Do you think your search history is not saved if you use incognito mode? Well, you’re partially wrong. Incognito mode, also known as private browsing or privacy mode, is a feature available in most modern web browsers. It offers a more private and secure browsing experience by temporarily disabling certain features that can leave traces of your online activities on your device. However, they are not completely deleted. Read this article to learn how to delete incognito mode history.
What is the use of incognito mode?
Privacy:
Incognito mode helps protect your privacy by preventing the browser from saving your browsing history, cookies, and site data. This means that after closing the incognito window, no traces of your online activities will be left on your device, making it useful if you’re using a shared computer or device and don’t want your browsing history to be visible to others.
Session isolation:
When you open a new incognito window, it operates separately from your regular browsing session. This means that cookies, login credentials, and other browsing data from your regular session won’t carry over to the incognito window. It can be useful when you want to log in to multiple accounts on the same website simultaneously or when you want to prevent websites from tracking your activities across sessions.
Testing and troubleshooting:
Incognito mode can be handy for testing websites or troubleshooting browser-related issues. By browsing in incognito mode, you can avoid conflicts with browser extensions or cached data that might interfere with the normal functioning of a website.
Avoiding targeted advertisements:
Incognito mode can help reduce the impact of targeted advertising. Since your browsing history and cookies are not saved, websites and ad networks have limited access to your past activities, making it more challenging for them to serve personalized ads based on your browsing habits.
Bypassing paywalls:
Some websites implement paywalls that limit the number of free articles or content you can access. By opening the website in incognito mode, you may be able to bypass these limitations, as the browser does not save the cookies or other data that the website uses to track your free article count.
Ways to access incognito mode history:
- Third-party apps: There are some third-party apps available that claim to track and save browsing history, even in incognito mode. You can search for such apps in your device’s app store and explore their features to see if they meet your requirements. Keep in mind that using third-party apps may have security and privacy implications, so be cautious and do thorough research before installing any app.
- Device monitoring software: If your mobile device is connected to a network or is being monitored by an administrator, there might be monitoring software installed that can track your browsing activities, including incognito mode. This is more common in corporate or educational settings where network administrators enforce monitoring policies. In such cases, accessing the browsing history may require administrative access or assistance from the network administrator.
- Rooted/jailbroken devices: If your mobile device is rooted (Android) or jailbroken (iOS), there might be advanced tools or modifications available that can provide access to incognito mode history. However, rooting or jailbreaking your device can have security risks and may void your warranty, so proceed with caution and fully understand the implications.
- Cloud backup: If you have enabled cloud backup for your browsing data, such as Google Chrome’s sync feature, it’s possible that the browsing history from incognito mode might be stored in your cloud backup. This depends on your device’s settings and the browser you’re using. However, accessing the cloud backup usually requires signing in to the respective account associated with the backup and may not be directly accessible on the device itself.
How to Delete Incognito History in Mobile?
Here’s how to remove incognito history on android or iOS:
- Open the Chrome browser on your mobile device.
- Tap on the three-dot menu icon in the top-right corner of the browser window.
- Select “History” from the menu that appears.
- On the History page, you will see a list of your browsing history. If you want to clear the history of incognito mode specifically, tap on “Tabs from other devices” at the bottom of the screen.
- On the Tabs page, you will also find a section called “Recently closed.” Swipe left on each entry and tap on “Remove” to delete individual tabs from incognito mode.
- To clear the entire incognito mode history, go back to the History page and tap on the three-dot menu icon again.
- Select “Clear browsing data” or “Clear browsing history.”
- Choose the time range or select “Beginning of time” to delete all browsing data.
- Make sure the “Browsing history” or similar option is selected and hence uncheck other items if you only want to delete the history.
- Tap on “Clear data” or “Clear Browsing History” to delete the incognito mode history.
How to delete incognito history from your desktop?
- Open Google Chrome on your desktop.
- Press the keyboard shortcut “Ctrl+Shift+Delete” (or “Command+Shift+Delete” on macOS) to open the “Clear browsing data” window.
- Alternatively, you can access this window by clicking on the three-dot menu icon in the top-right corner, selecting “More tools,” and then “Clear browsing data.”
- In the “Clear browsing data” window, make sure the “Browsing history” or similar option is selected.
- Choose the time range you want to delete.
- Optionally, you can select other items such as cookies, cached images and files, and download history.
- Click on “Clear data” or “Clear browsing data” to delete the incognito mode history.
Conclusion
It’s important to note that while incognito mode provides privacy from other users of your device, it does not make you completely anonymous or protect you from other forms of tracking, such as network-level monitoring or tracking by your internet service provider. Additionally, websites you visit, as well as internet service providers and network administrators, may still be able to see your browsing activities. So one should be careful and aware of the cyber laws to be safe. They should also be aware of how to clear incognito history.
FAQ | How to delete incognito history
Can I recover the deleted incognito history?
No, once you delete the browsing history of incognito mode, it cannot be recovered. The purpose of deleting the history is to permanently remove the browsing data from your device.
Will deleting incognito history delete my regular browsing history as well?
No, deleting the incognito history is separate from deleting the regular browsing history. Clearing the incognito history only removes the data associated with the specific incognito browsing session.
Does incognito mode history delete also delete cookies and saved passwords?
Clearing the incognito history typically includes deleting cookies, cached files, and other browsing data. However, it may not delete saved passwords, as those are usually managed separately in the browser’s password manager or settings.
Can I selectively delete specific entries from the incognito history?
In most browsers, you can only delete the entire browsing history of incognito mode. Selectively deleting specific entries is not possible within the browser’s built-in history deletion functionality.
Is there a way to automatically delete incognito history upon closing the browser?
Browsers generally do not have a built-in feature to automatically delete incognito history upon closing the browser. However, you can manually clear the browsing data each time you finish an incognito session to achieve a similar result.
Can I prevent the storage of incognito history altogether?
Incognito mode is designed to prevent the storage of browsing history, cookies, and other data on your device. As long as you browse exclusively in incognito mode, the browser should not save any of that data. However, it’s important to note that your internet service provider, websites you visit, or network administrators may still be able to track your activities.
