What does incognito mode actually do?
It stops your browser saving history, cookies and form data on that device. It does not hide you from your internet provider, your employer, or the sites you visit. It is a local privacy tool, and most people believe it does considerably more than it does.
Key takeaways
- Incognito and private browsing are the same feature under different names.
- What it does: nothing from that session is kept on the machine — no history, no cookies, no saved form entries.
- What it does not do: hide your activity from your internet provider, your employer's network, or the websites themselves. It is not anonymity and it is not a VPN.
- Useful for keeping login details off a shared machine — worth knowing if anyone else ever uses your trading computer.
- Useful for logging into several accounts at once, because a private window keeps its own cookies separate from the main one.
- Useful for avoiding targeted content, since without your cookies a site shows you what it shows everyone rather than what it has learned about you.
- Not a security measure for trading. It protects nothing about the connection itself; two-factor authentication and a password manager do far more.
- Not sure where your machine stands? The free benchmark test takes about two minutes.
What is Incognito Mode or Private Browsing?
The terms "incognito mode" and "private browsing" are different names for the same feature. For example, when you use this feature, Google Chrome opens an Incognito Window. But Firefox and Apple Safari will open a Private Window. Regardless of what you call it, these features work pretty much the same way in any browser. When you are roaming the Internet in normal mode, the browser saves your browsing history and session information. It shares this information with websites you visit. In incognito or private mode, web browsers follow enhanced privacy rules. Specifically, they don't save your browsing history, cookies, or site data. So there is less information available for a website to extract from the browser. Also, in incognito mode, the browser won't save information entered in forms (like your name and email address). Note that private browsing will not affect the files you download and bookmarks you create.What Incognito/Private Browsing Isn’t
There is a misconception that incognito or private browsing makes you anonymous. When you use incognito mode on your trading computer, the browser doesn't save your session data, but your IP address is still visible to websites you visit. Additionally, your Internet Service Provider (such as AT&T, Comcast, or Charter) or your IT department can use server logs to see your browsing history. In legal cases, this information can be used to establish browsing records.When To Use Incognito Mode
Even though incognito or private browsing doesn’t give you total anonymity, it can still be useful in your trading business. Here are three situations when it makes sense to go incognito:Keep Login Information Private
You can use private browsing to avoid saving a history of the websites you logged in to or visited on your trading laptop or desktop computer. If your trading computer gets breached or stolen, there will be no record of the specific logins locally. So, for example, no one will be able to see which stocks you were researching. Alternatively, you could delete your history and cookies at the end of each browsing session. This will achieve the same result. But incognito mode is a fast workaround to avoid saving this information in the first place.Log into Multiple Accounts
You might have more than one account established on the same website. For example, maybe you manage your own 401K as well as that of a family member, and they're both Fidelity accounts. Normally, to manage both accounts, you have to log out of one account before you can log in to the other one. Instead, you can use incognito mode to log in to multiple accounts. Even though a private window creates cookies just like a regular window, those cookies are restricted to the private session. So, you can use incognito mode to log into more than one account at the same time. This can be especially handy when you want to duplicate investment strategies from one account to another.Avoid Targeted Content
Today most websites remember your information and tailor content for you. For example, they might show different ads based on whether you trade stocks or futures. Most of the time, seeing only tailored content improves your web experience. But sometimes you might benefit from hiding your browsing history so what you are shown is different. For example, trading sites or travel services might offer lower rates to new visitors. Online stores might offer different product lines to new customers vs returning customers. You can use incognito mode to check if prices or product lines differ. However, as websites can also use IP addresses to track users, incognito mode isn’t a surefire solution. But it's worth a try.How to Open and Use Private Browsing
There are multiple ways to open an incognito or private window.- If your browser is already open, you'll generally find the incognito or private browsing option under the browser's More menu. (Look for the 3-line/hamburger or 3-dot/kebab icon, usually at the far right of the browser's toolbar.)
- When launching the browser from the start menu or desktop icon or taskbar icon, right-click and select the option for a new incognito or private window.
- Most browsers also have a keyboard shortcut option. For example, in Chrome/Windows it's Ctrl+Shift+n. In Firefox/Windows it's Ctrl+Shift+p.
Conclusion
Private/incognito mode is a powerful tool that should be in every trader's toolbox. If you've never used it or tried it and forgot how try it out today so it will be fresh in your mind the next time you need it. There are more trading computer tips like this in our buyer's guide. Check out our "How To Buy a Trading Computer" e-book. We hope today's Quick Tip helped you. If you found this helpful, you'll want to check out the other computer How-To's I've created on this page. You can always call us if you have questions: 800-387-5250.Frequently Asked Questions
Does incognito mode hide my activity?
Only from other people using the same computer. Your internet provider can still see which sites you visit, a workplace network can still log it, and the websites themselves still know exactly who you are once you log in. Incognito clears the local record when you close the window — that is the whole of what it does, and it is far less than most people assume.
How do I open incognito mode?
In Chrome press Ctrl+Shift+N, or use the three-dot menu and choose New Incognito window. In Edge it is Ctrl+Shift+N and called InPrivate. In Firefox it is Ctrl+Shift+P and called a Private Window. On a Mac, use Cmd instead of Ctrl.
How do I turn off incognito mode?
Close the incognito window. It is a separate window rather than a setting, so there is nothing to switch off — everything from that session is discarded when the last private window closes. Your normal browsing windows are unaffected and keep working as usual.
Can I log into two accounts at once with incognito?
Yes, and it is one of the genuinely useful applications. A private window keeps its own cookies, so you can be signed into one account normally and a second account in the private window at the same time. Useful for a broker demo account alongside a live one, or two email addresses.
Is incognito mode safe for trading?
It is neither safe nor unsafe — it addresses a different problem. It stops your session being recorded on that machine, which matters on a shared or public computer. It does nothing about the security of the connection or your account. For trading, two-factor authentication on the broker, a password manager and a private network are what actually protect you.
