--- title: "Firefox Containers Preview" url: https://daily.dev/posts/firefox-containers-preview-6wa4s8vz7 source_url: https://blog.mozilla.org/en/firefox/firefox-containers-preview type: article source: "Mozilla" published: 2026-07-21T16:03:28.658Z updated: 2026-07-25T12:08:59.103Z tags: ["firefox", "mozilla"] reading_time: 3 upvotes: 6 comments: 5 language: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Firefox Containers Preview **[Mozilla](https://daily.dev/sources/mozilla)** · 3 min read · 6 upvotes · 5 comments ## Summary Firefox 153 introduces native Containers as a built-in browser feature, graduating from the long-standing Multi-Account Containers extension. Containers let users keep separate browsing contexts (work, personal, banking, shopping) isolated from each other, preventing cross-container cookie tracking and ad targeting. The preview allows opening tabs in specific containers, customizing them with names, colors, and icons, and managing settings directly in Firefox preferences. Existing Multi-Account Containers extension users can continue using it alongside the native feature. Mozilla plans to expand functionality and build on this foundation in future releases. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Community take How the wider developer community reacted, aggregated from 1 discussion and 173 comments across hackernews (as of 2026-07-25). **TL;DR:** The community is broadly positive about Firefox finally making Multi-Account Containers a native, default feature, though many are confused about what's actually new since the underlying functionality has existed for years behind about:config flags. Power users are happy but note the extension still has critical features (site-pinning, sync, proxy integration) not yet in the native version. **Sentiment:** 55% positive · 30% mixed · 15% skeptical **The case for** - Containers are now on by default without needing to touch about:config or install an extension, lowering the barrier for all users. - The feature enables powerful workflows: multiple Google/work accounts simultaneously, isolating tracking-heavy sites like Facebook, per-container proxy routing, and QA testing with different credentials. - Pairing containers with extensions like Sidebery or Temporary Containers unlocks even more advanced tab management. - Container-specific proxy/SOCKS support (via Container Proxy extension) is praised as a killer feature for accessing multiple networks from one browser. **The pushback** - The announcement is confusing because containers have been natively available for years via about:config flags — this appears to just flip those defaults on. - Key extension features (site-specific container assignments, cross-device sync, proxy integration) are not yet in the native version, so the extension is still required for power users. - Fingerprinting (GPU, screen size, User-Agent, IP) can still cross-correlate users across containers, limiting the privacy benefit. - Some users report the UI has been difficult to use and the extension has been languishing without meaningful updates for years. - External links (e.g., from Slack) opening in the wrong container remains an unsolved pain point. **By community** - hackernews (mixed): Enthusiastic about the direction but genuinely puzzled about what's new, with many noting the feature already existed natively and the extension still has critical missing capabilities. **Hottest debate:** Whether containers or separate Firefox profiles provide better isolation and workflow for managing multiple identities, with strong advocates on both sides. **Open questions** - Will site-specific container assignments (always open domain X in container Y) be added to the native implementation? - Will containers sync across devices natively without requiring manual extension configuration? - Is this coming to Firefox for Android? - Will per-container extension settings ever be supported? - How will external links (from other apps like Slack) be routed to the correct container? **Highlights** > This is not new, and it's weird that this blog post doesn't acknowledge that. A a snapshot from 2017 [0] of their docs show the UI for this very feature. A snapshot from 2023 of their knowledge base [1] says that "Firefox Containers is a basic built-in feature". I just created a new profile in Firefox 140 ESR, started it in safe mode (which disables extensions), enabled "privacy.userContext.enabled" in about:config - and there you go, native containers accessible from File -> New Container Tab. I'm not talking about the Multi-Account Containers extension. There are no extensions installed or enabled. It comes with Firefox 140 ESR, without extensions. The Containers feature is already a "native, first-party feature" in older versions of Firefox. Firefox already has a "first-party version of containers". They have already brought it "directly into the heart of Firefox for all to benefit". So what are they talking about in this blog post? Are they simply flipping the config setting to true by default? Are they replacing the existing "Containers" feature with a new feature which is also called "Containers"? Are they rebranding the Multi-Account Containers extension as "Containers" and making it built-in (seemingly not, since apparently "Not all of the features of the add-on are available in the first-party version of containers"). [0] https://web.archive.org/web/20170821073747/https://developer... [1] https://web.archive.org/web/20230307151023/https://support.m... > — [ptx on hackernews · 1 comments](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48999061) > > Now that container management is available directly in Firefox, I’d prefer to use the native implementation if possible. It's been available for years in stable, including