HomeTech info

How to Activate Incognito Mode

This wikiHow teaches you how to enable your browser's 'incognito' window, which will allow you to browse without saving your history. Some form of incognito mode is built into virtually all modern web browsers, both on desktop and on...
Method 1 of 9:

Chrome on Desktop

  1. How to Activate Incognito Mode Picture 1How to Activate Incognito Mode Picture 1
    Open
    How to Activate Incognito Mode Picture 2How to Activate Incognito Mode Picture 2
    Google Chrome. Click or double-click the Chrome app icon, which resembles a red, yellow, green, and blue sphere.
  2. How to Activate Incognito Mode Picture 3How to Activate Incognito Mode Picture 3
    Click ⋮. This option is in the top right corner of the Chrome window, directly below the X.
  3. How to Activate Incognito Mode Picture 4How to Activate Incognito Mode Picture 4
    Click New incognito window. It's toward the top of the drop-down menu here. Clicking this option prompts a new Chrome window to open in incognito mode.
    1. If you don't see this option, incognito browsing may be restricted in your Chrome browser.
    2. Once you close your incognito tab, any downloads and page-viewing history from your private browsing session will be erased.
  4. How to Activate Incognito Mode Picture 5How to Activate Incognito Mode Picture 5
    Use the keyboard shortcut. You can press Ctrl+⇧ Shift+N (Windows) or ⌘ Command+⇧ Shift+N (Mac) to bring up a new incognito Chrome window at any point.
Method 2 of 9:

Chrome on Mobile

  1. How to Activate Incognito Mode Picture 6How to Activate Incognito Mode Picture 6
    Open
    How to Activate Incognito Mode Picture 7How to Activate Incognito Mode Picture 7
    Google Chrome. Tap the Chrome app icon, which resembles a red, yellow, green, and blue sphere.
  2. How to Activate Incognito Mode Picture 8How to Activate Incognito Mode Picture 8
    Tap ⋮. It's in the top right corner of the screen.
  3. How to Activate Incognito Mode Picture 9How to Activate Incognito Mode Picture 9
    Tap New Incognito Tab. Doing so will open a new incognito window in which your history won't be stored. When you close the window, any record of pages you viewed or files you downloaded will be deleted from Chrome.
    1. The incognito window has a darker color scheme than a standard Chrome tab.
    2. You can switch back and forth between the regular Chrome and an incognito window by tapping the numbered square at the top of the screen and swiping left or right.
Method 3 of 9:

Firefox on Desktop

  1. How to Activate Incognito Mode Picture 10How to Activate Incognito Mode Picture 10
    Open the Firefox browser. Click or double-click the Firefox app icon, which resembles an orange fox encircling a blue sphere.
  2. How to Activate Incognito Mode Picture 11How to Activate Incognito Mode Picture 11
    Click ☰. You should see this in the top right corner of the Firefox window. A drop-down menu will appear.
  3. How to Activate Incognito Mode Picture 12How to Activate Incognito Mode Picture 12
    Click New Private Window. Doing so will launch a new private browsing window where you can browse and download files without Firefox keeping a record of your history.
  4. How to Activate Incognito Mode Picture 13How to Activate Incognito Mode Picture 13
    Use the keyboard shortcut. You can press Ctrl+⇧ Shift+P (Windows) or ⌘ Command+⇧ Shift+P (Mac) to open a new private browsing window from any page in Firefox.
Method 4 of 9:

Firefox on iPhone

  1. How to Activate Incognito Mode Picture 14How to Activate Incognito Mode Picture 14
    Open Firefox. Tap the Firefox app icon, which resembles an orange fox wrapped around a blue globe.
  2. How to Activate Incognito Mode Picture 15How to Activate Incognito Mode Picture 15
    Tap the "Tabs" icon. It's the numbered square at the bottom of the screen. Doing so brings up a list of open tabs.
  3. How to Activate Incognito Mode Picture 16How to Activate Incognito Mode Picture 16
    Tap the mask icon. You'll see it in the bottom-left corner of the screen. The mask will turn purple, signifying that you're now in private browsing mode.
  4. How to Activate Incognito Mode Picture 17How to Activate Incognito Mode Picture 17
    Tap ＋. It's in the bottom-right corner of the screen. Doing so opens a new tab in private browsing mode. Your search history will not be saved while you use this tab.
    1. You can switch back to regular browsing by tapping the numbered square and then tapping the mask icon to turn it off.
    2. Closing Firefox will delete any open private browsing tabs.
Method 5 of 9:

