How to make Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Brave always open in private mode
Add a word to the end of your browser's shortcut, and it opens in private mode every time. This works in Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Brave on Windows 10 and 11.
What is private browsing mode?
If you already know what private browsing does, skip to the steps.
In Google Chrome, it's called incognito mode, in Microsoft Edge, it's called InPrivate window, in Brave, it's called a private window, and in Firefox, it's called private browsing.
Private browsing mode means your browser does not save your browsing history.
That's it.
Many people think private browsing hides them from their internet provider or the government. It does not.
It will not stop your internet provider, the government, or your school or office from seeing what you visit.
It will not stop websites from seeing your location.
You still have good reasons to use it.
You might share a computer with someone else, and you don't want the other person to see your internet history.
You could be shopping for a gift, and you don't want anybody to find out and spoil the surprise.
You can use it to log in to multiple email accounts, social network accounts, or bank accounts at the same time.
Or maybe you want to limit the amount of data companies collect about you.
Edit your browser shortcut to open in private mode
- Find the shortcut you use to open your browser. It may be on the taskbar, on the desktop, or in the Start menu.
- Right-click on your web browser's shortcut.
- Click Properties.
If you normally open your browser from the taskbar: right-click the taskbar icon, right-click the browser name in the menu, then click Properties.
If you normally open your browser from the Start menu: right-click the browser icon, choose Open file location (or More > Open file location). In File Explorer, right-click the shortcut and choose Properties.
-
In the Properties window, find the Target field. At the very end of the path, add a space and then type the flag for your browser: -incognito (Chrome and Brave), -inprivate (Edge), or -private (Firefox). Example: "C:\Program Files\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe" -incognito
- Click Apply.
- Click OK.
Your browser now opens in private mode when you click this shortcut.
If you have other shortcuts to your browser, repeat these steps for each one.
To undo: open the shortcut's Properties again and delete the flag you added.
Related:
Always open Chrome, Edge & Brave full screen or maximized
How to make a web browser open on startup on Windows 10 & 11
How to create a desktop shortcut to open multiple web pages
How to automatically open a website on startup in Windows 11