Opera Browser: Must-Read Privacy Guide For Newbies

Many people out there install Chrome and set it as their default browser when they buy a laptop or smartphone because of its popularity and easy-to-use features. When both Apple’s Safari and Microsoft’s Edge are considered as ‘light-weight’ opponents that have failed to take on Chrome for a long time, the Opera browser appears to challenge the champion in the battle of devoting the users.

Briefly, the renowned Opera browser is pretty powerful and much more privacy-focused than Chrome. Not only does it block ads and trackers natively but it also comes packed with a batch of dedicated in-built extensions like free VPN. In case you’re actually an Opera newbie, here’re some fundamental privacy settings we’ve already jotted down for you to get well with.

Prevent Trackers From Bothering You

If you haven’t turned on the tracking blocker when setting up Opera but trackers aren’t something that makes you satisfied, here’s how you can switch on the tracking blocker feature by hand.

Head to the left side of the interface and open the Settings menu > Choose “Basic” > Find the “Privacy Protection” and enable the “Block trackers” option. Also, you can choose to activate the “Block ads and surf the web up to three times faster” mode.

Adjust The Tracking Settings Based On Your Preferences

If you’ve just toggled it on, you’ll see the “Manage exceptions” option that customizes your block list on your own. Otherwise, you can visit a specific site and click on the blue shield button in the address bar to switch off tracker- or ad-blocking feature. The Opera browser will pop up the “Turn off for this site” option to confirm your choice.

Clean Up Your Cookies In A Specific Time Range

Better safe than sorry, you should clear everything out to keep prying eyes at bay. Here’s how you can clear the data and cookies that have been stored in the last four weeks or even in the last hour when using the Opera browser.

Open the “Settings” menu and go to the “Privacy and Security” section > Scroll down to find “Clear browsing data”.

There’re two sub-options included in your view, including “Basic” and “Advanced”. The “Basic” let you wipe out something like cached data, cookies or browsing history while “Advanced” allows you to completely clear our several other settings.

Choose a suitable time range, and tap on “Clear data”.

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