No matter which browser you prefer—Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari, Opera, or any of the others—it will almost surely provide an incognito or private mode, one that purports to keep your web browsing hidden. (When you switch to incognito mode in Google Chrome, a hat and glasses icon still appears to suggest that you are now wearing a disguise.)

Certain aspects of your browsing are kept secret while using incognito or private mode, but it's crucial to understand what exactly is hidden and what is not deleted from your computer or mobile device. You'll be able to use these modes most effectively once you comprehend exactly what they perform in your browser.

The Functions of Incognito Mode

The most straightforward approach to understand incognito mode is to imagine that as soon as you dismiss the incognito window, your web browser forgets the session ever took place: Nothing is saved in your browsing history, and any cookies—those tiny pieces of information that record part of your online activities—that have been set up are immediately deleted.Cookies, for example, are what maintain products in your Amazon shopping cart even if you forget about them for days. 

They also let websites remember if you have visited them before, which is why you often only get pestered to sign up for a site's newsletter when you first visit.Incognito mode excels at providing this level of anonymity because it's like starting over, for better or worse, with a clean slate. Try opening Twitter or Gmail; you won't be automatically logged in as you usually are. 

The same reason makes using incognito mode occasionally a useful approach to view additional free articles from a paywall site (the site won't immediately recognise you as someone who has already visited, but many paywall sites utilise other means to figure that out). 

When you use Chrome, Firefox, or any other browser while incognito mode, it's as if the browser has its back turned and won't remember where you've been, what you've looked for, or the details you've entered into web forms.

What the Incognito Mode Can't Do

Your actions are no longer anonymous or transient as soon as you enter into any of your favourite websites in incognito mode, including Facebook, Amazon, and Gmail, at least as far as those services are concerned. Although cookies and tracking information are removed after your private session, they can still be used while the session is open to connect your actions across other accounts and profiles.

As a result, even when using incognito mode, Facebook may be able to monitor what you're doing on other websites if you're signed into the social network, for instance, and modify its ads appropriately. You may somewhat stop this by disabling third-party cookies in your browser (Chrome even offers you the option when you open incognito mode).Although not alone, Google has already received criticism for this approach.

If you login into Google incognito mode, your searches are once again stored and linked to your account, if that's how your Google account preferences are set up. Google may also be watching you on other websites using its ad network and tracking technology.Your IP address, device type, and browser can all be used by the websites you visit to identify you even if you don't sign in anywhere, and they can link this information to other data that may already be linked with you.This 'fingerprinting' sort of tracking is being resisted by some browsers, but it still exists. 

The use of incognito mode does not erase downloaded files or keep your browsing activities secret from your employer or internet service provider. To put it another way, you should consider it a method of concealing your online actions from the specific browser on the specific device you're using as well as from other users of that device. No assurances can be made on anything else.The limitations of incognito mode serve as a reminder of how challenging it is to remain anonymous online.