Privacy & security
Your browser fingerprint
Even without cookies, websites can recognise a browser from small details. Here’s what yours gives away.
Calculating…
Calculated entirely in your browser. Nothing on this page is sent to or stored on our server.
What makes up your fingerprint
| Signal | Your value | Hash |
|---|---|---|
| Calculating… | ||
What is browser fingerprinting?
Browser fingerprinting recognises your browser by combining many small details – screen size, time zone, installed fonts, graphics card, how your device draws text and plays audio. Each detail alone is common, but together they can be unique enough to follow you across websites, even with cookies cleared or in a private window.
How to read the results
The canvas, WebGL and audio signals are the most identifying: they depend on your exact hardware, drivers and software versions. If your fingerprint ID changes every time you reload this page, your browser is randomising these signals to protect you (Brave and Firefox's resist-fingerprinting mode do this).
How can I reduce fingerprinting?
- Use a browser with built-in protection, such as Firefox (Enhanced Tracking Protection on "Strict"), Brave, Safari or Tor Browser.
- Avoid installing lots of unusual fonts and browser extensions – they make you stand out.
- Keep your browser up to date and use common settings; blending in is better than being unusual.
What each fingerprint signal reveals
- Canvas. Your browser draws hidden text and shapes, and the exact pixels depend on your graphics card, driver, fonts and anti-aliasing. The resulting hash is stable for months on the same device.
- WebGL. Exposes your graphics card vendor and model (sometimes masked) and renders a 3D scene whose output varies by hardware.
- Audio. Processing a silent sound through the Web Audio API produces tiny numerical differences between devices.
- Fonts. The set of fonts installed – especially ones added by Office, Adobe or design apps – can be very distinctive.
- Screen and window. Resolution, pixel ratio, colour depth and available screen area. See our screen resolution tool.
- Language, time zone and platform. Common on their own, but they narrow you down when combined with the rest.
- User agent and client hints. Browser version and operating system – check them with what is my user agent.
Unique doesn’t always mean trackable
A fingerprint only tracks you if it stays the same between visits. Some browsers deliberately add small random noise to canvas and audio results on every visit (Brave does this, and Firefox and Safari have their own protections), which makes your fingerprint look unique each time but useless for tracking.
The opposite approach is to look exactly like everyone else. Tor Browser and Firefox’s “resist fingerprinting” mode report the same window size, fonts and time zone for all users, so you blend into a crowd.
For practical steps to reduce tracking, read our guide Browser fingerprinting: what it is and how to reduce it.
Browser fingerprint – frequently asked questions
Does incognito or private mode stop fingerprinting?
No. Private mode stops cookies and history being saved, but your hardware, fonts and screen are the same, so the fingerprint is mostly unchanged.
Does a VPN change my fingerprint?
A VPN changes your IP address, not your browser. Your fingerprint stays the same, so sites that rely on fingerprints can still recognise you.
Is my fingerprint sent to your server?
No. Every value on this page is calculated in your browser and displayed to you only. Nothing is stored or transmitted to us.
Why do banks use fingerprinting?
Fraud prevention. If someone logs into your account from a device with a completely different fingerprint, the bank can ask for extra verification.