How to always open Google Chrome in Incognito mode on Windows 10

Yes, you can configure Google Chrome to always launch in Incognito mode to prevent the browser from tracking your activities, and here's how to do it.

Chrome always in Incognito
Chrome always in Incognito

Google Chrome keeps track of every move you make on the web. If you want to stop this behavior, you can always start the browser in Incognito mode. In this guide, you will learn how.

On Chrome, Incognito mode is a feature that loads the browser with a specific set of settings that do not track your activities, including browsing history, site data, and cookies, and it does not save any information you enter in forms.

However, it is worth noting that this feature does not prevent websites, your organization, internet provider, and other third-party entities from tracking your activities.

In this guide, you will learn the steps to configure Chrome to always open in Incognito mode on Windows 10.

Always launch Chrome in Incognito mode on Windows 10

The easiest way to configure Google Chrome to start in private mode is to add the command flag option to the app button in the taskbar. If you do not have the browser already pinned to the taskbar, locate the app the Start menu, right-click it, and select the “Pin to taskbar” option, and then you can continue with the steps.

To configure Chrome to always open in Incognito, use these steps:

  1. Right-click the Google Chrome icon in the taskbar.

  2. Right-click the Google Chrome item in the jump list.

  3. Select the Properties option.

    Google Chrome icon properties option
    Context menu
  4. Click the Shortcut tab.

  5. In the “Target” field, append the following command at the of the line followed by an space:

    -incognito
    Google Chrome always in incognito command
    Shortcut target command

    The command should look like this:

    "C:\Program Files\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe" -incognito
  6. Click the Apply button.

  7. Click the OK button.

Once you complete the steps, the browser will always open in Incognito mode. However, since you edited the taskbar button, only when using the pinned button, the browser will open in private mode. If you open the app from the Start menu, for example, Chrome will continue to open in regular mode.

Disable Chrome Incognito mode on Windows 10

To prevent Chrome from always starting in Incognito mode, use these steps:

  1. Right-click the Google Chrome icon in the taskbar.

  2. Right-click the Google Chrome item in the jump list.

  3. Select the Properties option.

    Google Chrome icon properties option
    Context menu
  4. Click the Shortcut tab.

  5. In the “Target” field, remove the following part of the command:

    -incognito

    Google Chrome always in incognito command
    Shortcut target command
  6. Click the Apply button.

  7. Click the OK button.

After you complete the steps, Chrome will once again start in normal mode.

Create new Chrome profile on Windows 10

Alternatively, you could also create a new profile and set it to always open in Incognito mode instead of modifying the main profile. The advantage of doing this is to keep things even more separate. You can have a different set of bookmarks. You can configure other browser settings. And you can pin the app to the taskbar for quicker access to the browser in private mode.

To create a new profile in Google Chrome, use these steps:

  1. Open Google Chrome.

  2. Click the profile menu from the top-right corner.

  3. Under the Other people section, click the Add option.

    Chrome profile menu
    Profile menu
  4. Confirm a name for the profile – for example, Private.

    Google Chrome create new profile
    Create profile
  5. Select a color theme – for example, Black.

  6. Click the Done button.

Once you complete the steps, you can use the previous steps to configure the new profile to always open Chrome in Incognito mode.

About the author

Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 14 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 20 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me.