How To Get Rid Of Private Browsing Mode

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Have you ever browsed the web looking to buy something, and then a few days later seen adverts popping up all over the internet for the item you were looking for?

If it's not just you who has access to your computer, this phenomenon can make it very difficult to shop online for birthday and Christmas presents - and keep the gifts you're buying a secret from the kids or other family members.

These targeted adverts are a result of cookies — little bits of data left on your computer when you visit web pages. While you can stop cookies being saved to your computer, it will mean that you won't be able to save any usernames and passwords for websites or even leave items in an online shopping basket before coming back later to buy them.

Thankfully, there's an easy solution – Private Browsing or Incognito Mode.

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What is Incognito Mode?

When you browse in Incognito Mode, or Private Browsing mode, the history of the websites you have visited and the items you have searched the web for are erased as soon as you close the browser window. It also prevents cookies from being saved, so there's no fear of targeted adverts suddenly appearing.

How can I turn on Incognito Mode?

It's simple to switch on Private Browsing or Incognito Mode no matter which browser you're using.

Got an iPhone or iPad? Unless you installed another web browser onto the device yourself, you'll be using Safari to view web pages. Open Safari and tap the icon that looks like two squares – one on top of the other. This lets you open a new tab. Select Private from the bottom left-hand corner and you will open a Private tab. On a Mac, open Safari and select File from the top left-hand corner. Now press New Private Browsing window.

Using Chrome? Open the browser and tap the three vertical dots in the top right-hand corner and select New Incognito Window from the list.

If you've got a Windows 10 PC and are using the Microsoft Edge browser, just open the browser and select the three horizontal dots, followed by New InPrivate window. Or if you have an older version of Windows and you're using Internet Explorer, open the Settings menu) depicted by a cog in the top right-hand corner). Select Safety and then InPrivate browsing from the options displayed.

Mozilla's Firefox works in a similar way too. Just head to File in the top left-hand corner and select New Private window.

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