How to Always Open Chrome, Firefox and Edge in Incognito Mode in Windows 10

Feb. 24, 2021

The Incognito mode in web browsers is a much-needed privacy feature that enables users to surf the web from a temporary session that is isolated from the main instance of that browser on your PC. Browsing history is not saved during these sessions, and all local data, such as cookies, cache, etc., are cleared when the session is closed. While you may know how to start an Incognito session for your favorite browser, you may not be aware that you can also configure browsers, likeGoogle Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and Microsoft Edge Chromium, to open in incognito (private) mode by default every single time.

Open Chrome, Firefox and Edge in Incognito Mode by Default

First introduced in Apple Safari as ‘Private Mode’ more than a decade ago, the Incognito feature has since attained immense popularity among netizens. It hassince been adopted by Google, Mozilla, Microsoft, andother browser-makersfor their respective web browsers. So in this article, we will show you multiple ways to open Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and Microsoft Edge Chromium in Incognito (or private) mode by default inWindows 10.

The easiest way to start an Incognito session in any browser, including Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and Microsoft Edge Chromium, is through its Taskbar shortcut. For that, first pin that app’s shortcut to the Taskbar if it isn’t there already. Then right-click on it and selectNew Incognito Windowin case of Chrome,New Private Windowfor Firefox andNew InPrivate Windowin Edge Chromium.Taskbar icon right-click menu for Google Chrome (left) and Mozilla Firefox (right)

Note:You need to be logged in as administrator on your Windows 10 computer to be able to make the following trick(s) work.

Note:By default, the installation folder for the 64-bit application will beC:\Program Files\Google\Chrome\Application (64-bit). For 32-bit, select Program Files (x86) at the first step.

From now on,every time you open Chrome from anywhere on your computer, you will get an Incognito windowirrespective of whether you choose Incognito or not. To revert, simply modify the “IncognitoModeAvailability” value to 0 or delete it altogether.

To always start Mozilla Firefox in Private Mode, follow the simple steps detailed below:

This method is similar to Method 1 for Chrome. Here we will change the target path for the Firefox shortcut to ensure that the browser will open in private mode every time.

To launch Microsoft Edge Chromium in Private Mode every time, follow the same process as described in Method 1 for both Chrome and Firefox.

That’s it. Microsoft Edge Chromium will now open in InPrivate (private or incognito) mode every time it is started.

Do note that in case you use method number 1 for Chrome and Firefox, the browsers will open in incognito/private mode only when started from the shortcut with modified target path. You can revert the changes by deleting the addendums at the end in the ‘Target’ box. If you don’t want to use the incognito mode by default on your browser, you can still maintain privacy bydeleting browsing historyon Chrome, Firefox and Edge Chromium.

As for the Incognito mode, it is available not only on web browsers, but also in most of Google’s online services and apps,including Maps, YouTube and more. You canenable it in Google Mapsandon YouTubeby following our step-by-step tutorials. To further enhance your online privacy, you can also check out our guide onhow to fake geo-location in your browserandhow to disable location tracking on Windows 10.

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