How to Use Private / Incognito Mode Correctly
Private mode is useful — but widely misunderstood. Here's what it actually protects, what it doesn't, and when to use it.
On this page
Private browsing goes by different names: Incognito in Chrome, InPrivate in Edge, Private Window in Firefox and Safari. They all do essentially the same thing, but many people have unrealistic expectations of what that is.
What private mode actually does
- Doesn't save your browsing history on your device
- Doesn't save cookies or site data after you close the window
- Doesn't save form entries or searches to your local history
- Starts without your existing cookies (so you're logged out of accounts)
What private mode does NOT do
- It does not hide your activity from your employer, school, or ISP
- It does not make you anonymous online
- It does not prevent websites from seeing your IP address
- It does not stop tracking if you log into Google or Facebook in the session
- It does not protect you from malware or phishing
Think of incognito as "no local footprint" mode, not "invisible" mode.
How to open a private window
- Chrome: Ctrl + Shift + N (Windows/Mac Command + Shift + N)
- Edge: Ctrl + Shift + N
- Firefox: Ctrl + Shift + P (Mac: Command + Shift + P)
- Safari: Command + Shift + N
When private mode is genuinely useful
- Logging into a second account (e.g., a work Google account while your personal one is open normally)
- Shopping or checking flight prices without influencing personalisation algorithms
- Quickly testing how a website looks to a logged-out visitor
- Browsing on a shared computer without leaving your history or saved logins
- Checking whether a problem is caused by an extension (private mode disables extensions by default)
For real privacy, you need more
If you need genuine anonymity — for example, to avoid tracking across sites — look into a reputable VPN service or the Tor Browser. Private mode alone won't achieve this.
Questions about online privacy tools? Ask us.
Frequently asked questions
If I use incognito, can my employer still see what sites I visited?
Yes. If you're on a work network or using a work device, your employer may monitor traffic at the network or device level — incognito mode only prevents the history from being stored in your browser on that device. It has no effect on network-level monitoring.
Can websites tell I'm using private mode?
Websites can sometimes detect that you're in a private window — primarily through the absence of cached files or local storage data they previously set. Some news sites use this to enforce article limits. However, private mode doesn't flag you as 'incognito' in any standardised way.
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