Disable Incognito Mode and Private Browsing in Browsers

Ensure a transparent browsing experience by removing incognito mode in Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Microsoft Edge.

by Tech Lockdown Team

Updated July 21, 2023

Many people use incognito mode or private browsing features in their web browsers to hide their online activity from others. However, this can also pose a challenge for parents, employers, or anyone who wants to monitor or filter the content that is accessed on their devices.

In this article, you will learn how to disable incognito mode in popular browsers such as Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Safari. By doing so, you can prevent users from bypassing your content filtering and traffic monitoring settings and ensure a safer and more transparent browsing experience.

Considering other privacy features like guest mode

In addition to incognito mode, we also recommend disabling other similar features that some browsers provide.

For example, some browsers, like Google Chrome, sync browser settings and browsing history to user profiles.

This means that a user can add a new profile and potentially gain access to something similar to incognito mode. Although there are better ways to monitor websites visited on your WiFi network, checking browser history is one of the easiest.

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Disable Incognito Mode on Windows

If you are using a Windows computer, you may want to disable incognito mode for different browsers such as Chrome and Microsoft Edge. The easiest way to do this is using the Command Prompt application and entering commands that customize your browsing experience.

In this section, we will show you how to disable incognito mode on Windows for each browser step by step.

How to disable incognito mode in Google Chrome on Windows 10/11

Open command prompt as an Administrator

In Command Prompt, copy/paste the following commands and press enter after each command:

Disable guest mode:

REG ADD HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Chrome /v BrowserGuestModeEnabled /t REG_DWORD /d 0

Disable adding new user profiles:

REG ADD HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Chrome /v BrowserAddPersonEnabled /t REG_DWORD /d 0

Disable incognito mode:

REG ADD HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Chrome /v IncognitoModeAvailability /t REG_DWORD /d 1

Prevent user from deleting browsing history:

REG ADD HKCU\Software\Policies\Google\Chrome /v AllowDeletingBrowserHistory /t REG_DWORD /d 1

Restart Chrome and open the profile section. Guest mode should no longer be an option:

You also shouldn't be able to add new profiles:

Incognito mode should no longer be an available option.

Note

If these changes aren't reflected in your browser, try restarting your computer.

How to disable private browsing in Microsoft Edge for Windows 10/11

Type “cmd” into the Windows Search Bar, and click “Run as administrator” under Command Prompt.

In Command Prompt, copy/paste and press enter for each of the commands below:

Disable guest mode:

reg add HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge /v BrowserGuestModeEnabled /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f

Disable adding new profiles

reg add HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge /v BrowserAddProfileEnabled /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f

Disable deleting of browser history:

reg add HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge /v AllowDeletingBrowserHistory /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f

Disable InPrivate Window mode:

reg add HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge /v InPrivateModeAvailability /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f

Restart Edge, and click the three dots at the top of the screen. InPrivate Mode should be grayed out.

It is also no longer possible to delete browsing history. You should see a History is managed by your organization message as well.

Note

The "Add new account" option will still display on the profile menu and can still be selected. However, it no longer works.

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Disable Incognito mode on Mac

If you are using a Mac computer like a Macbook, you can disable incognito mode for popular browsers like Google Chrome, Safari, and Microsoft Edge. The fastest way to do this is using the Terminal application and entering commands that customize your browsing experience.

In this section, we will show you how to disable incognito mode on MacOS for each browser step by step.

How to disable incognito mode in Google Chrome for MacOS

Open the Terminal application

Copy/paste the following commands into terminal and press enter:

Disable guest mode:

defaults write com.google.Chrome BrowserGuestModeEnabled -bool false

Disable Incognito mode:

defaults write com.google.Chrome IncognitoModeAvailability -integer 1

Disable adding new user profiles:

defaults write com.google.Chrome BrowserAddPersonEnabled -bool false

Prevent deleting browsing history:

defaults write com.google.Chrome AllowDeletingBrowserHistory -bool false

Restart the Chrome browser, then click the user icon again. You should not see the option to switch to Guest Mode

When you open the "who's using Chrome" window, it shouldn't allow you to enter guest mode or add new profiles:

You also should not be able to open an incognito window or delete browsing history.

Note

You might need to restart your computer if you don't see these changes in your browser.

How to Disable Private Browsing in Safari

It's not possible to disable Apple's Safari browser private browsing features using Terminal like we did for Google Chrome and Edge.

Instead, there are two approaches to disabling private browsing in Safari:

Enable Screen Time parental controls to block adult content . This will remove the private browsing option in Safari.
Disable Safari entirely and use Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge with their private browsing features disabled.

How to Remove Safari Browser from MacOS

Screenshots below are for iPhone screen time

For the below steps, customize the screen time settings using Screen Time for Mac instead of the screen time available for iPhone. These steps are similar for MacOS.

In Settings, select Screen Time. Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions

Under Content & Privacy Restrictions, tap Allowed Apps

Under Allowed Apps, toggle off Safari

Disable InPrivate Browsing in Microsoft Edge on MacOS

For a Mac, start by opening the Terminal application.

Next, copy/paste the following commands into the terminal and press enter.

Disable guest mode:

defaults write com.microsoft.Edge.plist BrowserGuestModeEnabled -bool false

Disable InPrivate mode:

defaults write com.microsoft.Edge.plist InPrivateModeAvailability -int 1

Disable adding new user profiles:

defaults write com.microsoft.Edge.plist BrowserAddProfileEnabled -bool false

Prevent deleting browsing history

defaults write com.microsoft.Edge.plist AllowDeletingBrowserHistory -bool false

Better Blocking for Mac & PC

Elevate your content blocking and bypass prevention with DNS Filtering and Device Management.

Better Blocking for Mac & PC

Elevate your content blocking and bypass prevention with DNS Filtering and Device Management.

Disable Browser Privacy features on Managed Mac

If you have set up a managed MacOS device , you can enforce disabling these privacy features so that a user cannot re-enable them.

Disable Incognito mode in Google Chrome on a managed Mac

On a managed Mac device, it is much easier to enforce browser settings using a device manager. A good example of a device manager is iMazing, which allows you to custom-configure a device.

Navigate to the Misc tab

Disable Guest Mode and adding new user profiles by unchecking both of the highlighted boxes

Scroll down to the Enable Incognito and Incognito mode availability fields and disable them.

Scroll down and uncheck Enable deleting browser and download history

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Disable Browser Privacy Features in Microsoft Edge on a Managed Mac

Here's how to configure Microsoft Edge with iMazing.

Navigate to the Misc tab

Remove the checkmark for Enable deleting browser and download history

Scroll down and find the Enable add person in user manager and Enable guest mode in browser. Make sure these are unchecked.

Scroll down again and find the Private mode availability option. Make sure that Private mode disabled is selected.

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