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How to force your web browser to start in private browsing mode
Just about every major browser now includes a private browsing (yes, yes..."Porn") mode. What you might not have known is that you can force your browser to go straight into private browsing mode when you launch it. It's as easy as adding a simple command line switch.
Not sure how to add a command line switch? It's simple.
On Windows, just find the shortcut for your browser and right-click it. When the properties window appears, click the shortcut tab (shown above). The target box currently shows the command to run your browser -- to add a switch, click after the .exe and type [space] and then your switch text.
Linux and Mac users may find terminal is the easiest method. On my Ubuntu system, for example, I can execute /opt/google/chrome/google-chrome -incognito. Now, on to the browsers!
Google Chrome
To launch Chrome in Incognito mode, add the command line switch --incognito. (Note: that's a double dash/hyphen.)
This should work with Chromium, as well as with spin-offs like SRWare Iron, Comodo Dragon, and ChromePlus.
To force Firefox to open in private browsing mode, add the command line switch -private.
Firefox doesn't notify you that you're using private browsing mode. To ensure the switch was added correctly and you are, in fact, in private browsing mode go to the Firefox tools menu and see if stop private browsing is displayed near the bottom.
As with Firefox, add the command line switch -private to launch IE8 in InPrivate mode.
If you've added the -private switch correctly, IE8 will open with the InPrivate toolbar image, page title, and information tab displayed.
Since Opera has per-tab private browsing (unlike the others), adding the -newprivatetab switch will load both a blank, private tab and whatever your startup preference is set to (last tabs, speed dial, etc.) in standard browsing mode.
If you added it correctly, you'll see the private browsing icon, info screen, and your active tab will be titled Private Tab.
Comments
5
Subscribe to commentsDrew GreenMay 4th 2010 11:37AM
I need to make a scheduled task to have my IE icon be set to launch in private browsing mode after a certain time at night and change back at another time. IE seems to get better Flash performance for me than FF, so it's used at night to watch *certain* videos. :P
sodapopMay 4th 2010 11:58AM
Private browsing has nothing to do with Facebook information collecting since one has to log in to Facebook ie tell them who you are.
I got here from your post *on Facebook* which says "Sadly this won't stop Facebook from accruing a vast wealth of information about you..." Really, if Facebook is so horrible why are you using it?
RichMay 4th 2010 4:10PM
This doesn't work on any of my browsers in Windoze (go figure).
I have placed the space after the .exe in the target field. I've then entered the appropriate switch command. Windows provides an error in every instance that states that the target is not valid.
Lee MathewsMay 4th 2010 4:13PM
Try putting the whole first part of the target inside quotes:
"C:\..................chrome.exe" --incognito
for example
Sin AdamMay 5th 2010 10:15AM
Still don't get how to do this on Mac. I'm no good with Terminal. Tried to go to the .app file but it wouldn't work.