Whenever you open a web page in your browser, sensitive information may be stored on your hard drive. Data stored by your browser is used for various purposes, such as saving a bookmark and storing location-specific information in cookies to recall your settings for the next time.
Even though this information is only used to improve your browsing experience, this data is openly accessible, and other people should not be able to see this information, especially if you share a computer. The remedy for this is the private browsing mode. In this mode, you can browse the Internet without your data being visible to others.
The private mode is only helpful for some Internet users because many simplifications are lost. For example, when you open a web page, no login information such as email, username, or password is stored because no cookies are saved. We recommend using the private browser mode when you use public computers.
What private browsing means
When you browse privately, no one using your PC can see your activity. Private browsing mode does not provide complete security. It prevents your browser from saving your history, cookies, data you leave in forms, and other personal information to your hard drive between browsing sessions.
Enable private browsing
You can enable private or incognito mode in almost all browsers. Here we show you how to find the option in different browsers.
Google Chrome
Google Chrome calls its private browsing feature Incognito Mode. To open the incognito mode, press Customize Google Chrome in the upper right corner of the window. Now three vertical bars will be displayed. Now all you have to do is press the New incognito window.
You can also use the key combination Ctrl + Shift + N to enter the incognito mode quickly.
Mozilla Firefox
To enable private browsing in Mozilla Firefox, click Open Menu in the upper right corner of the browser window. You can recognize it by three vertical lines. There you select New private window.
A new private window opens with tracking protection available. Firefox explains to you what private browsing means. An essential difference between Firefox and other browsers is that users are warned that their ISP or employer has permission to track the pages you visit. Firefox enables tracking protection by default. Therefore, online trackers cannot collect data about your online activities. For a new shortcut, press Ctrl + Shift + P to enable private browsing mode.
Microsoft Edge
Microsoft Edge uses the same names for its private browsing mode as the old Internet Explorer, InPrivate Browsing. Click Settings in the upper right corner to start a private browsing session. Three horizontal dots will be displayed. In this menu, select New InPrivate.
Unfortunately, there is no keyboard shortcut to activate the private browsing mode. The private browsing session is displayed in the upper left corner of the window and is marked InPrivate in a blue square.
Opera
To enable the private browser window in Opera, click the Customize tab in the upper left corner of the browser window. Then you should press New private window.
A new private browsing window describing Opera’s private browsing feature will pop up. Alternatively, you can press Ctrl + Shift + N as a keyboard shortcut. For additional privacy, you can enable the built-in VPN. This button is located on the left side of the address bar.
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