Learn to use Brave and Firefox containers and profiles, and choose Tor or Mullvad Browser for separate research workflows.
Separate logins, side by side.
Give work and personal logins different cookie jars inside one Firefox profile.
Open Mozilla’s Multi-Account Containers listing. Click Add to Firefox, then review its requested permissions before Add.
Click the Containers toolbar button. Use Manage Containers / Edit Containers to add a named, colored container.
Choose a container to open a tab. Sign in only to the account intended for that container.
For a regular work site, use Always Open This Site in its assigned container.
Containers separate cookies and logins. Bookmarks, history, passwords, and extensions still belong to the profile. They do not change your IP address or make an account anonymous.
Use a profile when you want separate bookmarks, extensions, settings, and browsing data.
Click Firefox’s account icon → Profiles → New profile. The Profiles menu is still rolling out.
If it is missing, type about:profiles in the address bar → Create a New Profile. Follow the wizard.
Name it Work or Personal and give it a distinct theme. Start fresh rather than copying your existing data.
Open the new profile. Check which profile is the default before opening links from other apps.
Profiles and containers are different layers. You can use containers inside a profile. Profiles share the device and network; signing into the same service still identifies that account.
Brave’s built-in containers let different sessions live in the same window.
Open Settings → Content → Containers. Enable Containers if needed.
Click Add new container. Give it a name, color, and icon, then Save.
Right-click a tab → Open in Container → choose your named container.
For a temporary space, use Open in Container → New Temporary Container.
Containers isolate site data. History, passwords, autofill, permissions, settings, and extensions remain shared within the profile. Temporary-container data can persist while tabs remain restorable, even across a restart.
Use a different Brave profile for work bookmarks, extensions, and everyday browsing data.
Open Brave’s menu → More tools → Add new profile.
Choose a clear name and visual identity for that profile.
Use the profile chooser to move between Work and Personal windows.
Only add the extensions and accounts that belong in that space. Review its Shields settings too.
A profile is a broader separation than a container, but it shares the computer and network. It is not protection from an administrator or someone with access to your device.
Brave can send a private window’s browsing through the Tor network on desktop.
Open Brave’s menu → New private window with Tor.
Wait for its Tor connection before browsing. If the option is hidden, review Privacy and security → Tor windows in Settings.
Keep personal account sign-ins out of a session you want to keep separate.
When anonymity is important, use Tor Browser with its full protections instead.
Brave describes this as a private window using Tor as a proxy. It lacks most Tor Browser protections. Bookmarks and some settings are shared with normal Brave windows; it is not an equivalent substitute for Tor Browser.