How to protect online browsing with Private Network on Firefox

Firefox Private Network is a new service that Mozilla is developing and provides a private proxy (very similar to a VPN connection), which anyone can use on a public network (such as at the coffee shop, airport, etc.) to hide the web traffic and IP address from hackers and advertisers.

The new service is powered by Cloudflare, and at the time of this writing, it’s limited to the United States region as preview, and any Firefox user with an account can use the service from a desktop computer.

In this guide, you’ll learn the steps to configure and use the Firefox Private Network extension to browse the web privately with an encrypted connection on Windows 10.

How to enable Firefox Private Network

If you’re new to Firefox, you need to create an account and install an extension before you can access the private proxy.

Creating Firefox account

To create a new account on Firefox, use these steps:

1. Open Firefox Account page.

2. Enter your email address to use with Firefox.

3. Click the Continue button.

4. Fill out the account form.

5. Click the Create account button.

   

6. Select your sync settings.

7. Click the Enable Sync button.

   

8. Enter the verification code that Mozilla sent you to your inbox.

9. Click the Verify button.

10. Click the Start browsing option.

    

Once you complete the steps, you can proceed to install the Firefox Private Network extension in the browser.

Installing Firefox Private Network

To add the Firefox Private Network extension to protect your online browsing activities and digital prints, use these steps:

1. Open Firefox Private Network extension page.

2. Click the Add to Firefox button.

3. Click the Add button.

   

After you complete the steps, you can start using the private proxy powered by Cloudflare to encrypt your network activity.

Enabling Firefox Private Network

To start using Firefox Private Network feature, use these steps:

1. Open Firefox.

2. Click the Firefox Private Network button in the top-right.

3. Click the Continue button.

   

4. Click the Sign-in button.

   

Once you complete the steps, the service will turn on, and you can start browsing the web privately with an encrypted connection that hides your location, IP address, and the websites you’re viewing.

If you want to turn off the feature, click the extension button, and turn off the Firefox Private Network toggle switch.

We’re focusing this guide on Windows 10, but you can refer to this guide on any supported OS, including Windows 7, Windows 8.1, macOS, and Linux. Also, even though the Firefox Private Network is currently a free service, the company is exploring possible pricing options for different levels of privacy.