Earlier we talked about private browsing in Firefox (enable private browsing in Firefox) and Internet Explorer (enable private browsing in IE 11 / Edge). This post will explain how to browse the web privately in Google Chrome and Opera.
Please note that private web browsing does not guarantee that everything you do will not be recorded. Be sure to read my post on clearing or hiding your search history for a better understanding of how private mode works.
Private browsing in Google Chrome
Google Chrome calls its private browsing mode incognito mode. To enable this mode in Chrome, choose New Incognito Window from the Tools menu (the hamburger icon in the upper right corner of the window).
You can also select the New Incognito Window option by right-clicking the button on the taskbar and choosing an option from the pop-up menu.
A new Chrome window will open, notifying you that you have entered incognito mode.
There is also something like a detective icon in the upper left corner of the window.
To stop browsing in incognito mode, close the Chrome window.
Private browsing in Opera
In Opera, you used to be able to browse privately in a tab or in a new window. However, this feature now works like all other browsers that load private browsing in a new window. All tabs open in this window will be closed.
In Opera, you click at the bottom of the menu in the upper left corner of the browser window.
Click New Private Window to open a new Private Browsing window. You will see a message stating that private browsing is enabled.
You will also notice that each tab has a small lock icon. This is another indicator that you are in private browsing mode.
Please note that if you check the Do not show again box in the Private Browsing section, you will be shown the speed dial options instead. Finally, you can simply right-click the icon in the taskbar and select New Private Window to quickly switch to Private Mode.
If you use private mode a lot, it might be worth reading my article on how to start your browser in private mode by default The only way to completely protect yourself from being tracked or recorded online is by using a VPN and a dedicated browser like Tor.
Even so, you are not truly protected because Tor has weaknesses that have been exploited by law enforcement agencies on numerous occasions. Enjoy!
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