How does DuckDuckGo’s Fire Button differ from a standard browser 'clear cookies' action?

1. What the Fire Button does in practice

The Fire Button is presented as an “easy”, single control that simultaneously closes open tabs and purges recent on‑device browsing data — including cookies, cache, tabs, and history — effectively acting as a rapid session wipe in the DuckDuckGo apps ^{[1] [2] [4]}. DuckDuckGo frames the feature as part of a privacy suite that also includes tracker blocking and cookie pop‑up handling, so the button is positioned not just as a cookie eraser but as a quick reset of a browsing session that pairs with other protections ^[1].

2. What it intentionally leaves behind (and why that matters)

DuckDuckGo explicitly warns that the Fire Button will not clear certain items: 1st‑party cookies and storage for sites the user has “Fireproofed,” bookmarks, downloaded files, or DuckDuckGo‑specific search settings and associated storage ^[3]. The fireproofing option is a deliberate design tradeoff aimed at preserving useful sign‑ins or preferences for chosen sites while still allowing a broad wipe for everything else; reviewers note that selective cleanup is central to how the Fire Button differs from indiscriminate clearing ^{[3] [5]}.

3. How that contrasts with a standard browser “clear cookies” action

A typical “clear cookies” command in mainstream browsers targets cookies (and sometimes cached files, site data, and history depending on options) but usually does not close active tabs automatically and lacks application‑level features like automatic cookie‑consent selection or integrated tracker blocking (this contrast follows from DuckDuckGo’s positioning of the Fire Button alongside its other protections) ^{[1] [2]}. In short, standard cookie clearing is a narrower operation focused on storage; DuckDuckGo’s Fire Button is broader in intent (session termination + data purge) and sits inside a privacy‑first workflow ^{[1] [2]}.

4. User control and exceptions: fireproofing vs. manual selection

Whereas many browsers require users to manually pick data types or time ranges to purge, DuckDuckGo provides a named “Fireproof Sites” feature that preserves first‑party cookies and storage for specific domains so logins and site preferences remain after the burn; this means the Fire Button acts with built‑in exceptions rather than relying solely on manual, brittle checkbox menus ^{[3] [5]}. Independent coverage and how‑to pieces describe the Fire Button as clearing everything unless a site is specifically fireproofed, underlining that the button’s behavior is governed by that whitelist ^{[2] [4]}.

5. Limitations, bugs, and competing perspectives

DuckDuckGo’s own help pages acknowledge limits and even a reported bug that could affect immediate clearing behavior, advising restarts to ensure all remnants are removed in some cases — an important caveat that shows the feature is not infallible ^[3]. Reviewers praise the convenience but note the product’s selective approach and tradeoffs — convenience versus absolute wipe — and that this design choice reflects DuckDuckGo’s “easy button” product vision rather than being a purely technical superiority claim ^{[5] [1]}. Broadly, users seeking total, uncompromised erasure should verify what the Fire Button leaves behind in their configuration ^[3].

6. Bottom line: feature set and user expectations

The Fire Button differs from a standard “clear cookies” action by combining multiple actions (close tabs, clear history, clear cookies and other on‑device data) into a single, privacy‑oriented control, by offering persistent exceptions via fireproofing, and by being integrated with DuckDuckGo’s tracker‑blocking and cookie‑consent tools — all framed as an “easy” privacy reset — while also preserving certain user data by design and acknowledging edge‑case bugs that can affect completeness ^{[1] [3] [2]}.