Private browsing mode neither stores user session history, nor lets any website place any cookies on the user’s computer. Follow Techspirited’s guide for knowing how to enable private browsing on different browsers.
The Introduction of Private Browsing
In Oct 2011, Apple Inc. introduced iOS5 with built-in support for private browsing via mobile Safari browser.
Gone are the days, when you had to remind yourself to clear the browser cache, cookies, and download session history after that private session of so-called “me time.” Generally, teenagers are very conscious about their online privacy. They take extra care not to let their parents find out which webpage they opened and what they downloaded when they were online. Sometimes, regular users like me and you also feel the need for a private browsing mode that would keep our online activity anonymous.
Today, all modern browsers have some kind of built-in private browsing mode. Currently, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Opera are some of the most popular browsers supporting private browsing mode. So, let’s take a closer look at how to enable private browsing on different browsers.
Steps to Turn on Private Browsing
There are two easy methods to enable private browsing mode on these browsers. Method #1 in this guide will be based on keyboard shortcuts. Method #2 will guide you through enabling the private browsing via the browser menu.
Google Chrome
You can enable private browsing in Google Chrome by opening an incognito window using these methods:
Method #1:
Open Google Chrome and press Ctrl+Shift+N.
Method #2:
Click on the three horizontal lines symbol located right next to the address bar at the top right corner. Now, click on “New incognito window”.
Mozilla Firefox
Private browsing can be done in Firefox after opening a “New Private Window”. These are the steps to follow:
Method #1:
Open Firefox and press Ctrl+Shift+P.
Method #2:
Click on the 3 horizontal lines symbol at the top right corner of Firefox, as shown in the screenshot, and then click on New Private Window.
Internet Explorer
Microsoft calls the private browsing mode in Internet Explorer (IE) as InPrivate Browsing. Steps to enable private browsing in IE are:
Method #1:
Open Internet Explorer and press Ctrl+Shift+P.
Method #2:
Click on the Gear icon located at the top right corner of the Internet Explorer window. Go to Safety, and then select InPrivate Browsing.
Opera
You can use New private window in Opera for browsing privately. Here are the steps to do the same:
Method #1:
Open Opera and press Ctrl+Shift+N.
Method #2:
Click on Opera at the top left corner of the Opera browser, and then select New private window.
You have to follow a very similar procedure for enabling private browsing in all the latest browsers. So, if you know how to enable private browsing in any one browser, then you can easily enable private browsing mode in any browser.