Firefox on Android

  1. How to Activate Incognito Mode Picture 18How to Activate Incognito Mode Picture 18
    Open Firefox. Tap the Firefox app icon, which resembles an orange fox wrapped around a blue globe.
  2. How to Activate Incognito Mode Picture 19How to Activate Incognito Mode Picture 19
    Tap ⋮. It's in the top-right corner of the screen. A drop-down menu will appear.
  3. How to Activate Incognito Mode Picture 20How to Activate Incognito Mode Picture 20
    Tap New private tab. This option is near the top of the drop-down menu. Doing so opens a new tab in private browsing mode. Your search history will not be saved while you use this tab.
    1. You can switch back to the regular browsing tab by tapping the numbered square in the upper-right side of the screen and then tapping the hat icon in the upper-left side of the screen.
Method 6 of 9:

Microsoft Edge

  1. How to Activate Incognito Mode Picture 21How to Activate Incognito Mode Picture 21
    Open Microsoft Edge. Click or double-click the Edge app icon, which resembles a dark-blue background with a white "e" icon (or a dark-blue "e").
  2. How to Activate Incognito Mode Picture 22How to Activate Incognito Mode Picture 22
    Click ⋯. It's in the top-right corner of the window. A drop-down menu will appear.
  3. How to Activate Incognito Mode Picture 23How to Activate Incognito Mode Picture 23
    Click New InPrivate Window. You'll see this option near the top of the drop-down menu. Clicking this option will bring up a new browsing window in which you can view pages or download files without Edge saving your history.
    1. Closing the InPrivate window will take you back to your regular browsing window.
  4. How to Activate Incognito Mode Picture 24How to Activate Incognito Mode Picture 24
    Use the keyboard shortcut. Press Ctrl and ⇧ Shift and tap P to open a private browsing window whenever Microsoft Edge is open.
Method 7 of 9:

Internet Explorer

  1. How to Activate Incognito Mode Picture 25How to Activate Incognito Mode Picture 25
    Open Internet Explorer. Click or double-click the Internet Explorer app icon, which resembles a light-blue "e" icon.
  2. How to Activate Incognito Mode Picture 26How to Activate Incognito Mode Picture 26
    Open Settings
    How to Activate Incognito Mode Picture 27How to Activate Incognito Mode Picture 27
    . Click the gear-shaped icon in the top-right corner of the Internet Explorer window. A drop-down menu will appear.
  3. How to Activate Incognito Mode Picture 28How to Activate Incognito Mode Picture 28
    Select Safety. You'll see this option near the top of the drop-down menu. This prompts a pop-out window.
  4. How to Activate Incognito Mode Picture 29How to Activate Incognito Mode Picture 29
    Click InPrivate Browsing. It's close to the top of the pop-out Safety menu. Doing so will open Internet Explorer's InPrivate Browsing window in which you can browse without your computer saving your search history or a log of your downloads.
    1. Exiting InPrivate Browsing will return you to your regular browsing session.
  5. How to Activate Incognito Mode Picture 30How to Activate Incognito Mode Picture 30
    Use the keyboard shortcut. Press Ctrl and ⇧ Shift and tap P to open a private browsing window whenever Internet Explorer is open.
Method 8 of 9:

Safari on Desktop

  1. How to Activate Incognito Mode Picture 31How to Activate Incognito Mode Picture 31
    Open Safari. Click the Safari app icon, which resembles a blue compass, in your Mac's Dock.
  2. How to Activate Incognito Mode Picture 32How to Activate Incognito Mode Picture 32
    Click File. It's in the top-left corner of the screen. A drop-down menu will appear.
  3. How to Activate Incognito Mode Picture 33How to Activate Incognito Mode Picture 33
    Click New Private Window. Doing so will open Safari's version of incognito mode in which you can browse without Safari remembering your visited sites or downloads.
    1. Safari's Private Window has a darker color scheme than a standard browsing window.
  4. How to Activate Incognito Mode Picture 34How to Activate Incognito Mode Picture 34
    Use the keyboard shortcut. You can press ⌘ Command+⇧ Shift+N while Safari is open to bring up a new private window.
Method 9 of 9:

Safari on Mobile

  1. How to Activate Incognito Mode Picture 35How to Activate Incognito Mode Picture 35
    Open Safari. Tap the Safari app icon, which resembles a blue compass on a white background.
  2. How to Activate Incognito Mode Picture 36How to Activate Incognito Mode Picture 36
    Tap the two overlapping boxes button. This icon is in the bottom right corner of the screen.
  3. How to Activate Incognito Mode Picture 37How to Activate Incognito Mode Picture 37
    Tap Private. It's in the bottom left corner of the screen.
  4. How to Activate Incognito Mode Picture 38How to Activate Incognito Mode Picture 38
    Tap +. It's at the bottom of the screen. Doing so will open a new window in Private mode from which you can search without Safari storing your history.
    1. To go back to your regular browsing window, tap the overlapping boxes, tap Private again, and tap Done.
    2. Closing the Safari app won't close your Private browsing session. You'll need to swipe left on any pages you want to close in order to do so.
5 ★ | 1 Vote
windowopenbrowsingclick

You should read it

Maybe you are interested

Tech info