Everyone cherishes their privacy, particularly when it comes to their internet use. Occasionally, using Incognito mode when browsing seems like the best way to protect the privacy of our searches. Many of us have wondered if Incognito mode really hides our online activity and whether the data it generates can be removed. I’ve done a lot of study on this subject, and I’ll provide my results in this post to assist you in learning what Incognito mode is and how to delete Incognito history.
Also Read: How To Close All Incognito Tabs On Different Browsers?
Let’s first clarify how Incognito mode works in reality. Your browser does not save cookies, site data, browsing history, or anything entered into forms when you use its incognito mode. But it’s important to realize that this doesn’t mean you’re completely anonymous.
Here is the crucial part. Since incognito mode does not store history, technically, you cannot remove “incognito history” from your browser. Still, there’s a chance that some evidence of your actions exists somewhere. Allow me to walk you through the procedures you can follow to ensure that your Incognito sessions disappear.
The DNS cache on your PC keeps track of the websites you’ve visited. Clearing this can help remove any evidence of your Incognito session.
For Windows:
For Mac:
A virtual private network, or VPN, encrypts your internet connection and masks your IP address. This guarantees that your employers, ISP, or any other third party cannot track your internet activity.
Select a trustworthy VPN provider.
Before initiating your Incognito session, install and establish a VPN connection.
While using Incognito mode removes cookies and cache, your system or other apps may nevertheless save some data.
For Chrome:
Some browser extensions can track your activity even in Incognito mode. Ensure that you review and turn off any unnecessary extensions.
For Chrome:
You can store data from websites locally on your device. Removing and analyzing this data regularly can help protect your privacy.
For Chrome:
To further protect your privacy, think about using search engines like Start Page or DuckDuckGo that don’t track your behavior.
Practical Example: Combining These Methods
To give you a practical illustration, imagine that I’m looking into providing a friend with a surprise gift that I don’t want them to know about. My first step is to turn on my VPN, which hides my IP address. I next launch Chrome in Incognito mode and conduct my searches using DuckDuckGo. After doing my investigation, I inspect any local storage data for deletion, clear the DNS cache on my system, and erase the cookies and cache in Chrome.
I’ve made sure my browsing experience stays hidden and that no evidence of my visit might ruin the surprise by taking the precautions I’ve described.
If you need to ensure the utmost privacy, consider these additional steps.
The Tor Browser makes it extremely difficult to track your activity by rerouting your internet traffic through several servers.
Create a separate user profile on your operating system for private browsing. This will keep any local data separate from your main profile.
You can browse anonymously by using a live USB with a privacy-prioritized operating system like Tails. As soon as you shut the machine off, all data is deleted.
Updating your software and browser guarantees you have access to the most recent security fixes, which lowers the possibility of vulnerabilities being exploited.
Since Incognito mode doesn’t preserve your browsing data, deleting your Incognito history is a misnomer. To get total anonymity, you’ll need to take a few steps, like using a VPN and private search engines, in addition to cleaning your DNS cache. You can drastically improve your online privacy and reduce activity traces by combining these techniques.
Whether I’m researching gifts, working on sensitive projects, or just appreciating my digital imprint, I’ve found that adopting these extra safeguards helps maintain a better level of privacy. Though useful, keep in mind that using Incognito mode is only a small portion of a larger plan to protect your privacy when using the internet.
Also Read: How To Increase Download Speed In Chrome?