How to Open an Incognito Window in Chrome

An Incognito window is a separate Chrome window that does not save history, cookies, site data, or form entries once it is closed. Use it for a quick sign-in on a shared computer or to see a site without your usual cookies.

Press the shortcut

Press Ctrl + Shift + N (Mac: Cmd + Shift + N). A new window opens with a dark background and a page that says You've gone Incognito.

Open it from the menu instead

Click the three-dot menu at the top right and choose New Incognito window. You can also right-click any link and choose Open link in Incognito window, or right-click the Chrome icon in the Windows taskbar or the Mac Dock and choose New Incognito window.

Confirm you are in the right window

Incognito windows have a dark toolbar with a hat-and-glasses icon and an Incognito label at the top right. Every tab opened inside that window is Incognito; tabs in your normal windows are not. Bookmarks you save and files you download are kept, but they do not appear in your history.

Know what Incognito does not hide

Incognito only stops this copy of Chrome from saving your activity. It does not hide your browsing from an employer or school that manages the network or the computer, from your internet provider, or from the websites you visit, which still see your IP address. If you sign in to a site, that site knows it is you.

Close every Incognito window to end the session

Incognito cookies and site data last until the last Incognito window is closed. Press Ctrl + Shift + W (Mac: Cmd + Shift + W) to close a window, or click its close button. If you only close a tab, the session continues in the other Incognito windows and their tabs.

Extensions in Incognito. Extensions are off in Incognito by default. To let one run there, open the three-dot menu, then Extensions, Manage Extensions, click Details on the extension, and turn on Allow in Incognito.

On a phone. Open the three-dot menu and tap New Incognito tab, or tap the tab switcher and then the Incognito icon at the top. Incognito tabs stay open in the app until you close them yourself.