Always Start Chrome In Incognito Mode

I’ve confused incognito mode with regular Chrome windows countless times. That’s why I often have a hard time starting Chrome in Incognito mode without drooling. Maybe it’s just me, but I believe this is primarily due to Chrome adopting dark mode. Both regular and Incognito tabs now look pretty much the same, right?

However, I don’t want to exit dark mode in Chrome just because of this. That’s why learning to always start Chrome in Incognito mode can be very helpful. This reduces the chance of forgetting to switch to Incognito mode after opening the browser. But how do you do that?

If you want to spend a few minutes, you can easily create a shortcut that allows you to easily open Chrome in Incognito mode. You can create it on Windows and macOS.

Starting Chrome in Incognito mode on Android and iOS is even easier if you know how to do it. So keep reading.

Google Chrome—Windows

It’s pretty simple to always start Chrome in Incognito mode on Windows. You should create a desktop shortcut by adding a simple command line to the default file target. You can also do this to the shortcut on your desktop. Or you can duplicate the shortcut (using Copy and Paste) so you have two shortcuts, one to start Chrome in normal mode and another to always start in Incognito mode.

Note:

Stage 1: Right-click the Chrome shortcut on your desktop and then select Properties.

Step 2: Switch to the Shortcut tab in the Properties dialog. Follow up by adding a single space to the file path at the end of the target field. Next, add the following command line:

--incognito 

The file path should then look like the screenshot below. Click Apply and then OK to save your changes.

Stage 3: Double-clicking the shortcut will launch Chrome in Incognito mode every time. In my case, I have two Chrome shortcuts on my desktop that allow me to open Chrome in normal or Incognito mode. To avoid confusion, I renamed them appropriately.

If you want to stop the shortcut from launching in Incognito mode, simply remove the ‘–hidden’ command line from the Target field via Properties and save your changes.

Do you know: Private browsing or private browsing does not hide your browsing activities or prevent others from spying on your browsing activities. Using a VPN service helps prevent just that by masking the physical location and IP address. We recommend ExpressVPN (sign up using this link and save 49% on an annual plan).

Google Chrome — macOS

Unlike on Windows, you cannot edit a Chrome shortcut on macOS to make it always launch the browser in Incognito mode. Instead, you should create a simple script for this purpose. Don’t worry – it’s pretty easy to do.

But there are a few things you should keep in mind. First, the script will not have a Chrome icon. Instead, it will appear as it really is – a script. Second, if you already have Chrome installed and running, the script will not work. In such cases, you have to open Incognito tabs manually.

Stage 1: Open the AppleScript Editor. Medicine applescript editor In Spotlight (shortcut Cmd+Space), then press Enter to do so. In the window that opens, click New Document.

Step 2: Copy and paste the following script into the AppleScript Editor:

do shell script "open -a /Applications/Google\\ Chrome.app --args --incognito"

Stage 3: Open the File menu and then click Save.

Step 4: Type a name for the script (something identifiable), choose a location to save the file (Desktop is best), and choose the file format as Application. Finally, click Save.

Step 5: Use the script whenever you want to start Chrome in Incognito mode.

Also, for added convenience, you can download it to the Dock and use it alongside the regular Chrome shortcut. However, you shouldn’t have regular Chrome windows running in the background while using the script.

Google Chrome — Android and iOS

You don’t need to change shortcuts or create scripts from scratch to always open Chrome directly in Incognito mode on Android. Instead, the Chrome icon already includes this functionality. Just tap and hold for a second. After that, you should see a context menu – tap New Incognito Tab and you’re good to go.

The same is true for Chrome on iOS. You also don’t need a 3D Touch enabled device, because Haptic Touch launches iOS 13. Long press the Chrome icon and then tap New Incognito Tab. You can do this on any iOS device (iPhone or iPad) running iOS 13.

Fly:

switch to incognito mode

Being able to always open Chrome in Incognito mode helps greatly in avoiding confusion. After following these methods, I don’t have to waste time clearing the browser cache to get rid of private calls just in case I forgot to switch to incognito mode.

You also save yourself those extra clicks of launching Chrome and then spending two clicks restarting it in Incognito mode.

Next: Spice up your Chrome Incognito experience with these three great extensions.