How to reduce what websites can see in your browser
Websites do not need your name to recognize you. They combine small technical details — like how your screen draws text, which fonts you have, and what language your browser reports — into a profile. This hub maps each type of signal to practical protections you can turn on today, and shows you how to verify they work.
How browser tracking actually works
When you open a page, your browser automatically sends a User-Agent string and other HTTP headers (language, privacy preferences, and in Chromium browsers, structured Client Hints). The page may also run JavaScript that reads your screen size, timezone, CPU threads, and runs fingerprint probes — hidden drawing tests (canvas), graphics checks (WebGL), audio processing tests, and font measurements.
Your IP address reveals approximate location and network provider. None of these signals alone is always unique, but combined they often form a stable identifier — even without cookies. Our analysis tool checks the same categories so you can see your real exposure and test changes before and after you adjust settings.
Protection layers at a glance
| Layer | What it limits | Deep-dive guide |
|---|---|---|
| Anti-fingerprinting | Canvas, WebGL, audio, and font probes | Anti-fingerprinting guide |
| Opt-out signals | Global Privacy Control and Do Not Track headers | GPC & DNT guide |
| Client Hints | Structured browser data beyond the UA string | Client Hints guide |
| Cookies & site data | Stored identifiers and cross-site tracking | Cookies guide |
| Locale & timezone | Language headers and timezone fingerprinting | Locale & timezone guide |
| Network anonymity | IP-based location (not JS fingerprint) | VPN guide |
| Maximum anonymity | All probes plus network routing | Tor Browser guide |
Quick wins (start here)
- Enable Global Privacy Control in Firefox, Brave, or supported browsers — sends an opt-out signal many publishers recognize.
- Block third-party cookies and clear site data periodically — stops many cross-site trackers that rely on storage.
- Turn on anti-fingerprinting — Firefox Resist Fingerprinting, Safari fingerprinting protection, or Brave Shields reduce probe uniqueness.
- Limit Client Hints in Chromium — review which structured browser data you share beyond the User-Agent.
- Do not rely on Incognito alone — private browsing clears local history but not fingerprint signals.
Signal → protection map (simplified)
- Canvas / WebGL / audio / fonts / blocked probes → Anti-fingerprinting (also: math engine, speech voices, media queries, WebGL privacy flags, color depth, hardware hints, plugins, network hints)
- Sec-GPC, DNT headers → Global Privacy Control
- Sec-CH-UA*, userAgentData, high-entropy CH → Client Hints
- cookieEnabled, third-party cookies → Cookies & site data
- Accept-Language, timezone, languages → Locale & timezone
- IP country, region, ASN → VPN (does not hide JS fingerprint)
- All signals + consistency checks → Tor Browser
Deep-dive guides
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Anti-fingerprinting
Reduce canvas, WebGL, audio, and font tracking — the highest-impact layer for most users.
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Global Privacy Control & Do Not Track
Send opt-out signals — what they do, who honors them, and what they cannot fix.
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User-Agent Client Hints
Chromium's structured browser data — and how to limit what you share.
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Cookies & site data
Block third-party cookies, isolate storage, and clear site data safely.
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Language & timezone hygiene
Reduce locale and timezone signals that narrow down who you might be.
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Tor Browser
Maximum anonymity — network routing plus fingerprint hardening.
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Private browsing limits
What Incognito actually does — and why it does not stop fingerprinting.
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VPN vs fingerprinting
What a VPN hides (IP) and what it leaves unchanged (your browser fingerprint).
Understanding your privacy score
The privacy score (0–100, higher is better) weights every inference card from your analysis — not just canvas or WebGL. Exposure signals add points; protective signals (blocked probes, GPC, canvas randomization) subtract. The Overview also shows estimated fingerprint entropy (~bits), core probe coverage (how many of the four baseline probes succeeded), and — when enough visitor data exists — how your probe richness compares to recent analyses on this site.
Cross-signal mismatches (for example VPN timezone vs browser timezone) can improve your score because inconsistent signals are harder for trackers to trust. See anti-fingerprinting for the full inference list.
Verify your protections
After changing settings, confirm they work — not just that you toggled a switch.
- Run a live analysis on the homepage before and after each change.
- Check the Overview tab for your privacy score, entropy estimate, core probe count, protections, and recommendations.
- Under How you compare, review privacy score percentile and probe richness (N/8) when benchmark data is available.
- Open the Fingerprint and relevant signal tabs to see which probes still succeed.
- For fingerprint hash stability, refresh the page twice in the same tab — the Overview shows whether your demo hash stayed stable (trackable) or changed (possible randomization). Only the previous hash is kept in
sessionStorageon your device. - On Firefox or Tor, blocked probes may mean protection is working, not that the analysis failed.
Run a free analysis to see which signals your browser exposes right now.
Check my browser nowFrequently asked questions
Do I need every protection listed here?
No. Start with quick wins: GPC, third-party cookie blocking, and anti-fingerprinting in your main browser. Add locale, Client Hints, or VPN adjustments based on what your analysis report flags. Tor is for high-stakes anonymity, not everyday browsing.
Will these settings break websites?
Stricter settings can cause CAPTCHAs, login issues, or broken layouts on some sites. Most guides explain trade-offs per browser. You can often use per-site exceptions instead of turning protections off globally.
What does probe richness mean?
Probe richness counts how many fingerprint probe classes succeeded during your visit (core canvas, WebGL, audio, and fonts plus extended math, media queries, speech voices, and secondary canvas draws — up to eight). When the benchmark has enough data, the Overview compares your richness to recent visitors. Fewer successful probes usually means less material for trackers to combine.