Web caching can sometimes interfere with new changes showing up, so developers use Incognito mode to avoid web caching altogether. Finally, web developers frequently use Incognito mode for testing changes to a website. Previous searches can be saved locally on the machine and may affect future search suggestions and results.

This auto-fill feature is not desirable in the case of a more public computer because it could give out your private information to someone else.Īnother less common reason to use Incognito mode is if you are performing a search on the web using a public computer. While browsing outside of Incognito mode, the browser may be configured to store usernames and passwords for websites to make the browsing experience more fluid. It is also commonly used for security reasons when you are browsing on a computer used by others. The most common reason to use Incognito mode is for its lack of browsing history. This practice (known as web caching) does not happen in Incognito mode.

Lastly, when browsing the web normally, certain web resources will be saved to your machine in order to speed up your browsing experience and decrease the overall network traffic load. For example, your username and language preference may be stored in a cookie. These frequently contain data relating to the user’s session. Cookies are basically just strings of text sent by a web server to a browser (and subsequently vice versa) to retain information over a certain time period. Also, any additional cookies sent to your browser during this time will not be stored outside of the Incognito mode session. When surfing the web in this mode, your browsing history will not be recorded. Incognito mode is essentially a setting on your web browser to disallow the storing of local data relating to the websites you surf.

How to use google chrome incognito