What Is Private Browsing (Incognito Mode)?

Tap a concept for an explanation.

What Is Private/Incognito Browsing?

A browsing mode where your history, cookies, and login info are automatically cleared once you close the window.

What It Actually Hides

It hides your visit history and cookies from your own computer, but the websites you visit, your internet service provider, and your organization's network admin can still see your activity.

Common Use Cases

Useful for logging into multiple accounts at once, avoiding leaving personal data on a shared computer, or avoiding personalized results when comparing prices.

How It Differs From a VPN

Private browsing aims to avoid leaving records on your own device, while a VPN aims to encrypt your internet traffic itself and hide it from outside observers.

Tor Browser

A specialized browser that encrypts and routes traffic through multiple servers, offering much stronger anonymity than private browsing alone.

It doesn't make you fully anonymous — keep that in mind

Private browsing is a "don't leave a record on my computer" feature, not a "become completely anonymous on the internet" feature. If you genuinely need strong anonymity, you need a separate tool like a VPN or Tor Browser.

Frequently Asked Questions

If I use private browsing, can my workplace or school stop seeing my activity?

No — a network administrator at work or school can still see traffic at the network level, so private browsing doesn't get around that kind of organizational monitoring.

Do files I download in private browsing also disappear?

No — downloaded files themselves remain on your computer as normal; what private browsing clears is your visit history, cookies, and login sessions.