Private Browsing deleted download files when I closed the window??
It's not that they are not in my Firefox downloads manager, which I expected. It's that I confirmed before closing my private browsing window that they were in my Downloads folder on my C drive, and when I went back after closing the private browsing window they were gone. Under "recent files" in my file browser it showed a couple of the most recent downloads and when I tried to click to open them it said they had been moved or deleted. Entering the first couple words of the file titles in the search bar in my file browser yields absolutely nothing.
This was over 30 files or so. It will be really irritating to try to find and download all of them again. Does anyone know of any way for me to get them back???
All Replies (3)
Private mode will not save history or download when close - it clears everything if you want history or download history you need to use standard mode. Why are you using this mode for?
markwarner22 said
Private mode will not save history or download when close - it clears everything if you want history or download history you need to use standard mode. Why are you using this mode for?
As I stated originally, I did not expect it to save my download history in the browser's download manager. Your implication that private browsing is intended to delete your downloads is not correct. The article about private browsing officially put out by Firefox, which you may view at https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/common-myths-about-private-browsing, states: "Private Browsing works by letting you browse without saving passwords, cookies and browsing history in a Private Window. If you download a file from a website, it will remain on your computer, but it will not appear in the download manager in Firefox."
To answer your question, I am using private browsing to avoid keeping cookies, browsing history files and so on on my computer.
I would like to know how I can get these files back. I have not restarted the computer or deleted anything else and am therefore hoping someone can let me know how to restore the files that Firefox evidently deleted. Thank you.
13m47, did any of the downloads fail, after which you restarted the download using the same filename?
I have had Firefox delete files if the first attempt failed, and I redownloaded them using the same filename. Perhaps something to do with a private window removing failed downloads from the hard drive, but not checking to see if a file with the same filename was later successfully downloaded in its place?
Unfortunately if Firefox has deleted the files then they might only be recoverable by using a file undeleter application.
Although, does your file browser show hidden files and folders? If not, then it might be worth enabling this and searching for the files again.
You must log in to your account to reply to posts. Please start a new question, if you do not have an account yet.