How to use incognito mode properly

Incognito mode, also known as private browsing, is a handy feature built into most modern web browsers. Whether you're using Chrome, Firefox, Edge, or Safari, this mode helps you browse without saving your history, cookies, or search data once the session ends. But many people misunderstand how incognito mode actually works, especially when it comes to multiple tabs and session sharing.

Here’s how to use incognito mode properly, so you can get the privacy benefits you're expecting.

All incognito tabs share the same session

When you open a new incognito tab in your browser, it doesn't start a fresh, isolated browsing session. Instead, it shares the same session as any other incognito tabs that are currently open.

That means:

• All incognito tabs have access to the same cookies and session data.
• If you log into a website in one incognito tab, you’ll stay logged in when you open another incognito tab.
• Anything you do across these tabs (like logging into a site, setting preferences, or accessing a private area) is shared until all incognito tabs are closed.

Tip: think of all incognito tabs as part of one private room – different views, but the same space.

How to tell if you have more than one incognito tab open

On desktop, this is actually the case of ‘How to tell if you have more than one incognito window open’!

This part can be tricky but we have some tips for you:

• On desktop browsers (Chrome, Edge, Firefox): you can usually see each tab at the top of the window. If you’re in incognito mode, all the tabs in that window are incognito. Look for the incognito icon (or a dark theme) in the window frame.
• You can see how many incognito windows you have open in total, by looking for a number in brackets after the incognito icon in the corner of a new incognito window bar.
• For example, if you see this on an incognito window, you have two incognito windows open at the same time (each window might have more than one tab but the number will represent the number of incognito windows that are open):

• On mobile browsers: all the incognito tabs are grouped together so you can see all the incognito tabs you have open in one place.

Reminder: just because you're in incognito mode doesn’t mean you only have one tab. You might have multiple incognito tabs open and not realise they're all sharing the same session.

How to start a truly new incognito session

Sometimes you want a fresh incognito session completely clean of any previous login, cookie, or cache data.

To do that, follow this rule:

Close all incognito tabs and windows first. Then open a new incognito window or tab.

Why? Because:

• A new incognito tab in an existing incognito window shares the current session.
• Only when you close every incognito tab and window does the browser flush all session data.
• The next time you open incognito mode, it starts with a blank slate.

Recap: using incognito mode properly

• All incognito tabs share the same session.
• Check how many incognito tabs/windows you have open to avoid session confusion.
• To start a clean session, close all incognito tabs/windows first.

Bonus tip: incognito mode prevents your browser from saving your activity locally, but it doesn't hide your activity from websites, employers, or ISPs. For true anonymity, consider a VPN in combination with incognito mode.