Freshly installed and straight into browsing — that’s how most users start their browser. Consequently, Chrome, Edge, and Firefox remain set to their default settings, which prioritize convenience and data collection over privacy or efficiency.
Browsers regularly prompt you to allow notifications, store large amounts of data in the cloud, and sometimes remain active even after the window has long been closed. The result: more tracking, additional background processes, and unnecessary security risks.
The good news is that with a few quick changes, you can turn the default data vacuum cleaner into a much more discreet tool with a significant boost in security. That’s why I always change the following five settings immediately after every new installation.
No sooner have you landed on a news site or blog than the prompt appears: “Do you want to allow notifications?” At the same time, videos often start playing in the background without being asked — often with sound, and right in the middle of the office or on the train.
This is annoying — and can even become a security issue. Browser notifications are now frequently misused for spam, dubious adverts, or fake competitions. That’s why it’s worth restricting this feature straight after installation.
Settings → Privacy & Security → Permissions → Notifications
There you can:
Settings → Privacy and security → Site settings → Notifications
Recommended:
Settings → Privacy, search, and services → Site permissions → All permissions → Notifications
Many users are familiar with the phenomenon: once you’ve searched for trainers, those shoes suddenly follow you all over the internet. This is down to tracking networks and third-party cookies, which create user profiles across multiple websites.
Firefox already offers relatively reliable protection by default. Chrome and Edge have much more lenient settings. This is precisely why you should tighten up tracking protection straight away.
Settings → Privacy & Security → Enhanced tracking protection
This causes Firefox to block significantly more trackers, fingerprinting techniques, and suspicious scripts.
Settings → Privacy and security → Third-party cookies
Recommended:
Settings → Privacy, search and services → Tracking prevention
Here, it’s worth setting this to at least “Balanced” or, even better, “Strict.”
This reduces personalized advertising and makes it harder for ad networks to track you.
⚠️ If you subsequently notice problems loading pages, lower the setting by one level.
As soon as you sign in with a Google, Microsoft, or Firefox account, the browser starts synchronizing data such as your history, open tabs, or passwords. This is handy, but with Chrome and Edge it also means that large parts of your digital daily life end up directly readable by the tech giants. If you don’t want this to happen, you should restrict synchronization.
Good to know: Mozilla encrypts synchronization data in Firefox by default in such a way that even the manufacturer cannot read it. The focus here is more on telemetry.
Settings → Privacy & Security → Data collected by Firefox and how it is used
Recommendation:
Settings → Google & me → Sync and Google services
Recommended:
Settings → Profiles
Settings → Privacy, search and services → Privacy
Here, specifically turn off the following three switches:
You have to admit it: The built-in password managers in browsers are convenient. That’s why the feature is popular, widely used, and relied upon by millions of people. At the same time, however, stored login details are among the most sensitive information there is — and cyber threats lurk in many places today.
If, for example, unauthorized persons gain physical access to your computer or if you catch malware on your system, this can compromise your stored browser passwords in one fell swoop. That is why you should at least enable additional security features. Browser extensions are particularly tricky in this context, by the way; they are among the biggest data protection risks.
Settings → Privacy & Security → Scroll down to the ‘Passwords’ section
Be sure to enable one of the two security features here so that no one can use your logins without authorization:
Proceed as follows:
Settings → Passwords and Autofill → Microsoft Password Manager → Advanced settings
Here, we recommend:
Tip for maximum security: In the drop-down menu below, select whether Edge should always, or at least once per browser session, ask for your Windows PIN or fingerprint. Without this protection, your passwords are freely visible to anyone sitting at your PC.
Many power users opt instead for specialized password managers such as Bitwarden or 1Password, which offer additional security features and independent encryption. We strongly recommend using a modern password manager. Here we compare the best ones.
Many users close their browser and later wonder why their RAM usage is high or their battery life is dwindling. The reason: Chrome and Edge often continue to run secretly in the background, even when not a single browser window is open. Whilst this provides minimal speed benefits at startup the next time you click, it constantly drains system performance and your laptop’s battery.
Firefox users can skip this section: the open-source browser behaves impeccably in this regard and usually closes itself completely as soon as the last window is closed. With the competition, however, you’ll need to take a few steps:
Settings → System
Important option:
Settings → System and performance → System
There, you should disable:
The classic “Do Not Track” (DNT) signal, which can still be enabled in many browsers, is now largely considered ineffective. Because it was never legally binding for website operators, advertising giants such as Google or Meta simply ignore the request.
The Global Privacy Control (GPC) signal is now more effective and carries significantly greater weight under data protection law. It is the modern, legally binding successor. If a website detects this signal, it must restrict tracking on the server side — depending on the region (as under the GDPR in Europe).
Tip: Although Firefox has the edge when it comes to privacy out of the box, the same applies here: An additional ad and tracking blocker such as Privacy Badger is a useful addition. The tool specifically blocks intrusive tracking scripts running in the background without preventing the loading of desired content across the board. This protects your privacy and conserves resources while browsing.
Browsers today are much more than just programs for surfing the web. They store passwords, synchronize personal data, and constantly communicate with cloud services.
That’s exactly why it’s worth doing a quick settings check straight after installation. With just a few clicks, you can reduce tracking, save resources, and make Chrome, Edge, or Firefox significantly safer and more private in everyday use.
Author: Steffen Zellfelder
Source: PCWorld
Reviewed By: Editorial Team
