default and only sends Google full addresses when a site looks suspicious. Enhanced protection checks more, but sends Google the URLs you visit and samples of page content. We'd stay on Standard unless you often download software from unfamiliar sites.
- Always use secure connections. This warns you before loading a site without encryption. Chrome 154, released in September 2026, turns it on by default; check it's on if you're running an older version.
If you're signed in to Google, also open your account's History settings and set auto-delete for your activity, so your browsing history doesn't pile up there indefinitely.
Safari: extend the strongest protection to all browsing
Safari blocks cross-site tracking by default. On a Mac, check under Safari, Settings, Privacy that Prevent cross-site tracking is on and that Hide IP address is set from trackers. With an iCloud+ subscription you can also hide it from websites through iCloud Private Relay.
The setting most people miss is under Settings, Advanced: Use advanced tracking and fingerprinting protection. It's on for Private Browsing by default, and you can switch it to all browsing. It blocks known data collection companies that use fingerprinting and strips tracking parameters from links. On an iPhone, the main switches, including Prevent Cross-Site Tracking and Hide IP Address, are in Settings, Apps, Safari.
Firefox: go Strict, and turn on Global Privacy Control
Firefox's default Standard mode already blocks cross-site tracking cookies, social media trackers and known fingerprinters. Switching Enhanced Tracking Protection to Strict blocks all cross-site cookies and tracking content in every window. Most sites work fine; for the few that don't, Firefox offers per-site exceptions.
Then, in Privacy & Security, tick Tell websites not to sell or share my data. That's Global Privacy Control, explained below. If you'd rather not share usage data with Mozilla, untick Allow Firefox to send technical and interaction data in the data collection section of the same page.
Edge: Strict tracking prevention, less personalization
Edge's tracking prevention defaults to Balanced. Go to Settings, then Privacy, search, and services, and choose Strict. On the same page, consider switching off the option that lets Microsoft save your browsing activity to personalize ads, search and news.
Global Privacy Control, not Do Not Track
Do Not Track was a good idea that websites never agreed to follow. Google says most websites, including its own, don't change their behavior when they receive it, and Apple removed it from Safari in 2019, noting it could itself be used to fingerprint you.
Global Privacy Control is its successor, and it has legal weight in some places. In California, businesses are required to honor it as a request not to sell or share your data, and a new state law requires every browser to offer an opt-out signal by January 1, 2027. Today it's built into Firefox, Brave and DuckDuckGo; Chrome, Safari and Edge need an extension such as EFF's Privacy Badger.
Know what cookie blocking can't stop
Fingerprinting identifies your browser from its settings, screen size, fonts and dozens of small details, with no cookie at all. Google changed its advertising rules in February 2025 to stop prohibiting it, a move the UK data regulator said was not a fair means of tracking users. Safari's advanced protection and Firefox's fingerprinter blocking are designed to counter it. The EFF's Cover Your Tracks test shows how unique your browser looks.
And private windows aren't a privacy tool in this sense. Chrome's Incognito mode stops your device keeping a record, but the sites you visit, your internet provider and your employer can still see your activity. Following a class action, Google now says so on the Incognito start page: it won't change how data is collected by the sites you visit.
Questions readers ask
Does Incognito or Private mode make me anonymous?
No. It stops your browser saving history and cookies once you close the window. Websites, your internet provider and your employer or school can still see what you do.
Should I turn on Do Not Track?
It won't hurt, but it won't help either. Google says most websites, including its own, ignore it, and Safari and Firefox have removed the setting. Global Privacy Control is the signal that some laws now require businesses to respect.
Will blocking third-party cookies break websites?
Occasionally a login or embedded video misbehaves. Every browser lets you add an exception for a single site, which is better than turning protection off everywhere.
Do I need to switch browsers for privacy?
Not necessarily. Changing a few settings in the browser you already use gets you most of the way. If you want strong protection without adjusting anything, Firefox and Safari start from a more private default than Chrome.