How to open Microsoft Edge always InPrivate mode on Windows 11

Microsoft Edge lets you set the InPrivate mode as the default experience when launching the browser, and here's how to enable the option.

Windows 11 Edge always InPrivate
Windows 11 Edge always InPrivate

On Windows 11, you can configure Microsoft Edge always to start InPrivate mode to improve your online privacy, and in this guide, we will outline the steps to complete this task. InPrivate mode is a feature that prevents the Chromium version of Microsoft Edge from saving your browsing history, cookies, and site data, as well as passwords, addresses, and form data during a session.

When closing an InPrivate session, Microsoft Edge deletes all your browsing information of that session. Therefore, helping to reduce the amount of data that websites can track about your online activities. It is also a great feature to prevent other people from snooping into your information on a shared device.

Although starting a new InPrivate session is pretty simple, if you are setting up a shared device or do not want to save any browsing data, you can set InPrivate as the default option when opening Microsoft Edge.

This guide will teach you the steps to configure the Chromium version of Microsoft Edge to start InPrivate mode on Windows 11.

Open Microsoft Edge InPrivate by default on Windows 11

To start Edge InPrivate mode by default on Windows 11, use these steps:

  1. Right-click the Microsoft Edge icon in the Taskbar.

  2. Right-click the Microsoft Edge item in the list and select the Properties option.

    Microsoft Edge Taskbar context menu

  3. In the “Target” setting, append the -inprivate option at the end of the line. It should look like this:

    "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft\Edge\Application\msedge.exe" --profile-directory=Default -inprivate

    Edge InPrivate configuration

  4. Click the Apply button.

  5. Click the OK button.

Once you complete the steps, a new InPrivate session will open every time you launch Microsoft Edge using the taskbar icon.

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 15 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 21 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. Email him at [email protected].