Opening an incognito tab in Safari on Mac and iPhone

To open a private browsing window in Safari, press Command + Shift + N on Mac, or tap the tabs icon and select "Private" on iPhone and iPad. Safari calls this Private Browsing rather than incognito, but it works the same way — the browser doesn't save your history, cookies, or search terms once you close the window.

The keyboard shortcut is the fastest route on a computer. On mobile devices, the Private button appears in the same menu where you'd normally open a new tab, so it takes one extra tap.

Once you're in a private window, the address bar and interface turn dark (on newer versions) or show "Private" in the top left, so you can see at a glance that browsing isn't being recorded locally.

Key Takeaways

  • Press Command + Shift + N on Mac to open a private window instantly, or use the File menu if you prefer clicking.
  • On iPhone and iPad, tap the overlapping squares icon (tabs), then tap "Private" at the bottom of the screen.
  • Private Browsing stops Safari from saving your browsing history, search history, and cookies from that session.
  • Your internet service provider and the websites you visit can still see your activity — Private Browsing only hides it from your device.

What Private Browsing actually hides

Safari's Private Browsing mode prevents the browser from storing data locally on your device. When you close a private window, Safari forgets which sites you visited, what you searched for, and any login cookies that would normally keep you signed in to accounts.

This is useful if you share a device and don't want someone else to see your browsing history, or if you want to search for something without it appearing in your search suggestions later. It's also handy for testing whether a website works when you're not logged in, since cookies aren't saved.

What Private Browsing does not do is hide your activity from your internet service provider, your employer's network, or the websites themselves. Those entities can still see that you visited them — they just can't tell what you did there, and your device won't remember the visit after you close the window.

Opening Private Browsing on Mac using the menu

If you prefer not to use the keyboard shortcut, you can open a private window from the File menu. Click "File" in the top menu bar, then select "New Private Window."

This method takes slightly longer than the keyboard shortcut but works the same way. Once the private window opens, you can browse normally — the only difference is that Safari won't save your history or cookies when you close it.

Opening Private Browsing on iPhone and iPad

On iPhone and iPad, tap the overlapping squares icon in the bottom right corner of Safari (this is the tabs button). At the bottom of the screen, you'll see two options: "All Tabs" and "Private." Tap "Private" to switch to private browsing mode.

Once you're in Private mode, you can open new tabs normally by tapping the plus icon. Each tab you open in this window will be private. When you close the entire private window, Safari deletes all the history and cookies from those tabs.

You can switch between private and regular browsing by tapping the tabs button again and selecting "All Tabs" to go back to your normal windows, or "Private" to return to private tabs.

Switching between private and regular browsing

Safari lets you keep both private and regular windows open at the same time. You can switch between them by tapping the tabs button on mobile or using Command + Tab to cycle through open windows on Mac.

This is useful if you want to stay logged into an account in a regular window while browsing privately in another. Just remember that closing a private window erases everything from that session — you can't recover the history afterward.

What happens when you close a private window

When you close a private browsing window, Safari permanently deletes the history, cookies, and cached data from that session. You cannot recover this information — it's gone from your device.

Regular windows remain unaffected. If you have a normal Safari window open at the same time, your history and cookies in that window are saved as usual. Only the private window's data is erased.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Private Browsing hide my activity from my internet provider?

No. Your internet service provider can still see which websites you visit because they control the connection itself. Private Browsing only hides your activity from Safari on your device — it doesn't encrypt your connection or mask your IP address.

Can I see my Private Browsing history after I close the window?

No. Once you close a private window, Safari permanently deletes the history, cookies, and cached files from that session. There's no way to recover it from Safari itself. If you need to remember a site you visited, you'd have to write down the URL while the window is still open.

Will websites know I'm using Private Browsing?

Websites cannot detect whether you're in Private Browsing mode. They see your visit the same way they would in a regular window — they just won't be able to use cookies to track you across multiple visits, since those cookies aren't saved on your device.

Can I use Private Browsing and regular browsing at the same time?

Yes. You can keep both private and regular windows open simultaneously. Tap the tabs button and switch between "Private" and "All Tabs" to move between them. Closing one type of window doesn't affect the other.

Does Private Browsing work the same way on Mac and iPhone?

Yes, the function is identical — Safari doesn't save history, cookies, or search terms in either version. The only difference is how you open it: keyboard shortcut on Mac, or the tabs menu on iPhone and iPad.