Incognito Mode on iPhone Chrome: Step-by-Step

Incognito mode in Chrome for iPhone lets you browse without saving your history, cookies, or site data to your device. It’s useful for private research, logging into a second account, or using a shared phone. This guide walks you through opening, using, and closing an incognito tab, plus what it does and doesn’t hide.

What You’ll Need

An iPhone or iPod touch running iOS 14 or later (for the latest Chrome version)
The Google Chrome app installed and updated from the App Store

Step-by-Step

Open Chrome. Tap the Chrome icon on your home screen or in your app library.
Start a new incognito tab. Tap the tabs icon (a square with a number inside) in the top-right corner of the screen. If you don’t see it, make sure you’re on the main browsing screen, not a settings page.
Switch to incognito mode. In the tab overview, look at the bottom toolbar. You’ll see two options: New Tab and New Incognito Tab. Tap New Incognito Tab.
Confirm you’re in incognito. The new tab will have a dark theme with a message that says “You’ve gone incognito.” The address bar will also show a small icon of a hat and glasses (the incognito symbol).
Browse as usual. Type a URL or search query in the address bar and proceed with your browsing. Everything you do in this tab is not saved to your Chrome history or cookies.
Open more incognito tabs (optional). While in an incognito tab, tap the tabs icon again and then tap the + button at the top of the incognito tab list. All tabs in this view are incognito.
Close an incognito tab. Tap the tabs icon, then tap the X on the incognito tab you want to close. To close all incognito tabs at once, tap the three-dot menu (⋯) in the incognito tab list and choose Close All Incognito Tabs.
Exit incognito completely. After closing all incognito tabs, you’ll be back to the normal tab view. Tap any regular tab to resume standard browsing.

Common Mistakes

Thinking incognito makes you anonymous. Your internet service provider, employer, or the websites you visit can still see your activity. Incognito only prevents local saving on your iPhone.
Forgetting to close incognito tabs. Even though they don’t save history, leaving them open means anyone with your phone can see what you were doing by simply tapping the tabs icon.
Expecting downloads to be hidden. Files you download while in incognito mode are saved to your iPhone’s Files app or Downloads folder, and they remain there after you close the incognito tab.
Assuming bookmarks and saved passwords are private. If you bookmark a page or save a password while incognito, those are saved to your regular Chrome account and visible later.
Using incognito to bypass paywalls. Many news sites use other tracking methods that can still identify you, so the trick often doesn’t work.

Tips

Use the long-press shortcut. On the Chrome home screen, press and hold the Chrome icon, then tap New Incognito Tab from the quick actions menu. This skips the tab overview.
Switch between normal and incognito quickly. Tap the tabs icon, then tap either New Tab or New Incognito Tab to jump between modes.
Keep incognito tabs separate. Incognito tabs do not share cookies with normal tabs, so you can be logged into two different accounts on the same site simultaneously.
Use incognito for shared devices. If you’re borrowing a friend’s phone or using a public computer, incognito prevents your login details from being stored.
Know that extensions are not available. Chrome for iPhone doesn’t support extensions in incognito mode (or at all on iOS), so you can’t use ad-blockers or other tools there.

Troubleshooting

I don’t see “New Incognito Tab” in the tab overview. Make sure you’re not in a private browsing session already or in a settings page. Also, update Chrome from the App Store. If the option is missing, force-quit Chrome (swipe up from the bottom and swipe the app away) and reopen it.
Incognito mode is not available. This can happen if you have a managed device (like a work or school iPhone) where the administrator has disabled incognito. Check with your IT department. Also, some parental control or screen-time settings can block it.
My incognito tabs disappeared. iOS may automatically close incognito tabs after a period of inactivity, especially if you haven’t used Chrome in a while. This is normal behavior.
I can’t find the tabs icon. It’s the square icon with a number in the top-right corner of the Chrome window. If you’re on a page that has scrolled down, it may be hidden; scroll up to the top or tap the address bar to reveal it.
Websites still remember me. Incognito mode blocks new cookies, but if you were already logged in before you opened the incognito tab, that site may still recognize you through existing cookies in your normal tabs. Close all normal tabs or use a different browser for full separation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does incognito mode hide my browsing from my phone carrier?

No. Incognito only prevents Chrome from saving history and cookies on your device. Your internet service provider (or mobile carrier) can still see the websites you visit.

Can I take screenshots in incognito mode?

Yes, you can take screenshots normally. Chrome doesn’t block screenshots in incognito on iPhone.

Are my incognito tabs backed up to iCloud?

No. Incognito tabs are not synced or backed up to iCloud. They exist only on your device and are not restored after a restore or new device setup.

Does incognito mode stop websites from tracking me?

No. Websites can still track you through your IP address, browser fingerprint, and other methods. Incognito only prevents your device from storing the tracking cookies.

Can I use incognito mode with Siri or voice search?

Yes, you can use voice search in the address bar. However, Siri’s suggestions and shortcuts may still record your activity separately.

How do I know if I’m in incognito mode?

The tab will have a dark theme, the address bar will show the incognito icon (hat and glasses), and the tab overview will show a dark background with the incognito icon.

General steps for current mainstream versions; menus can differ by device and version. See the disclaimer or report an error.

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