Browse in private (incognito mode)

If you don’t want Google Chrome to save a record of what you visit and download, you can browse the web in incognito mode.

Open an incognito window

An incognito window looks different from a regular window. The top of an incognito window is gray or blue, depending on your computer or device.

Here's how to open an incognito window:

Android app
  1. In the top-right corner of the browser window, touch the Chrome menu icon .
  2. Select New incognito tab.
Desktop
  1. In the top-right corner of the browser window, touch the Chrome menu icon Chrome menu.
  2. Select New Incognito Window.

Tips:

  • You can also use the keyboard shortcuts Ctrl+Shift+N (Windows, Linux, and Chrome OS) and ⌘-Shift-N (Mac) to open an incognito window.
  • If you're using a Chromebook, you can use the guest browsing feature as an alternative to incognito mode.

     

iOS app
  1. Touch the Chrome menu icon Chrome menu.
  2. Select New Incognito* Tab.

Exit incognito mode

To get out of incognito mode, you can:

  • Click the X icon at the corner of the window.
  • Use the keyboard shortcut Alt+F4 (Windows and Linux) or ⌘-Shift-W (Mac).
  • Close the last tab in a window, which also automatically closes the window.

How it works

  • Your browsing history isn’t recorded. The webpages you open and the files you download in incognito mode aren’t recorded in your browsing and download histories.
  • Your cookies are deleted. All new cookies are deleted after you close all incognito windows.
  • You can switch easily between incognito and regular mode. You can have both incognito mode windows and regular windows open at the same time, and switch between the two.
  • Extensions are disabled. Your extensions are automatically disabled in incognito windows. This is because Google Chrome does not control how extensions handle your personal data. If you want an extension to show up in incognito windows, select the “Allow in incognito” checkbox for the extension. Learn more about managing your extensions
Using Chrome's incognito mode (1:03)

Learn about private browsing in Google Chrome

What gets saved

Chrome saves updates to bookmarks and general settings.

Chrome will save any changes you make to your bookmarks or general settings while in incognito mode.

Websites may keep a record of your visit.

Browsing in incognito mode only keeps Google Chrome from storing information about the websites that you've visited. The websites that you visit may still have records of your visit. Also, any files saved to your computer or mobile devices will still remain.

iOS users: Your iOS device may store information about some websites you visit in incognito mode, even though Google Chrome itself does not. This is because regular and incognito mode tabs share HTML5 local storage in iOS devices. HTML5 websites can access their data about your visit in this storage area.