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How to open a private browser session

Site: SDC Online Learning
Course: SDC Online Learning
Book: How to open a private browser session
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Date: Tuesday, 23 April 2024, 9:21 AM

Table of contents

Chrome (Ctrl + Shift + N)

  1. Click on the three dots in the upper-right corner of your browser window to view the options menu.

    Screenshot showing the options menu to get to Incognito mode browsing

  2. In the drop-down menu, select New incognito window.

    Screenshot showing the full options menu, with "new incognito window" highlighted

A new window with a distinctly dark look should appear automatically.

On a Mac, use the keyboard shortcut Command + Shift + N

Chrome on mobile device

Mobile Chrome users can also go incognito. Here’s how to do it on iOS (if you’re on Android, follow a similar process):

Tap the three dots in the lower-right corner of your screen (Android users will find these dots up top, to the right of the address bar).Then, select New Incognito Tab.

Opening an incognito window in Google Chrome for iOS

Edge (Ctrl + Shift + N)

In Microsoft Edge, select the More icon, and then choose the New InPrivate window option.

Use new InPrivate window

You can see InPrivate window has InPrivate sign at the top.

InPrivate browsing mode

Firefox (Ctrl + Shift + P)

  1. Click the menu button next to your search bar, then select New Private Window.

    Opening a new private window from the menu in Firefox for Windows 10

  2. You can also use the keyboard shortcut to open up Firefox Private Browsing. Press the keys Ctrl + Shift + P at the same time to open a new private window in Firefox.

How to tell if Firefox is in private mode

To know that you’ve successfully opened a Private Browsing window, look for the following two signs:

  1. You’ll see a purple and white mask icon along the top border of the window.

  2. The background of the new homepage will be purple, and you’ll see a notification telling you that you’re in a Private Window.

    A private browsing window in Firefox for Windows 10

Safari (Cmd + Shift + N)

To open a private browsing window in Safari — use the Command + Shift + N (Ctrl + Shift + N on Windows).

Or, open Safari, select File in the top menu bar, and click New Private Window. 

Screenshot of New Private Window setting on Safari web browser

A new window with a distinctly dark look should appear automatically.

On a Windows PC, use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Shift + N

Safari on mobile device

  1. Open Safari on your iPhone and tap the new page icon in the lower-right corner.

    Opening a new page in Safari for iOS

  2. Tap Private in the lower-left corner.

    Activating Private Browsing mode in Safari for iOS

  3. Tap the + symbol or tap Done to begin browsing in private mode.

    Private Browsing Mode in Safari for iOS