Most of the popular browsers these days come with an option of browsing privately, and the same feature is given a different name by different browsers. In today’s world when privacy is so important and where tech giants are tracking your every online activity, it is essential to stay safe. That’s why, let’s learn how to enable private browsing on Chrome, Firefox, and Opera.
Incognito Window in Chrome
Google Chrome comes with an incognito mode. This means that pages that you view in incognito mode won’t appear in your browser history or search history, and users won’t leave any other traces like cookies. Once you close the incognito window, all cookies are automatically cleared.
To open incognito window in Chrome, click on the Chrome menu from the toolbar and select New incognito window. The shortcut key for the same feature is Ctrl + Shift + N.
Private Browsing in Mozilla Firefox
Firefox – the popular web browser allows you to open a private browsing window. In such a window, Firefox won’t keep any browser history, download history, search history, web form history, cookies, or temporary internet files. However note that files you download and bookmarks you make will still be available.
To open private browsing mode, click on the Firefox button from top left side and then select New Private Window. The shortcut key to access this mode is Ctrl + Shift + P.
Private Browsing in Opera
Opera too, comes with an option to browse privately. In this mode, you won’t leave any trace of websites that you visit. This is especially useful if you are using someone else’s computer, or simply don’t want the computer to remember anything about your browsing. When you close a private tab, the following information is deleted:
- Browsing history
- Items in cache
- Cookies
- Logins
To open a new private browsing tab, go to File > New Private Tab. If you want to open a new window instead, then go to File > New Private Window. The shortcut key for the same is Ctrl + Shift + N.
Conclusion
While this private browsing mode works great, internet service providers (ISPs) or your employers can still track your browsing activity. There’s no guarantee that you’re 100 percent safe in this online world. That being said, private browsing is something that we can do with the least effort.
