What is Pingsender.exe and How to Disable Telemetry in Firefox

Jack

By Jack

Update on

pingsender.exe

Pingsender.exe is a unique set of codes (a program) that makes connections from your computer to the internet.

You can identify this tool by looking at the connections your computer makes. You will indeed be using different programs to monitor your computer’s connections.

Depending on the program you use, you will be able to get additional information as well through them.

For instance, if you use Windows Firewall Control, it will display information like a remote IP address. The remote IP address is the address that makes a connection attempt.

Also, the respective tool can show the organizations responsible for signing the .exe files.

Why Does Pingsender.exe Matter?

pingsender.exe

In addition to that, it is noticeable that pingsender.exe becomes activated when you exit the Firefox web browser.

When the telemetry collecting is activated, Mozilla Firefox starts to collect data. When you browse through some data, a large amount of data will be sent to Mozilla, which triggers pinging.

As a result, you will see that Mozilla consumes plenty of data from your data allocation. Things can become worse when this happens for a long time consecutively.

As you will notice, from the second browsing session, pingsender.exe will be activated on your computer.

In fact, it will be started as a separate computing process when you shut down Firefox the first time. Then, it will attempt to send previously gathered telemetry data to Mozilla.

As we have mentioned, telemetry data was collected during the previous browsing session.

Nevertheless, Mozilla was able to reduce the amount of sending time pretty significantly for good. Studies emphasize that over 85% of pings can reach Mozilla within one hour (which is impressive). Also, almost 95% of the pings reach Mozilla within the first 8 hours of the command.

Without pingsender.exe, only about 25% of the pings are sent to Mozilla within an hour. Also, the study says that it takes 90 hours for 95% of the pings to reach Mozilla without a ping sender.

In a nutshell, pingsender.exe is a separate process used by Firefox during the shutdown. This process is used to send telemetry data to Mozilla. If you are a Firefox user, you may see a page with ‘about: telemetry’ as the URL. This is a process that actually checks the data which Mozilla collects.

Quick Steps to Stop Pingsender.exe

This section would be a good read for those who just want to know how to disable the process. If you don’t want your data to be submitted to Mozilla, you can turn it off. That can be done under the option of preferences#privacy.

In addition to that, there is another option available. If you are experiencing an issue with pingsender.exe, you should turn that off using the method mentioned below.

Stop pingsender.exe
  • As the first step, you should launch the browser and go to its address bar.
  • Then, load the page about:config?filter=toolkit.telemetry.shutdownPingSender.enabled in its address bar.
  • As a result, you will be able to see a configuration dialog box for the Firefox browser.
  • There is an option called toolkit.telemetry.shutdownPingSender.enabled. In fact, this option determines if the process called Pingsender is used.
  • To disable this process, you should set the value of it to False from True. To get it done, you can simply double-click on the preference option.
  • Now, you should note that the preference toolkit.telemetry.shutdownPingSender.enabledFirstSession activates the Pingsender for the first session of the browser.

Also, click here to learn more about Mailpv.exe, what it is, and how to deal with it.

How to Disable Pingsender.exe in Your Windows System

In this article section, we intend to look at the process of disabling the pingsender.exe. Although we have mentioned the steps above in a shortened form, this is a detailed description.

We will disable it to prevent Firefox from collecting your data from the computer. On a general note, it should be remembered that pingsender.exe is not a very harmful process.

Even though it is a pretty safe process, that doesn’t mean it is completely innocent. That means this respective process can often collect your data and send it to Mozilla.

So, if you are concerned about your privacy and data allocation, it’s totally worth knowing how to disable it. Although it doesn’t play the role of malware, it can still be a concern in terms of privacy.

It can pose a severe threat by collecting your browsing data. If you don’t stop this process, it will continue to collect data from Mozilla. More importantly, it happens automatically whenever we exist in the Mozilla Firefox browser.

As long as the process stays activated, your data will be sent to an external party. To disable this process in your browser, you should manually disable it. Once the process is disabled, your data will not be sent to another party.

Simple Steps to Disable Pingsender.exe

Method 1:

To get this done, you must go to the address bar and enter the text ‘about:preferences#privacy.’ Then, you will be able to see a section called ‘Collection and use of Firefox data.’

