How do I opt out of Google Analytics in Firefox?
If you are looking for the Google Analytics opt-out option in the Firefox browser, you should carry on reading. The post is not very long but it contains step-by-step instructions for opting out of Google Analytics.
Opting out of Google Analytics in Firefox is all about installing a Firefox browser add-on.
If you landed here but were looking for the Chrome or Safari solution, bounce over to here.
If you landed here directly and want to learn more about the wider question, you should go and have a look in the previous post.
If you have arrived here after following one of the links in the previous post, you’re probably in the right place.
Starting the Firefox opt-out Process.
First, you need to find the “Get Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on” button. You can use the link or you can click on the image below.
At this point, it’s simple. You probably don’t need me to tell you but you should be clicking on the blue button. The blue button takes you to the “Terms of Service” page where you should click on “Accept and install“.
Then it starts to get a bit more complicated.
A download dialogue box appears. You should select the “save file” option and then click “OK“. This will start the download.
You will then see the confirmation panel. If you click on the download icon, you should be able to see the file. When I downloaded it, it was called gaoptoutaddon_1.0.8.xpi but remember that the number could change at any time.
Now, click on the three vertical lines to the right of the download icon and select the jigsaw puzzle piece: Add-ons. You could also use Ctrl+Shift+A if you prefer the keyboard shortcut.
Click on the cog to the right of “Manage Your Extensions” and then select “Install Add-on from file …”. After locating the file (it should be in the download folder), click on gaoptoutaddon_1.0.8.xpi and you will see the Firefox permission request for installing the Google Analytics opt-out add-on pop up under the address bar.
Completing the Firefox opt-out Process
Click on “Add” and you should then see the “Okay, Got It” message, in the other corner. You should click on “Okay, Got it“.
You will also see the Google Analytics opt-out add-on control panel, confirming that all is set up. You don’t need to do anything.
The switch is ON , so no information is being sent to Google Analytics … you’re good to go.
One final point.
The add-on is designed to prevent the JavaScript sending ALL browsing data to Google Analytics. It works on all websites so the add-on is not just going to affect your pages. Any page monitored by Google Analytics will include the same bit of JavaScript so when turned on, the opt-out add-on will prevent ALL analytic data being sent to Google Analytics.
I installed the Google Analytics opt-out add-on because I could see the impact my browsing was having on the page view analysis. The problem was that I couldn’t tell which of my pages were popular with visitors … because all my pages were popular with me!
The fact that I was landing on pages was hiding what the visitors were doing.
Installing the opt-out has changed everything for me. I can now see for sure that nothing is happening … ?
This is the basic approach to a Google Analytics opt-out. I think I have covered most of what you will need but if you need a bit more, there’s always the Google Help Page.
