`New Private Window` appears but shouldn't

[ciarantr]

Cookies remain when the privacy option Always use private browsing mode is selected.

• Cookies remain in new private windows.
• Cookies are not removed after clear data option is selected in browser privacy settings.
• Clear Data in browser privacy displays 0 bytes of data when cookies are present by viewing developer tools > storage > cookies
• Cookies are only removed when quitting Mullvad browser

[Thorin-Oakenpants]

MB (and TB) do not have a New Private Window menu item - mostly because, I agree, it can be misinterpreted.

What leads you to believe opening a new window (in any mode) sanitizes any existing state (disk or memory)? It doesn't do that for normal windows, why would it do it for private windows? Again, I can see the less-optimal wording/UX from Mozilla, but it doesn't say that in TB/MB

---

New Windows, New Private Windows are not individual sessions. You need to close Firefox and start a new session. On Tor Browser you can also use New Identity. For the record, it is far more than just "cookies and site data" that is not cleared except on "shutdown" (i.e close app, new identity)

For a more technical insight, private windows share the same hardcoded key (or id) for partitioning - it's actually a container id - which is why containers cannot be used in pb windows. It's been a while since I looked at it.

I can't find it right now, but there is a long standing bugzilla suggestion to make PB windows isolated per window. Meanwhile, Firefox 120 has added this

• 
• in a year's time this may stay in MB14, definitely not in TB14

It closes all other PB windows, closes all tabs, and clears everything in memory: so basically a shortcut to start anew - which is not the same thing as having different keys per window. This is basically acknowledges and highlights the fact that PB windows are the same context. So I doubt containers will ever work with PB windows, and I doubt PB windows will ever get their own per window isolation key.

[ciarantr]

Im not sure I follow. In all other browers when selecting a new private window cookies are not available in the new windows, Firefox, safari, chrome; I was pretty sure the same applied to Mullvad up until recently?

[ciarantr]

I'm not sure I follow. In all other browers when selecting a new private window cookies are not available in the new windows, Firefox, safari, chrome; I was pretty sure the same applied to Mullvad up until recently?

[Thorin-Oakenpants]

I'm on windows. Mac may have some differences (but shouldn't)

ok - the menu item I was referring to was the hamburger menu

• 

here's windows menubar (which mac uses)

• 

[Thorin-Oakenpants]

@ruihildt @pierov

I see some issues here

• MB shouldn't have New Identity (menubar)
• MB at least on mac has New Private Window (menubar) instead of New Window
  • MB on windows has neither (menubar is default off on windows anyway)
• can we check mac's hamburger menu

[ciarantr]

Oh I see now, that was on the Mac menu bar for Mb and not the HB menu. I thought new private window was prevouisly available, Should I close this issue then?

[ruihildt]

@ciaran-io Thanks for pointing this out, we're gonna double check on our end and will address the issues you reported and also mentioned by @Thorin-Oakenpants .

I'll keep the issue opened until this has been done.

[ciarantr]

@ruihildt Great, thank you for addressing the issue so quickly.

[Thorin-Oakenpants]

https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/applications/mullvad-browser/-/issues/247

[Thorin-Oakenpants]

oh, and I see windows hamburger menu also has New Identity