5 Browser Settings You Should Change Now for Better Privacy

Your web browser sees a lot of what you do online—the sites you visit, the searches you make, even where you click. That information is valuable to advertisers and data brokers, and browsers are designed to make sharing it easy by default. You don’t need to install extra software to take back some control. Chrome, Firefox, and Edge all include built‑in settings that can reduce tracking significantly. Here are five changes worth making.

What Happened

In June 2026, PCWorld published a guide titled “Your browser is too nosy. Change these 5 settings now,” drawing attention to how much data browsers collect by default. Several other outlets followed similar themes in July 2026, including MSN articles on strengthening browser privacy and using browser privacy tools. The message is consistent: browsers are leaky by design, but users can plug many holes themselves.

Why It Matters

Every time you load a webpage, your browser sends information about your device, operating system, language, time zone, and screen resolution. Third‑party cookies and tracking scripts can follow you from site to site, building a profile of your interests, habits, and even your location. Over time, that profile can be used to target ads, adjust prices, or in some cases be shared with data brokers you’ve never heard of. Adjusting a few browser settings reduces the amount of data collected without breaking how most sites work.

What Readers Can Do

The following steps cover Chrome, Firefox, and Microsoft Edge. Settings labels may vary slightly depending on your browser version, but the options are present in current releases as of mid‑2026.

1. Block Third‑Party Cookies

Third‑party cookies are the most common tracking method. Disabling them prevents advertisers from seeing which sites you visit outside the one you’re on.

  • Chrome: Go to Settings → Privacy and security → Third‑party cookies. Select “Block third‑party cookies.” You can also set it to “Block third‑party cookies in Incognito” if you’d rather keep them in regular browsing, but blocking fully gives stronger privacy.
  • Firefox: Open Settings → Privacy & Security → Enhanced Tracking Protection. Choose “Strict” mode, which blocks third‑party cookies, tracking content, fingerprinters, and cryptominers. “Standard” is fine for most users, but “Strict” offers more protection.
  • Edge: Click Settings → Cookies and site permissions → Cookies and site data. Select “Block third‑party cookies.” Edge also has a “Strict” tracking prevention mode under Privacy, search, and services → Tracking prevention.

2. Enable Do Not Track and Global Privacy Control

Do Not Track (DNT) is a blanket request you can send to websites, asking them not to track you. It’s not legally binding, but some sites honor it. Global Privacy Control (GPC) is a newer standard that does have legal weight in certain jurisdictions, such as under the California Consumer Privacy Act.

  • Chrome: In Settings → Privacy and security → Third‑party cookies, toggle on “Send a ‘Do Not Track’ request with your browsing traffic.” Chrome also supports GPC automatically when DNT is enabled, but you can verify at globalprivacycontrol.org.
  • Firefox: Settings → Privacy & Security → Enhanced Tracking Protection → “Send websites a ‘Do Not Track’ signal that tells them you prefer they not track you.” Choose “Always.” Firefox also sends a GPC signal automatically when the DNT setting is active.
  • Edge: Under Settings → Privacy, search, and services → Tracking prevention, turn on “Send ‘Do Not Track’ requests.” Edge also supports GPC, but it appears as a separate toggle in the same section in newer builds.

3. Disable Ad Personalization and Tracking in Browser Settings

All three browsers have settings that control how they collect data for ad purposes. These are often separate from cookie controls.

  • Chrome: In Settings → Privacy and security → Cookies and other site data → “Do not allow any site to use your browsing history for ad personalization.” This is a Chrome‑specific setting that prevents Google from using your site visits to tailor ads.
  • Firefox: Under Settings → Privacy & Security → Firefox Data Collection and Use, uncheck “Allow Firefox to send technical and interaction data to Mozilla.” Also disable “Allow Firefox to install and run studies.” These reduce telemetry.
  • Edge: Go to Settings → Privacy, search, and services → Personalization & ads. Toggle off “Allow Microsoft to use your browsing history, favorites, and other activity for personalized ads and experiences.”

4. Review and Restrict Site Permissions

Many sites request access to your location, camera, microphone, or notifications. Often these aren’t needed for the site to work, and they can be used to track you or serve unwanted prompts.

  • Chrome: Settings → Privacy and security → Site settings. Go through each permission (Location, Camera, Microphone, Notifications) and set the default to “Don’t allow sites to see your location” or “Ask” for camera and microphone. For notifications, choose “Don’t allow sites to send notifications.” You can grant exceptions later.
  • Firefox: Settings → Privacy & Security → Permissions. Uncheck “Warn you when websites try to install add‑ons” (if you’re comfortable), and set “Block new requests asking to allow notifications” to prevent prompt spam. For location, click “Settings” next to Location and set “Block new requests.”
  • Edge: Settings → Cookies and site permissions → All permissions. Similar to Chrome: set default to “Block” for location, notifications, and background sync. Keep camera and microphone as “Ask.”

5. Use the Browser’s Built‑in Anti‑Fingerprinting Features

Fingerprinting uses your device’s unique combination of settings (screen size, installed fonts, time zone) to create a persistent ID without cookies. Chrome and Firefox have built‑in protections, while Edge relies on its tracking prevention.

  • Chrome: Enable “Use secure DNS” in Settings → Privacy and security → Security. While not exclusively anti‑fingerprinting, it helps prevent DNS‑based tracking. Chrome also has “Private Prefetch Proxy” which can reduce metadata leakage. For now, the biggest fingerprinting protection comes from blocking third‑party cookies, which already limits one common technique.
  • Firefox: Firefox offers the best built‑in protection. In Settings → Privacy & Security, under Enhanced Tracking Protection, choose “Strict.” This blocks fingerprinters automatically. You can also go to about:config and set privacy.resistFingerprinting to true for even stronger protection, but this may break some sites (resize windows, change your time zone). Only advanced users should enable that setting.
  • Edge: Edge’s “Strict” tracking prevention (under Privacy, search, and services → Tracking prevention) blocks most fingerprinters. It’s a good middle ground between privacy and usability. You can also enable “Apply DNS over HTTPS” in the same section.

Putting It All Together

These five changes take about ten minutes across all three browsers. They won’t stop every tracking method, but they cut out the most common ones used by the majority of ad networks and analytics services. For even stronger privacy, consider pairing your adjusted browser with a trustworthy, privacy‑focused search engine such as DuckDuckGo or Startpage, and avoid logging into your browser with a Google or Microsoft account unless necessary.

No single setting is a silver bullet. But adjusting these defaults moves you from being a broad target to a more difficult one, and that matters.

Sources

  • PCWorld. “Your browser is too nosy. Change these 5 settings now.” June 11, 2026.
  • MSN. “5 ways to strengthen your browser privacy.” July 9, 2026.
  • MSN. “7 browser privacy tools and settings.” July 4, 2026.