the management page on the settings, if you enable them in about:config (privacy.userContext.enabled and privacy.userContext.ui.enabled). Plenty of us have been using them for a long long time without extensions. Based on the list of features, the announcement appears to just be flipping those settings on by default. > — [Izkata on hackernews · 1 comments](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49043086) > Firefox's Multi-Account Containers changed the game for me back in 2018 or 2019, and is what got me to switch back to Firefox for 95% of my personal browser use. The "Always open {{domain}} in this container" and the ability to open a specific container with a keyboard shortcut seem like small things, but I can't imagine life without them anymore. I never understood why it was set off to the side in an (official, first-party) extension, because I was always afraid they would one day stop supporting it. Now when I explain to people why I prefer Firefox, I don't have to explain "There's this extension, don't worry it's official, that allows me to..." I can just say "It has containers built-in. They're great. Try them." > — [chao- on hackernews · 1 comments](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48996061) > Profiles and Containers are a bit of a peanut butter and jelly situation. There's uses for both separately, there's a strong intersection of what they do well that you use either for (topping a slice of toast), and then together they also can make a beautiful sandwich. Profiles form very different windows. You can decorate them to make them obvious at a glance which Profile is which. Up until recent Profile improvements, switching between them and managing them used to be a lot of work, including managing which one was the default for links from other applications. Containers are tabs in a shared window. They get marked with a subtle color bar (the colors you choose for each container) and that's mostly it, they otherwise "blend in" to the same shared window. Reopening tabs in a different container is easy. Opening new tabs in a different container is easy. Containers share a few more things than Profiles do (but are still isolated in important ways such as cookies). I have every site that needs my Google account pinned to always open in a specific container. The boundary is hard where I need it (the privacy protections) but soft for make workflows easier. If I find a YouTube embed in the wild somewhere that needs a login for one of the many restrictive reasons some do, I just click the normal link (or middle click for new tab) and YouTube opens in my Google container automatically. I don't need to copy paste between windows (or use Sync's sometimes slow tab sync engine). If I accidental hit a "log in with Google" button it opens up in the Google container and I know something is wrong because I don't expect random other websites in that container. (Relatedly, I finally installed uBlock Origin not to get rid of ads, but solely to get rid of that awful annoying content-obscuring popup for Google login on sites like Medium. I feel like there should be far more backlash on Google for being a bad actor doing that.) I also use Profiles for alternate identities, things where a very different looking window are helpful to know I'm in the right place. Containers and Profiles are useful together. > — [WorldMaker on hackernews](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49010632) > Facebook uses more advanced fingerprinting techniques than just cookies, even a few data points like IP address, User-Agent, and screen-size probably uniquely identify you and let them cross-correlate you between containers. If you want actual anonymity you need to use something like the Tor Browser (which does lots of tricks to try to block fingerprinting as well as using a unique Tor circuit for every website you access). > — [cyphar on hackernews](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49044279) **Source threads** - [hackernews](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48995409) · 162 points · 173 comments ## Community discussion Top comments from developers on daily.dev. **@petermrozek** · 0 upvotes > Separating browser habits in different isolated containers? That sounds awesome. Finally a way to break ad tracking. **@rucaua** · 0 upvotes > Firefox keeps skipping major Web API features just to focus on useless color tools instead. > > ![GIF](https://static.klipy.com/ii/da290b156d64898341638f3c299e7478/e2/96/5JYul467.gif) **@confused\_snake** · 0 upvotes > The Multi-Account Containers extension is probably my favorite Firefox feature, so I’m excited that it’ll become a built-in feature. I believe everybody should be using it to avoid cross-site tracking. > > It's also a great tool for developers if you want to log into multiple accounts at once without needing multiple browsers. > > > > Not all of the features of the add-on are available in the first-party version of containers just yet > > > That’s unfortunate. Hopefully, the remaining features will be implemented soon **@andradei** · 0 upvotes > In my opinion they also need to to add per window (not global) kiosk mode like chromium has. And that's a low hanging fruit compared to web API parity, improved developer tools, etc. ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [Brave’s latest browser release offers Containers for better and easier workflow](https://daily.dev/posts/brave-s-latest-browser-release-offers-containers-for-better-and-easier-workflow-6ecbpsn2r) · Brave · 4 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#firefox](https://daily.dev/tags/firefox), [#mozilla](https://daily.dev/tags/mozilla) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/firefox-containers-preview-6wa4s8vz7)