Invoke Private Browsing<\/h3>\n
The hardest part of invoking private browsing is merely remembering to do so. In Safari, Firefox, and Brave, simply choose File > New Private Window to get a new browser window with private browsing enabled. Slightly different are Google Chrome, where you choose File > New Incognito Window, and Microsoft Edge, where the command is File > New InPrivate Window.<\/p>\n
In all cases, the browser alerts you that you\u2019ve enabled private browsing, are in a private window, or have gone incognito. Safari is the most subtle (top left, below), whereas Firefox (bottom left, below), and Chrome (right, below) make it painfully obvious and provide links to additional information about precisely what is protected and what\u2019s not.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/macworks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/stop-snoops-with-private-browsing-and-by-clearing-your-web-browsing-history.png\"){kind=spacer}
<\/p>\n
Additional tabs you create in that private browsing window are also private, so you don\u2019t have to keep making new windows as you browse, although there\u2019s no problem with opening multiple private windows at once. The main annoyance of using private browsing is that websites won\u2019t recognize you or know you\u2019re logged in.<\/p>\n
To leave private browsing, simply close that window.<\/p>\n
Clear Browsing History<\/h3>\n
How you clear browsing history varies by browser. Although they all let you choose how far back to go, only some give you choices about what type of data to clear.<\/p>\n
- \n
- Safari:<\/b> In Safari, choose History > Clear History. A pop-up menu lets you clear your history from the last hour, today, today and yesterday, or all time. Happily, Safari also clears your history from other devices signed into your iCloud account.
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/macworks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/stop-snoops-with-private-browsing-and-by-clearing-your-web-browsing-history-1.png\")
<\/li>\n- Firefox:<\/b> In Firefox, choose History > Clear Recent History and select the information to remove. You can clear data from the last hour, two hours, four hours, within the last day, or everything.
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/macworks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/stop-snoops-with-private-browsing-and-by-clearing-your-web-browsing-history-2.png\")
<\/li>\n- Google Chrome:<\/b> With Chrome, choose Chrome > Clear Browsing Data. You can switch between two modes: Basic and Advanced, the latter of which gives you more control over exactly what you\u2019re removing. Chrome provides the most flexible time periods from which to remove data: the last hour, the last 24 hours, the last 7 days, the 4 weeks, or all time.
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/macworks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/stop-snoops-with-private-browsing-and-by-clearing-your-web-browsing-history-3.png\")
<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nThe history clearing interfaces in Brave and Microsoft Edge are similar to Chrome since those browsers are based on the same underpinnings. However, both add an On Exit mode that removes the specified types of data every time you quit. Firefox also offers the option to clear cookies and site data every time you quit, but remember that doing so will sign you out of all websites.<\/p>\n
In the end, don\u2019t get too caught up in a Spy vs. Spy scenario with your browsing history. There\u2019s nothing wrong with keeping your birthday present research private or working to avoid an embarrassing situation with a search suggestion, but it\u2019s better to have and build trusting relationships than to worry constantly about someone discovering what you\u2019re doing.<\/p>\n
(Featured image by Robinraj Premchand<\/a> from Pixabay<\/a>)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
With so many of us working at home these days, it\u2019s worth remembering that spouses, children, and housemates may have easy physical access to your Mac. And, particularly if you share a Mac with them, you might want to consider how you protect your browsing privacy. Even if you wouldn\u2019t be embarrassed if your spouse […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":7646,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[69,25,112],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7645","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-apple-consulting-ct","category-mac","category-mac-support-ct"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.macworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7645","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.macworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.macworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.macworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.macworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7645"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.macworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7645\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7653,"href":"https:\/\/www.macworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7645\/revisions\/7653"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.macworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7646"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.macworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7645"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.macworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7645"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.macworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7645"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
- Firefox:<\/b> In Firefox, choose History > Clear Recent History and select the information to remove. You can clear data from the last hour, two hours, four hours, within the last day, or everything.