How to Go Incognito: What Incognito Mode Does and Doesn’t Hide

To go incognito, open a private window in your browser: in Chrome that's the three-dot menu, then New Incognito window, or Ctrl + Shift + N (Command + Shift + N on a Mac). The pages you visit in that window aren't saved to your device's history, but you aren't invisible online. Websites, your internet provider and the network you're on can still see what you do.

What is Incognito mode?

Incognito mode is a private browsing feature in browsers such as Google Chrome. Safari has a similar feature called Private Browsing.

When you open an Incognito window, the browser starts a separate browsing session. Once you close all Incognito windows, Chrome removes the browsing history, cookies and site data from that session on your device.

That's handy when you:

• Share a computer with other people
• Want to browse without adding pages to your local history
• Are shopping for a gift on a shared device
• Want a temporary session kept apart from your normal one

But Incognito isn't the same as being anonymous, and that difference is the whole point of this guide.

What does "incognito" mean?

The word means being unknown, or keeping your identity hidden. In a browser it means something narrower. Incognito mainly stops your browser from keeping certain information about the session on your device. It doesn't hide who you are from the websites you visit or from the network carrying your traffic.

If you sign in to a website in an Incognito window, that site still knows it's you. Google also explains that Incognito doesn't change how websites, or the services they use, collect data about you.

Think of it as local privacy, not online anonymity.

How to go into Incognito mode in Chrome

On a computer, an Incognito session takes a few seconds to start:

1. Open Chrome.
2. Select the three-dot menu in the top-right corner.
3. Choose New Incognito window.
4. Browse in the new window.

Or use the keyboard shortcut:

• Windows, Linux or ChromeOS: Ctrl + Shift + N
• Mac: Command + Shift + N

Chrome shows the Incognito icon in the window so you know you're browsing privately. To end the session, close all Incognito windows.

How to go incognito on Google

Google Search doesn't have its own "incognito search" setting that makes your searches anonymous. What you can do is open an Incognito window in Chrome and search from there:

1. Open Chrome.
2. Start a new Incognito window.
3. Go to Google.
4. Search as normal.

This limits what Chrome saves on your device during the session. It doesn't stop Google or the websites you visit from collecting information about your activity. And if you sign in to your Google Account, Google can link what you do to that account.

So if you just want to keep a search out of the browser history on a shared device, Incognito helps. If you want to be anonymous online, it isn't enough.

How to go incognito on iPhone

On an iPhone, it depends on the browser.

Safari

Safari calls it Private Browsing. To open a private tab:

1. Open Safari.
2. Tap the More button.
3. Tap New Private Tab.
4. Browse as normal.

Private Browsing keeps the pages you visit out of your browsing history and keeps that activity apart from your normal tabs. On supported versions of iOS, you can also lock private tabs with Face ID, Touch ID or your device passcode.

Chrome

In Chrome on iPhone, open the browser menu and choose to open a new Incognito tab. It works the same way: a separate private session that limits what's stored on the phone.

How to go incognito on Mac

On a Mac you can use Incognito in Chrome or Private Browsing in Safari.

Chrome

Choose File, then New Incognito Window, or press Command + Shift + N.

Safari

Choose File, then New Private Window. The private window has a dark Smart Search field, so it's easy to tell apart from a normal window. You can also set Safari to open new windows in Private Browsing by default.

What does Incognito mode hide?

Incognito hides some traces of your browsing from other people who use your device. Depending on the browser, that can include:

• Pages visited during the session
• Search history stored by the browser
• Cookies and site data after the session ends
• Information entered into forms

Chrome notes that bookmarks and downloaded files are not deleted when you close an Incognito session.

So if someone opens your browser later, they generally won't find your Incognito pages in the normal history list. That doesn't mean the activity is gone from everywhere else.

What Incognito mode doesn't hide

Your activity can still be visible to:

• Websites you visit
• Your internet service provider
• Your employer or school network
• Network administrators
• Services you sign in to

Google says plainly that Incognito doesn't stop websites, or the organizations that manage your network, from seeing your activity. It also doesn't protect you from every form of online tracking. Log in to a social media account in a private window and the service can still tie that activity to you.

Incognito also doesn't:

• Hide your IP address
• Protect you from malware
• Make unsafe websites safe
• Stop you being identified when you hand over information yourself
• Delete files you download

In short, Incognito reduces local traces. It doesn't erase what's already online about you, and searches for your name can still turn up old pages (here's how to remove search results about you from Google).

Is Incognito mode actually private?

Yes, within a limit. It's private from other people who use your device. It isn't a privacy solution for the internet as a whole.

Say you share a computer with a family member and want to buy them a gift without leaving the product pages in the history. Incognito does that well. But if you sign in to an account, make the purchase or type in personal details in that same window, the sites involved can still connect it to you.

A tip from us: before you open a private window, ask what you're actually trying to hide. If it's browsing history on your own device, private browsing helps. If it's your wider exposure online, you need to look past the browser.

Incognito mode vs. private browsing in other browsers

Each browser has its own name for the same idea:

Table: What each browser calls its private browsing mode.

The exact protections differ, but the basic idea is the same: the browser stores less on your device during the session. Safari, for example, doesn't save the pages you visit or AutoFill information in Private Browsing, and it adds extra tracking protections.

Check the privacy settings of the browser you actually use rather than assuming every private mode works the same way.

When should you use Incognito mode?

Use it when you want a temporary session kept apart from your normal browsing. Good examples:

• Using a shared computer
• Shopping for a surprise gift
• Looking up something you don't want in your local history
• Testing how a website behaves for a new visitor
• Keeping temporary sessions separate from your normal browsing

It's much less useful if you want to hide your online activity completely. For that you have to think about your accounts, devices, network and the personal information already out there.

How to protect your privacy beyond Incognito mode

Private browsing is a small part of online privacy. What's known about you online goes far beyond your browser history. Personal information can show up in:

• Public profiles
• Data broker databases
• Old accounts
• Breached databases
• People-search sites
• Public websites

Pieced together, that information builds a clear picture of who you are. If you want stronger privacy, cut down what's out there in the first place.

Review what you share online

Go through your social media profiles and public accounts. Remove details you no longer need to make public, especially your phone number, personal email address or location.

Use strong, unique passwords

A private window won't protect an account if someone else has your password. Use a different password for each important account and turn on multi-factor authentication wherever you can.

Check where your personal information appears

Keeping an eye on where your name, email address, phone number and other details appear helps you catch exposure early.

Reduce unnecessary exposure

Close old accounts. Review data broker listings (our guide to deleting yourself from the internet walks through the opt-outs). Share less with websites and services. The less there is about you, the harder it is to connect the separate pieces of your identity.

Serus shows you where your personal information appears online, flags what's exposed and takes action to reduce what can be found.

Incognito is a privacy tool, not an invisible mode

Incognito has a clear, narrow job: keeping your browsing from being stored on your device. That's useful, but it's one layer. Real privacy comes from knowing what you share, where it appears, who can see it and how easily the pieces connect.

Run a free Serus scan to see where your personal information shows up online.