Firefox to lock private windows on Windows sleep and logout using local auth

Mozilla is bringing native privacy lock feature to the Windows version of the Firefox browser and fill the gap in private browser protection that users of the platform have been missing so far. This update is important because it saves the need to use any additional 3rd party extension to secure your private tabs while leaving your computer. In other words, we are likely to see how private windows will get locked automatically on sleep, screen saver, or when you log out from the system. To get access to the windows again you will need to use local authentication, like PIN/password, or even a biometric scan if your hardware supports that.

Native private tab locking feature arrives for Windows desktop users

This move is directed towards Windows desktop users and offers private tab security options which their competitors don't have in their base software right now. For instance, Safari on macOS already supports locked private browsing, and Firefox already has some biometric/PIN lock options available for the Android version. But when it comes to Chrome, Edge, or even Opera, none of them support this feature natively on Windows right now. So you either need to use 3rd party extensions for the same purpose with those browsers.

Mozilla is working on the authentication part of the feature right now in the initial phases of the development. And this implementation of the feature is directly integrated with the local authentication of the operating system to identify the user. In this way, even if someone gets access to your unlocked desktop session, they won't be able to reach your private windows at all. The feature will bring more privacy control in line with what we already have for other platforms and extend the experience to Windows.

We don't have any release date for the Windows-specific feature so far. The development team is working on it, but there is no fixed timeline yet when the public release will happen. We've been closely following Firefox updates, including recent discussions about browser performance comparisons in our Brave Browser Explains Why It Outperforms. Mozilla is working on a feature that allows locking private browser windows with local authentication on Windows desktop.