Using Incognito mode in Chrome is essential when you want to browse privately, but the process isn’t always seamless – especially if you need to switch from a regular tab to one in Incognito mode. Manually opening a new window and copying the URL every time? Not ideal. There are faster, more convenient ways to switch to private browsing rather than doing so manually. This guide shows alternative methods to help you jump into Incognito mode with ease.
Good to know: check out this list of tricks to speed up Chrome.
1. Install Open Incognito Tab Extension
Chrome extensions can do all sorts of things, including allowing you to seamlessly switch open tabs to Incognito windows with just one click. The aptly named Open Incognito Tab extension can do just that!
Install the extension by navigating to the Chrome Web Store. Click on the Extension icon on the right of your address bar in Chrome to bring into view all of your installed extensions. Click the pin icon next to Open incognito tab to add it to the Extensions toolbar.
Whenever you browse a website and decide it would be better viewed in Incognito mode, click the Open Incognito Tab icon, and the current tab will open in a new Incognito window. Super simple!
While in Incognito mode, if you wish to go back to the normal browsing mode, press the extension icon, and select Close Incognito.
The extension also lets you close the regular tab once an Incognito window has been activated. To enable this, click on the Extensions icon in the toolbar.
Click the three dots next to the desired extension in the list of installed extensions, then select Options.
Select Yes in the drop-down menu next to Close the tab?
Tip: check out our list of the best context menu editors for Windows for a more customizable experience.
2. Activate Page Context Menu
If you don’t want to install an extension in your browser, no problem. There’s another solution to easily switch to an Incognito tab from a normal tab in Chrome.
If you’re already on the page and want to quickly open it in Incognito mode, right-click anywhere on the page, then select the Open this tab in incognito option in the context menu. The website will open in a new Incognito window. Chrome will also remove the webpage from your history, effectively wiping your traces.
3. Create a Shortcut
If you typically browse only a certain website (or select ones) in Incognito mode in Chrome, you can create specific shortcuts for it. You can easily access it by double-clicking on it. You’ll need to have administrative privileges on your Windows device for this to work.
On PC, create a new shortcut for Chrome by right-clicking on the existing icon and selecting More Options -> Create a Shortcut. Once the secondary shortcut appears on your display, rename it so that you can differentiate it from the main one.
Right-click the shortcut and select Properties.
Make sure you’re in the Shortcut tab, and add the following to the end of the Target field:
Note: replace “websitename” with any website you want to access in Incognito mode.
-incognito https://www.websitename.com/Press OK.
When you want to browse that particular website, double-click the shortcut to open the website in Incognito mode.
If you’re using Chrome on your mobile device, you can retain the Incognito tabs from your last session. In my experience, this is not the case on Android, but the Chrome app for iPhone saves the Incognito tabs even after I’ve properly closed the app.
FYI: need a web clipper? Install one of these Chrome extensions.
4. Install Search Incognito Extension
With the help of an extension, you can search for any term, words, or phrases you stumble upon in Incognito mode in Chrome. This could be useful if you feel embarrassed about looking up certain terms in your main browser window.
The Search Incognito extension is an older add-on that may soon be phased out due to Google’s updated extension policies, but it remains functional at the time of writing and is worth trying.
Install the extension and access it from the extension toolbar. Set your location, then navigate to a page in your browser. Use your mouse to select a bit of text, then right-click. A new option in the context menu will allow you to search for the terms in Incognito mode. A new window will open when you click it.
While Incognito mode typically provides a more restricted experience compared to regular browsing, you can still enable Chrome extensions in Incognito mode, and our blog post walks you through the steps. At the same time, you may want to read up on how to take screenshots while browsing in Incognito mode on Android.
Image credit: Pexels. All screenshots by Alexandra Arici.
