How to disable incognito mode on your browser
You can turn off incognito mode — also called private browsing — on most browsers by changing settings in the browser itself or, on Windows and Mac computers, by using parental controls built into your operating system. The method depends on which browser you use and whether you want to block it for one user account or everyone on the device.
If you manage a device for someone else, disabling incognito mode prevents that person from browsing without a history record. On a shared family computer, this is usually done through your operating system's parental controls rather than the browser, because that approach blocks the feature across all browsers at once.
Key Takeaways
- Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge all have settings to disable incognito mode, but the location and method differ for each browser.
- On Windows 10 and 11, you can block incognito mode for specific user accounts through Settings > Parental controls, which works across all browsers.
- On Mac, parental controls are found in System Settings > Parental Controls and apply to the entire device or specific accounts.
- Disabling incognito mode in the browser itself only prevents access through that one browser — a user can still open a different browser and use its private mode.
- If you are managing a child's device, operating system parental controls are more effective than browser settings because they block the feature everywhere.
Disable incognito mode in Google Chrome
On Windows or Mac, open Chrome and click the three vertical dots in the top right corner. Select Settings, then click Policies in the left sidebar (you may need to scroll down to find it). Look for the setting called Incognito mode availability and click the dropdown menu next to it.
Select Incognito mode disabled from the dropdown. This prevents anyone using Chrome on that user account from opening an incognito window. Close and reopen Chrome for the change to take effect. The next time someone tries to open an incognito window — by pressing Ctrl+Shift+N on Windows or Command+Shift+N on Mac — they will see a message saying the feature is not available.
This method only works if you are signed into Chrome with a Google account that has administrator rights on the device. If you do not see the Policies section, you may not have the right permissions, and you should use your operating system's parental controls instead.
Disable incognito mode in Mozilla Firefox
Firefox does not have a built-in setting to disable private browsing mode directly in the browser. Instead, you will need to use your operating system's parental controls (Windows Parental Controls or Mac Parental Controls, described below) to block it across all browsers, or you can edit Firefox's configuration file if you are comfortable doing that.
For most people managing a device, using your operating system's parental controls is simpler and more reliable. That method blocks private browsing in Firefox, Chrome, Edge, and Safari all at once, so a user cannot work around it by switching browsers.
Disable incognito mode in Safari
Safari does not offer a setting within the browser to disable private browsing. However, on Mac, you can use the built-in parental controls to block it. Open System Settings, click General in the sidebar, then scroll down and click Parental Controls. Select the user account you want to restrict, then look for the option to disable private browsing and check the box next to it.
On iPad, open Settings, tap Screen Time, tap Content & Privacy Restrictions, then tap Safari. Toggle off Private Browsing. This prevents that user from opening private browsing windows in Safari on that device.
Disable incognito mode in Microsoft Edge
Open Edge and click the three horizontal dots in the top right corner. Select Settings, then click Privacy, search, and services in the left sidebar. Scroll down to the Clear browsing data section and look for Allow InPrivate browsing. Toggle this setting off.
This prevents anyone using Edge on that user account from opening an InPrivate window. The change takes effect immediately. Like Chrome, this only affects Edge — a user can still open Firefox, Chrome, or Safari and use their private modes.
Use Windows parental controls to block incognito across all browsers
If you manage a device for a child or another user, Windows parental controls block private browsing in every browser at once. Open Settings and click Accounts. Click Family & other users in the left sidebar, then select the user account you want to manage.
Click Parental controls, then click Open parental controls. You may be asked to sign in with your Microsoft account. Once you are in the parental controls panel, look for Web filtering or Browsing and select it. Find the option for private or incognito browsing and toggle it off. Save your changes.
The next time that user opens any browser and tries to use private browsing, they will see a message saying the feature is blocked. This approach is more effective than changing settings in individual browsers because it works everywhere on the device.
Use Mac parental controls to block incognito across all browsers
On Mac, open System Settings and click General in the sidebar. Scroll down and click Parental Controls. Click the lock icon at the bottom left and sign in with your administrator password. Click the plus sign to add a user account, or select an existing account from the list.
Click Restrictions and look for the option to disable private browsing or incognito mode. Check the box next to it. Close the parental controls window. The restriction takes effect immediately and applies to Safari, Chrome, Firefox, and Edge on that account.
If you do not see a Parental Controls option in System Settings, you may be using a newer version of macOS. On macOS 12.3 and later, Apple moved parental controls to Screen Time. Open System Settings, click Screen Time, then click Content & Privacy. Select the user account and look for the private browsing restriction there.
What happens when incognito mode is disabled
When you disable incognito mode, the user will no longer see the option to open a private or incognito window. On Chrome, Firefox, and Edge, the keyboard shortcut (Ctrl+Shift+N or Command+Shift+N) will stop working and show an error message instead. On Safari, the Private option will be grayed out in the File menu.
Disabling incognito mode does not delete any existing browsing history or change how the browser stores data otherwise. It only prevents the user from opening new private browsing sessions going forward. If you want to clear existing history, you will need to do that separately through the browser's history settings.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can someone turn incognito mode back on if I disable it?
If you disabled it through the browser settings (Chrome or Edge), someone with administrator access to the device can re-enable it by going back to those same settings. If you disabled it through operating system parental controls, they would need your administrator password or parental controls PIN to turn it back on. Operating system controls are harder to bypass.
Does disabling incognito mode show me what websites someone visits?
No. Disabling incognito mode only prevents private browsing sessions. The user's regular browsing history will still be saved in the browser, but you will need to check the browser history manually. Disabling incognito mode does not automatically log or report websites to you.
Will disabling incognito mode work if someone uses a different browser?
If you disabled it only in Chrome or Edge, no — they can open Firefox or Safari and use private browsing there. If you used operating system parental controls (Windows or Mac), it blocks private browsing across all browsers on that device.
What if I forgot my administrator password and need to change the parental controls?
On Windows, you can reset your password through your Microsoft account settings online. On Mac, you can use your Apple ID to reset your password if you set that up when you created your account. If you cannot reset it that way, you may need to contact Apple or Microsoft support, or use a password recovery tool designed for your operating system.
Does disabling incognito mode affect my own browsing?
Only if you are the user account it is disabled for. If you disable it for a child's account, your own account is not affected and you can still use private browsing. Each user account on the device has its own settings.