Glossary · Adjacent

Incognito mode

Also calledprivate browsingchrome incognito

Definition

Incognito mode is a browser feature that skips saving history, cookies, and form data locally — it does not hide your IP from websites or your ISP.

Explanation

In depth

Every major browser has private browsing (Chrome Incognito, Firefox Private, Safari Private, Edge InPrivate). The scope is local only — the browser does not save browsing history, cookies, downloads, or form entries after you close the private window. Sites still see your IP address, your ISP still sees the destinations, and your work or school network still sees what you visit. Incognito is useful for keeping the local device clean (shared laptops, borrowed computers) but does nothing for network-level privacy. For that, you need a proxy or VPN.

Related terms

Private browsingPrivate browsing is the generic name for the browser feature that Chrome calls Incognito, Firefox calls Private Window, and Safari calls Private Browsing.ProxyA proxy is a server that acts on your behalf — it makes network requests for you and hands the responses back to your device.VPNA VPN is a service that routes every network request from your device through an encrypted tunnel to a remote server.TorTor is a free, open-source network that routes traffic through three volunteer-run relays with layered encryption — designed for anonymity, not speed.

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