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What is Chrome Incognito mode?
In This Article
Like most modern web browsers, Google Chrome has private “Incognito” browsing mode that doesn’t retain cookies or history from your browsing sessions. But how much privacy does it really provide?
What does Incognito mode do?
When you open a New incognito window from Chrome’s menu, the browser opens a dedicated Chrome session, separate from any you might already have open. It’s a blank slate, without any of your usual browsing history or associated accounts, and any temporary data about what you’ve viewed during the session is wiped from your PC when you close all Incognito mode windows.
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Unlike a standard Chrome session, Incognito mode takes the following measures to protect your privacy:
What Incognito mode is for
While Incognito mode doesn’t provide cast-iron privacy, it leaves minimal traces of what you’ve been reading on the device you’re using. This makes it ideal for looking up anything you’d rather not inadvertently share with other users of that device.That could be anything from gift shopping to looking up health conditions, or searching for media that wouldn’t be suitable for other members of the household. If you share a device, it’s a useful way of keeping your most personal online meanderings to yourself.
Incognito mode won’t hide everything
Google Chrome’s Incognito mode is great if you don’t to save information about your browsing activity to the device you’re browsing on, but it’s not an online invisibility shield. Here’s what Incognito mode won’t do:
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Incognito mode might not be available for managed Chrome installations – those remotely administered by a school or workplace, for example.
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K.G. Orphanides is a writer and developer whose areas of expertise include internet security, VPNs, Linux for the desktop, small-scale game development, software preservation and computer audio techno…
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Founded in 2003, Trusted Reviews exists to give our readers thorough, unbiased and independent advice on what to buy.
Today, we have millions of users a month from around the world, and assess more than 1,000 products a year.
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