In this section, you should disable two checkboxes. These checkboxes represent the idea that Mozilla doesn’t use telemetry and collect your data.

about:preferences#privacy on Firefox

Method 2:

That is not the only way of disabling the process we were talking about. Instead of the previous method, you can consider a pretty aggressive option to complete the same process. As per this method, we will disable the pingsender.exe from the advanced options in Firefox.

In order to get this done, you should open Mozilla Firefox on your computer. Then, in the address bar of the browser, you should enter the text “about config? Filter = toolkit.telemetry.shutdownPingSender.enabled“.

Then, you should look for the entry called
toolkit.telemetry.shutdownPingSender.enabled“. After double-clicking on this, you can change the value of the same into ‘False.’

about config? Filter = toolkit.telemetry.shutdownPingSender.enabled

After that, you should restart the browser and start using the internet. From this point onwards, pingsender.exe will not load on the computer when you close the Firefox browser.

In other words, your personal browsing data will not be gathered by pingsender.exe, so your privacy is protected. Besides, such an approach will save resources like memory and processor on your computer.

Know More About the Privacy Issues

Privacy issues that take place due to data gatherings are hard to detect at once. The consequences of such instances can be pretty dangerous and harmful in most cases.

However, performance issues and excessive data consumption on your PC are easily noticeable, and that’s when users get panicked. With pingsender.exe, both of those issues (privacy and performance issues) can make you worried.

However, as mentioned, privacy issues aren’t detected initially. You will first notice the lack of performance on your computer due to pingsender.exe. When you monitor the issue, you will also notice excessive data consumption due to telemetry collecting.

If you use a high-end computer and a huge data plan, performance will not be a great issue. But it is still better to disable pingsender.exe for your privacy.

PS: here are the NisSrv.exe and Yourphone.exe on Windows 10 for reference.

Other Methods to Safeguard Your Privacy

As we already explained, pingsender.exe is not malware or a bug. It is a genuine process associated with Mozilla Firefox, and you still need to get rid of that. However, there are many other privacy-related threats when you deal with the internet.

For instance, when you browse the internet, your computer is exposed to various malware attacks and hacking attempts. Using a public network (hotspots, etc.) can worsen things. So, it is important to know the basics of protecting your privacy.

The best and most important thing to do is to use a very powerful virus guard on your computer. Although this is a brainer for many users, many other users don’t use antiviruses.

So, check your computer for the virus guard you have installed. If not, you should install one right now. You must update it to the latest version for optimal performance if it is already installed.

In addition to that, we always encourage you to stay away from public Wi-Fi hotspots. Hackers often target such hotspots. Also, it is better to use a trusted VPN whenever possible.

FAQs

  1. Is disabling telemetry in Firefox recommended for all users? Disabling telemetry is a personal preference. If you have concerns about data privacy and prefer not to share usage data with Mozilla, disabling telemetry can be a suitable option.
  2. Will disabling telemetry impact Firefox’s performance or functionality? Disabling telemetry should not affect Firefox’s performance or basic functionality. The browser will continue to operate as usual.
  3. Can I selectively enable certain telemetry options while disabling others? Yes, Firefox allows you to modify individual telemetry preferences. You can choose to disable specific options while keeping others enabled if desired.
  4. Is telemetry present in other web browsers as well? Yes, telemetry or similar data collection mechanisms are implemented in various web browsers to gather usage statistics and improve their features.
  5. Does disabling telemetry prevent Firefox from receiving important security updates? No, disabling telemetry does not impact the delivery of security updates. Firefox will continue to receive necessary updates to ensure the browser’s security.

Conclusion

Pingsender.exe is an integral part of Firefox’s telemetry system, responsible for transmitting telemetry data to Mozilla. While telemetry can be valuable for improving software and user experiences, privacy concerns prompt some users to disable it.

By disabling telemetry in Firefox using the provided steps, users can retain more control over their data and ensure their privacy preferences are respected.

Jack
Jack

Ten years of experience in information and computer technology. Passionate about electronic devices, smartphones, computers, and modern technology.

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