Incognito Mode, Explained: What Private Browsing Does (and Doesn't) Hide

Incognito mode, also called private browsing, stops your browser from keeping a record of your session on your device: your history, cookies, site data and form entries are thrown away when you close the private windows. It doesn’t make you invisible online, though, because the websites you visit, your internet provider and whoever runs your network can still see your activity. Here’s exactly what private browsing hides, what it doesn’t, and how to open it in every major browser.

What private browsing hides

Every major browser has a private mode under its own name: Incognito in Chrome, InPrivate in Edge, Private Browsing in Safari and Firefox, and Secret mode in Samsung Internet. They work in much the same way. A private session starts without your usual cookies or saved site data, and when it ends, the browser discards:

• Your browsing history. The pages you open don’t appear in your history, in address bar suggestions or as shortcuts on the new tab page.
• Cookies and site data. Sites can use cookies during the session, so logins and carts still work, but they’re deleted afterward and can’t be used to recognize you next time. Chrome also blocks third-party cookies in Incognito by default.
• Form entries and searches. What you type into forms and search boxes isn’t saved for autofill, and Edge also deletes any passwords and addresses you entered during the session.

That makes private browsing handy on a shared computer, for gift shopping, or for any visit you’d rather not see pop up in the address bar later.

Safari on the Mac goes further by isolating each private tab from the others, so sites can’t follow you from one private tab to the next.

What private browsing doesn’t hide

Your network and internet provider

Private mode changes nothing about how your connection travels. Your internet provider, and whoever runs the network you’re on, such as your employer, school or hotel, can still see which sites you connect to and when. HTTPS keeps the pages and what you type unreadable to them, but the site’s domain name is usually visible. Our guide to VPNs, DNS and HTTPS explains what each layer hides.

The websites you visit

Sites still see your IP address and everything you do while you’re there, and they can recognize you again if you sign in. On GIGAXXX, for example, Cloudflare, our CDN and security provider, processes every request, including your IP address, and our web server keeps standard access logs that are deleted automatically after about 5 days. Our Privacy Policy has the details.

Anything you sign in to

If you log in to an account in a private window, that service knows it’s you and can record what you do, exactly as in a normal window. Chrome doesn’t sign you in to your Google Account automatically in Incognito, but nothing stops you from signing in yourself.

Downloads, bookmarks and extensions

• Downloads stay on your device until you delete them. Only the browser’s download list forgets them.
• Bookmarks you create in a private window are saved with your normal bookmarks.
• Extensions are switched off in private windows by default in Chrome and Firefox, and Safari on iPhone turns off extensions that can access browsing data. Any extension you do allow in private mode can still see your activity, and Microsoft notes that Edge can’t prevent such extensions from saving your browsing history.

Monitoring on the device itself

A private window doesn’t hide activity from monitoring software, parental controls or a work computer managed by your employer, because those tools sit outside the browser. Supervised children usually can’t open private windows at all, as our guide to setting up parental controls explains.

How to open a private window

On a computer

You can also right-click a link and open it in a private window, and on Windows you can right-click the Edge icon in the taskbar and choose New InPrivate window. The exact wording can vary by version.

On a phone or tablet

In Safari on iPhone:

1. Open Safari and tap the Tabs button.
2. Swipe right on the tab bar until Private Browsing opens.
3. Tap Unlock if asked, then open a new tab.

Button placement depends on your iOS version and tab layout, and on iPad the layout differs. In other mobile browsers:

• Chrome on Android and iPhone: tap More (⋮ or …) and choose the option to open a new Incognito tab or window. The exact wording varies by version.
• Firefox on Android and iPhone: open the tabs view and switch to private tabs, marked with a mask icon.
• Samsung Internet: tap the Tabs button, then turn on Secret mode.
• Edge on Android and iPhone: open the tabs view and switch to InPrivate.

Private browsing and GIGAXXX

GIGAXXX works without an account and sets no cookies of its own. Watch later, Favorites, your History of recently viewed videos, recent searches, resume points and player settings are saved in your browser’s local storage, on your device only. Here’s how that plays out in a private window:

• Your usual lists don’t appear. A private window starts with empty storage, so it can’t see what you saved in your normal windows.
• Anything you save is temporary. Watch later picks, Favorites and history saved in a private window are discarded when the private session ends. In Safari, a list saved in one private tab may not show up in another.
• Security cookies go too. Cloudflare may set strictly necessary security cookies such as __cf_bm or cf_clearance when it needs to tell humans from bots, and a private session deletes them along with everything else.

If you want to keep your Watch later list but not a viewing history, use a normal window and switch off History on this device (menu → Preferences, or in the search panel). Your recently viewed videos and recent searches are cleared and no longer saved, while Watch later and Favorites stay on your Saved page. Our Cookie Policy lists everything the site stores, and our guide to Watch later without an account explains how local saving works.

When you need more than a private window

Private browsing protects your own device. Depending on what you want to keep private, add one of these:

• To hide which sites you visit from your network or internet provider, use encrypted DNS or a reputable VPN. A VPN moves that visibility to the VPN provider, so choose one with care.
• To remove what’s already on your device, clear your normal history, cookies and site data. Our guide to clearing your browsing history covers every major browser and phone.
• To keep a shared device private for good, give each person their own browser profile or device account, so nobody sees anyone else’s history or saved lists.

The bottom line

Incognito mode does one job well: it lets you browse without leaving history, cookies or saved data behind on your device. It doesn’t hide you from the websites you visit, your internet provider or your network, and downloads, bookmarks and any extensions you allow still leave traces. Close every private window when you’re done, and add encrypted DNS or a VPN when you need privacy beyond your own device.