You're staring at your iPhone, trying to find that one specific button. You want to look something up—maybe it's a medical symptom you're embarrassed about or a surprise gift for your partner—and you don't want it showing up in your history later. You look for "Incognito." It isn't there.
Honestly, it’s a bit of a branding headache. If you've spent years on Chrome, your brain is hardwired to look for the little fedora-and-glasses icon. But on an Apple device? No dice. Does Safari have incognito? Technically, no. Not by that name. But it has something that, in 2026, is actually a lot more powerful than the standard "Incognito" mode you're used to.
Apple calls it Private Browsing.
It’s been around for ages, yet most people barely scratch the surface of what it actually does. They think it just hides their history from their spouse. It does that, sure. But Safari’s version has evolved into a full-on privacy suite that actively fights off the creepy scripts trying to follow you across the internet.
How to actually turn on Private Browsing (It moved again)
If you’re on an iPhone running the latest software, things look a little different than they did a few years ago. You can’t just tap a single button anymore; it’s hidden behind the tab switcher.
Here is the quickest way to get there. Open Safari. See those two overlapping squares in the bottom right corner? Tap them. Now, look at the bottom center. It probably says "1 Tab" or "Start Page" with a little down arrow. Tap that. A menu pops up. Select Private.
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Boom. The search bar turns dark. You’re in.
If you’re on a Mac, it’s a different story. You just hit Command + Shift + N. Or, if you’re a mouse person, go to File > New Private Window. The window that opens will have a dark smart search field. If it’s white or light gray, you’re still in the "public" zone. Be careful.
The 2026 Update: Face ID and Locking Your Tabs
This is the feature that honestly changed the game for anyone who hands their phone to their kids or friends. Since the iOS 17 and 18 updates, Apple let us lock our private tabs.
Imagine you have some... let's say sensitive research open in a private tab. You switch back to your regular tabs to show someone a photo. If they swipe over to your private section, they won't see a thing. It’ll just say "Private Browsing is Locked." They need your face, your thumbprint, or your passcode to see what’s inside.
To make sure this is actually on, you have to go into your Settings app, scroll down to Safari, and find the toggle that says Require Face ID to Unlock Private Browsing. Turn it on. It’s a lifesaver.
Is it actually "Private" though?
This is where people get tripped up. There is a massive difference between "the people in my house can't see what I'm doing" and "the internet can't see what I'm doing."
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Private Browsing is great for the first one. Once you close those tabs, the history is gone. The cookies are wiped. The cache is cleared. If your roommate grabs your phone, they won't know you spent three hours researching 19th-century taxidermy.
But your ISP (Internet Service Provider) still knows. Your boss, if you’re on work Wi-Fi, still knows. The websites you visit still see your IP address.
Apple tried to fix this with something called iCloud Private Relay. If you pay for iCloud+, this works alongside Private Browsing to mask your IP address. It’s sort of like a "VPN-lite." It encrypts your DNS (where you’re going) and your IP (where you are) so even Apple doesn't know both pieces of the puzzle.
What Safari blocks that Chrome doesn't (By Default)
Safari’s Private Browsing is significantly more aggressive than Chrome's Incognito. By 2026, it includes:
- Advanced Fingerprinting Protection: This stops websites from identifying you based on your device's unique specs (like battery level, screen resolution, and fonts).
- Link Tracking Protection: You know those massive URLs with 400 random characters at the end? Those are often trackers. Safari strips those out automatically in Private mode.
- Total Extension Blackout: By default, Safari kills your extensions in private mode so they can't "leak" what you're doing. You have to manually give them permission to run.
Why your "Incognito" tabs might still be visible
Sometimes people think they're being sneaky, but they leave the tabs open. Big mistake. On a Mac, if you don't actually close the private window, the session stays active. Someone can just hit the "Back" button and see exactly where you were.
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Also, if you download a file while in Private Browsing, that file stays in your Downloads folder. Safari doesn't "self-destruct" the PDF of your medical results just because you downloaded it in a private tab. You have to delete that manually.
The Verdict: Use it, but don't trust it with your life
Safari definitely has "Incognito," even if the marketing department wanted to be different. It's built into the core of the OS. For 90% of people, it’s more than enough. It keeps your search history clean and stops advertisers from haunting you with ads for that weird thing you looked at once.
But if you’re trying to hide your activity from the government or a high-level hacker? A private tab isn't a magic invisibility cloak. You’d need a dedicated VPN and probably a different browser like Tor for that level of heat.
How to stay safe right now
- Check your settings: Go to Settings > Safari > Advanced and make sure "Advanced Tracking and Fingerprinting Protection" is set to "Private Browsing" or "All Browsing."
- Use the shortcut: On iPhone, you can long-press the Tabs icon from any screen to quickly hit "New Private Tab." It saves you three taps.
- Close your tabs: Set Safari to automatically close tabs after a day or a week if you’re forgetful. You’ll find this in the Safari settings under "Close Tabs."
- Pair with Private Relay: If you have an iCloud subscription, make sure Private Relay is toggled on in your Apple ID settings. It fills the gaps that Private Browsing leaves open.
Clean up your digital trail. Lock your tabs. And stop worrying about whether the word "Incognito" is on the screen or not.