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Private browsing is not allowing me to open multiple e-mail accounts

  • 3 replies
  • 1 has this problem
  • 13 views
  • Last reply by musenchild

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At work, I need to be able to have multiple gmail accounts open at once (not just switch between them in the same window, but actually have them open in two different windows). In the past, I've done this in Firefox by using a Private Browsing window for the second account.

For the last several months I've been using Chrome at the request of my employer, but now Chrome has been compromised (big surprise there) and I am back to using Firefox. However, now when I open the private window and go to gmail, it takes me directly to my first e-mail account. If I log out in one window, it logs me out in the other as well.

Can someone point me to the settings I need to change? This is frustrating the heck out of me and making it very difficult to do my work, signing in, signing out, signing in, signing out...

At work, I need to be able to have multiple gmail accounts open at once (not just switch between them in the same window, but actually have them open in two different windows). In the past, I've done this in Firefox by using a Private Browsing window for the second account. For the last several months I've been using Chrome at the request of my employer, but now Chrome has been compromised (big surprise there) and I am back to using Firefox. However, now when I open the private window and go to gmail, it takes me directly to my first e-mail account. If I log out in one window, it logs me out in the other as well. Can someone point me to the settings I need to change? This is frustrating the heck out of me and making it very difficult to do my work, signing in, signing out, signing in, signing out...

Chosen solution

Private windows and normal windows should have completely separate cookie jars.

If you check the title bar, are the private windows marked with the white-mask-on-purple tab in the upper right corner, and the normal windows, with no mask?

If you don't see any mask icons on the private windows, you might have Firefox starting up in automatic private browsing, which doesn't let you open "normal" windows, so there's only one cookie jar for the entire session.

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Chosen Solution

Private windows and normal windows should have completely separate cookie jars.

If you check the title bar, are the private windows marked with the white-mask-on-purple tab in the upper right corner, and the normal windows, with no mask?

If you don't see any mask icons on the private windows, you might have Firefox starting up in automatic private browsing, which doesn't let you open "normal" windows, so there's only one cookie jar for the entire session.

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Thank you! I noticed the absence of the mask but didn't think much of it. That would never have occurred to me.

Problem solved and thank you so much for taking the time!