How to Disable Incognito Mode

Incognito Mode or Private Browsing modes are designed to protect user privacy to avoid any tracking. Today, over 20% of the users are relying on the Incognito Mode for their usage. However, there are certain fields such as Schools, Universities, or Businesses where disabling Incognito Mode becomes a necessity for better transparency and enforcing proper usage policy.

This guide aims to provide detailed methods for disabling incognito mode on popular browsers along with tips and troubleshooting pointers that will enhance your productivity.

Note: This article tends to provide guidance for the below niche category of users:

• Parental Control
• Educators
• Business Owners
• IT admin
• and for some General Users as well.

If you want to disable Incognito Mode on Windows 7, 8, 10 or 11, macOS, or even Android and iOS devices, follow the detailed steps below.

Disable Incognito Mode in Chrome on Windows

Let us see step-by-step guidance on how to disable Incognito mode on Chrome, follow these steps:

Step 1: Open Command Prompt

Go to Start and type "CMD" or "Command Prompt" or use Win + R to open "Run" and type "CMD" or "Command Prompt"

Note: Open CMD as ADMIN to perform the further action.

Step 2: Run Command to Delete Incognito Mode

Now, once you open the command prompt, type the following command:

REG ADD HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Chrome /v IncognitoModeAvailability /t REG_DWORD /d 1

Note: Once you execute the command, restart Google Chrome and you'll notice that you've successfully deleted incognito mode.

Alternative Method - Disable Incognito Mode in Chrome on Windows

• Open Group Policy Editor - (Press Win + R & type "gpedit.msc, hit the enter button
• Navigate to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Google > Google Chrome.
• Find and double-click on “Incognito Mode Availability”. Set it to Enabled and select "Incognito mode disabled".
• Click OK and restart for changes to take effect.

Turn Off Incognito Mode in Chrome on MacOS

Let us see step-by-step guidance on how to disable Incognito mode on Chrome, follow these steps:

Step 1: Open Terminal

Go to Applications >Utilities > Terminal or use Spotlight Search on the top of the Menu bar and type "Terminal" and press Enter.

Note: There are different methods to open Terminal in MacOS, so you can perform it as per your preference.

Step 2: Run Command to Block Incognito Mode

Now type the following command to delete incognito mode from your MacOS:

defaults write  com.google.chrome IncognitoModeAvalability -integer 1

Note: Once you execute the command, restart Google Chrome and you'll notice that you've successfully deleted incognito mode.

Disable Incognito Mode in Chrome on Android

Android Phones do not have any built-in feature to remove incognito mode because it is designed in such a way that it offers privacy and control to users.

However, you can choose to disable or lock your Incognito Mode by following these steps:

Step 1: Open Google Chrome and Navigate to Incognito Mode

• Open App Drawer (App page) in your Android Device
• Click and open Google Chrome and click on "Settings"
• Click on Privacy & Settings.

Step 2: Click to Lock Incognito Mode on Chrome

• Scroll down to see an option "Lock Incognito Tabs when you close Chrome".
• Once you find it, turn it on.

Step 3: Lock Incognito Mode of Chrome & Exit

• Once you turn it on, it will ask for your device password. So,
• Enter the password manually and click OK to save.

For Samsung Device:

• Enable Samsung Kids Mode (from Quick Settings)
• Navigate to Settings > Digital Wellbeing > Parental Controls

How to Turn Off Incognito Mode on iPhone

You can enable authentication to block Google Chrome from usage on your iOS device. Here's how you can turn off the incognito mode on iPhone:

Step 1: Open Incognito Mode and click on Settings

• Open AppStore and download Google Chrome (if not installed)
• Check for additional options on the bottom screen of the Chrome
• Click on Incognito Mode > Settings.

Step 2: Click on Privacy and Settings

• Once you enter Settings, Go to Privacy and Settings.
• You'll now see a list of options.

Step 3: Click to Lock Incognito Mode

• Now, scroll down to see an option "Lock Incognito Tabs when you close Chrome".
• Toggle to turn it ON.

Step 4: Click to Lock Incognito Mode on iPhone

• It will now ask for your Device's password to reconfirm
• Enter your device password to enable and close the tab.

Step 5: Enter Password to Unlock Incognito Mode

Now, from next time, whenever you will try to enter the Incognito Mode, it will ask for the device password. By doing this you can disable usage of incognito mode in your iOS device.

Key TakeAway

You can prevent unauthorized usage of Incognito Mode in Google Chrome on iPhone or Android and Windows/MacOS at certain level but you can cannot choose to block it. By following the above methods, whether editing te Windows Registry , using Group Policy, or applying enterprise policies in Firefox- you can block Incognito Mode across all devices.

Advanced Methods

• Block Incognito Mode Network-Wide
  • OpenDNS Home: Set up DNS filtering to block Incognito Mode
  • Router Settings: Blacklist chrome://flags/#incognito & about:privatebrowsing
• Deploy registry edits across Company Network devices
• Use MDM (Mobile Device Management) - Jamf or Microsoft Intune

Conclusion

Whether you're a parent shielding kids from watching explicit content or an employer enforcing company policies, these methods to disable Incognito Mode among various devices works like a charm. This ensures maximum security, combine browser restrictions as well.