How to Always Launch Chrome in Incognito Mode

I have confused Incognito Mode with normal Chrome windows countless times. Because of this, it’s often difficult for me to start Chrome in Incognito Mode without messing up. Maybe it’s just me, but I believe this is mainly due to the introduction of Chrome’s dark mode. Regular tags and incognito tags look almost the same now, don’t they?

I don’t want to give up the dark mode in Chrome because of this. This is why learning to always start Chrome in incognito mode is so useful. This will reduce the chance of forgetting to enter incognito mode after opening the browser. But how to do it?

When you’re ready to spend a few minutes, you can easily create a shortcut that allows you to easily open Chrome in incognito mode. You can create it on Windows and macOS.

On Android and iOS, if you know this, it’s easier to launch Chrome in incognito mode. So keep reading.

GOOGLE CHROME — WINDOWS

It’s easy to always start Chrome in incognito mode on Windows. You must create a desktop shortcut by adding a simple command line to the default file target. You can also use an existing shortcut on the desktop to perform this operation. Or you can copy the shortcut (using copy and paste), so you have two shortcuts-one to start Chrome in normal mode, and one to always start it in incognito mode.

Note: If there is no Chrome shortcut on the desktop, please open File Explorer and go to Local Disk (C:)> Programs (x86)> Google> Chrome> Applications. In the “Applications” folder, right-click the file named chrome, point to “Send to”, and then click “Desktop.”

Step 1: Right-click the Chrome shortcut on the desktop and select Properties.

How to Always Launch Chrome in Incognito Mode

Step 2: SGo to the “Shortcut” tab in the “Properties” dialog box. Add a space to the file path at the end of the target field. Then paste the following command line:

--incognito

The file path should be as shown in the screenshot below. Click Apply, then click OK to save your changes.

Step 3: Double-click the shortcut and Chrome will start in Incognito Mode every time. In my case, there are two Chrome shortcuts on my desktop that can be used to open Chrome in normal or Incognito Mode. To avoid confusion, I renamed them accordingly.

If you want to prevent shortcuts from launching in Incognito Mode, simply delete the “incognito” command line from the target field via properties and save your changes.

Did you know: Browsing privately or in Incognito Mode will not hide your surfing activity or prevent others from sniffing your surfing activity. Use VPN services to help prevent this by masking physical locations and IP addresses. We recommend ExpressVPN.

GOOGLE CHROME — MACOS

Unlike Windows, you can’t edit Chrome shortcuts on macOS, so the browser always starts in incognito mode. Instead, you need to create a simple script to do this. Don’t worry-it’s easy.

But there are some things you need to pay attention to. First, the script does not contain the Chrome icon. On the contrary, it really looks like-a script. Second, if you are already running Chrome, the script will not run. In this case, you must manually open the incognito tab.

Step 1: Open the AppleScript editor. Enter applescript editor (Cmd + Spacebar) in Spotlight and press Enter. In the window that appears, click New Document.

Step 2: Copy and paste the script below into the AppleScript Editor:

do shell script "open -a /Applications/Google\\ Chrome.app --args --incognito"

Step 3: Open the File menu, and then click Save.

Step 4: Enter the name of the script (recognizable name), select the location of the file “Desktop is the most convenient” and select the application as the file format. Finally click save.

Step 5: Use the script whenever you want to launch Chrome in Incognito mode.

You can also drag it to the Dock and use it with normal Chrome shortcuts for added convenience. However, when using this script, normal Chrome windows are not allowed to run in the background.

GOOGLE CHROME — ANDROID AND IOS

To always open Chrome directly in incognito mode on Android, you don’t need to change any shortcuts or create a script from scratch. Instead, the Chrome icon already provides this feature. Just tap and hold it for one second. After that, you should see a context menu-just click New Incognito Tab.

The same applies to Chrome on iOS. And you don’t need a 3D Touch device, because Haptic Touch is available from iOS 13. Press and hold the Chrome icon, then click New incognito tab. You can do this on any iOS device (iPhone or iPad) running iOS 13.

TIP: On iOS, the Chrome widget also provides a shortcut to open Chrome in incognito mode. Go to the “Today” view (the leftmost screen on the main screen) and click “Edit” to enable the Chrome widget.

GO INCOGNITO

The ability to always open Chrome in incognito mode helps avoid confusion. After following these methods, I don’t have to waste time clearing the browser cache to get rid of private searches just because I forgot to be incognito.

It also saves you an extra number of clicks to start Chrome, and then click twice to restart it in incognito mode.