What Is Incognito Mode? "Private" Browsing Explained

Incognito mode is seen as a privacy layer that conceals your online activity—but that’s only partially true. It comes with some limitations you should understand if you want to browse more securely. Here’s an overview of what Incognito mode does and doesn’t offer, along with some alternatives.

How Incognito or Private Browsing Differs From Regular Mode

When you browse the web in regular mode, the browser stores cookies and cached data, which helps load sites faster on subsequent visits. The browser also saves your browsing history and retains this data after you close the session. This can put your privacy at risk, especially if you share your device, as others can see what you’ve been doing online.

Incognito or private browsing mode solves this problem for privacy-conscious users. When you browse the web in private mode, your browser starts a special session that deletes cookies and site data once you close the private window. It also doesn’t save your browsing history or search activity.

Once you close the Incognito mode, it’s as if the session never happened—though websites, ISPs, and DNS resolvers may still retain logs of your activity.

Private browsing is known by different names depending on the browser. In Chrome, it’s called Incognito mode; in Microsoft Edge, it’s InPrivate mode; and other browsers have their own variations. The steps to enable it may vary slightly between browsers, but in most cases, you can turn it on by clicking the menu icon in the top-right corner.

Now that you know what private browsing does, it’s equally important to understand its limitations and what it doesn’t protect you from.

What Incognito or Private Browsing Can’t Do

Do you think going Incognito makes your browsing completely private? Not quite. While it does offer some local privacy, you shouldn’t consider it a privacy shield. But why?

While private browsing hides your activity from others using the same device, it doesn’t conceal your activity from your Internet Service Provider (ISP) or network admins, such as your employer or school’s IT team. It also doesn’t mask your IP address, meaning websites and advertisers can still build a unique profile based on your device.

If you visit a malicious website or download malware, Incognito mode won’t protect you. And if you’ve enabled some extensions to run in private mode, they may still be able to track your activity. Files downloaded during a private session remain on your device, and anyone using your device can access them.

Lastly, some data, such as temporary files, autofill entries, crash logs, or DNS requests, may still be stored during your session, leaving behind small traces even after the session ends.

When Using Incognito Mode Is Useful

You can use Incognito mode in several situations where you want more privacy or a cleaner browsing experience. For instance, when you’re using a shared or public computer—like in a school, library, or internet café—it helps ensure none of your browsing history, logins, or cookies are saved locally.

If you need to sign in to two different accounts on the same website, you can use your regular browser window for one and a private window for the other. It’s also useful for bloggers and developers who need to view or test websites without cached data or cookies interfering with load times or how the site appears.

You can also use it to troubleshoot website issues. If something isn’t loading correctly in your regular browser, trying it in a private browsing mode helps determine whether cached data or extensions are causing the problem. For temporary services or one-time tasks, like using a disposable email, you can get the job done without leaving a trail.

You can also use Incognito mode when searching for flights or hotel prices to avoid potential price hikes based on previous searches. While dynamic pricing based on cookies hasn’t been definitively proven, it doesn’t hurt to play it safe. If you’re shopping for a gift for someone who uses the same device, Incognito mode helps keep the surprise under wraps.

Better Alternatives to Incognito Mode

Since private browsing mode only offers basic local privacy, what can you do to better protect your identity and activity online? One of the best options is to use a VPN. A VPN encrypts your internet traffic and routes it through a remote server in another location. It helps hide your IP address, protect your data from ISPs, and access geo-restricted content.

You can also use browsers that prioritize privacy. The Tor browser routes your traffic through multiple nodes to anonymize it, blocks trackers and fingerprinting, and helps mask your identity. Brave automatically blocks ads and trackers, while LibreWolf is built with a strong focus on privacy and security. You can also switch to privacy-focused search engines like DuckDuckGo.

If your organization has disabled private browsing on your device, you can use Guest Mode. It creates a temporary user session that clears all data once the session ends.

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Now that you understand what private browsing mode does and doesn’t do, when it’s useful, and what alternatives are available, use the right tool to protect your privacy online.