As you move around the Internet, it is almost impossible not to leave any digital footprints. And generally speaking, being followed on the Internet is not okay with most people. But whereas a degree of privacy is important anywhere you go online, you really need the ability to cover your tracks on public computers and shared computers.<\/p>\n
Incognito mode \u2014 also known as private mode \u2014 is a browser mode that gives a user a measure of privacy among other users of the same device or account. In incognito mode, a browser doesn\u2019t store your Web surfing history, cookies, download history, or login credentials.<\/p>\n
Well, as you know, browsers normally remember everything you do online: what you searched for, what pages you visited, what videos you watched, what you shopped for on Amazon, and so on. But in incognito mode, browsers don\u2019t save any of that information.
\nYou can switch between an incognito window and regular browsing windows, too. You\u2019ll be in incognito mode only when you\u2019re using the incognito window.<\/p>\n
The simple answer is, you should use incognito mode when you want to keep your Internet activity secret from other people who use the same computer or device<\/em>. Say, for example, you want to buy a gift for your spouse. You use your home PC to search for the best deals. You close the browser and turn off the PC when you\u2019re done. <\/p>\n When your spouse uses the computer, say to check e-mail or Facebook, they are likely to see what you searched for, even without looking for it \u2014 either in browser history or in targeted ads. If you use incognito mode for your shopping, however, the browser will forget that history and not inadvertently spoil the surprise. <\/p>\n Also, in incognito mode you can watch what you like without leaving any tracks. (What? That\u2019s how I listen to pop music, obviously.)<\/p>\n Login credentials and other form info.<\/b> In incognito mode, a browser won\u2019t save login name or password. That means you can log in to Facebook on someone else\u2019s computer, and when you close the browser, or even the tab, you\u2019ll be logged out, and the credentials will not autofill when you or someone else returns to the site. So there\u2019s no chance another person will go to facebook.com and inadvertently (or purposely) post from your account. Also, even if that person\u2019s regular browser is set to save the data entered in forms (such as name, address, phone number), an incognito window won\u2019t save that information.<\/p>\n Download history.<\/b> If you download something while incognito, it won\u2019t appear in the browser\u2019s download history. However, the downloaded files will be available for everyone who uses the PC, unless you delete them. So, be careful with your My Little Pony films.<\/p>\n Incognito browsing is mostly about, well, going incognito. That said, here are a few more considerations.<\/p>\n Multiple accounts.<\/b> You can log in to multiple accounts on a Web service simultaneously by using multiple incognito tabs.<\/p>\n No add-ons.<\/b> This mode also blocks add-ons by default, which comes in handy in some situations. For example, you want to read the news but the page says \u201cDisable your ad blocker to see this story.\u201d Simply open the link in incognito mode \u2014 ta da! In Google Chrome:<\/b> You can use a keyboard shortcut or click. Press Ctrl + Shift + N in Windows or \u2318 + Shift + N in macOS. Or click the three-dot button in the upper right corner of the browser window and then choose New incognito window<\/em>. Click here<\/a> for more info.<\/p>\n In Mozilla Firefox:<\/b> Open the menu (three horizontal bars) in the upper right corner and click New Private Window<\/em>. For more info visit this page<\/a>.<\/p>\n In Microsoft Edge:<\/b> Open the menu by clicking the three dots in the upper right corner and chose New InPrivate window<\/em>. You\u2019ll find more on that here<\/a>.<\/p>\n In Chrome or Firefox, you can also right-click on a link and choose to open the link in a new incognito or private window.<\/p>\n To close this mode, simply close the tab or window. That\u2019s it!<\/p>\n It is always fine to use incognito browsing. But you need to understand what it can\u2019t do. The first, very important thing to keep in mind is that incognito mode doesn\u2019t make your browsing anonymous. It erases local traces, but your IP address and other information remain trackable. <\/p>\n Among those able to see your online activities:<\/p>\n If there is any spying software on your computer (a keylogger<\/a>, for example) it also can see what you doing. So don\u2019t do anything stupid or illegal.<\/p>\n Second, and just as important, incognito mode doesn\u2019t protect you from people who want to steal the data you send to and receive from the Internet. For example, using incognito mode for online banking, shopping, and so on is no safer than using normal mode in your browser. If you do any of those things on a shared or public network, we strongly recommend you use a VPN<\/a>.<\/p>\nWhat else does incognito mode conveniently forget?<\/h3>\n
Are there other reasons to use incognito mode?<\/h3>\n
\nHowever, if you want to use add-ons in incognito mode as well, click the menu button (three dots) in the upper right corner, choose More Tools \u2192 Extensions<\/em> and check the boxes on Allow in incognito<\/em> for the add-ons you need.<\/p>\nHow do you activate incognito mode?<\/h3>\n
What incognito mode isn\u2019t suitable for?<\/h3>\n
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