Using incognito mode is one of the most common techniques people use to hide what they are searching for on the internet. This helps users to stay private and browse the web without being tracked by websites.
When you use an incognito mode, The browser you are using does not save any data related to user browsing history, including cookies, form data and other site data. One of the limitations of incognito mode is that leaving the incognito tab open on your device can allow anyone with access to your device to view it. This includes all your active incognito tabs and viewing all your browsing activity.
This can be a serious concern for many people who value their privacy, especially when they are in a public or shared space. To prevent this, you can lock your incognito tabs using a passcode or biometric authentication. In this guide, we are going to share 3 simple methods to lock your incognito tabs and prevent others from accessing your private internet browsing data.
Table of Contents
How to Lock Incognito Tabs on Google Chrome
Lock Using Google’s Chrome Built-In Lock Feature
Google recently rolled out a new update for Google Chrome that lets anyone lock incognito tabs using biometric authentication. This feature is already available on iOS and has recently been made available for all Android devices.
To use this feature, you need to enable and lock the Incognito feature in the Google Chrome settings. Once you enable this feature, whenever you switch to other apps from Google Chrome’s active incognito tab, the active incognito tabs on Google Chrome will be locked automatically.
When you return to the Google Chrome browser, the app asks you to unlock the incognito tab or see other tabs. You can unlock the incognito tab using your biometric authentication or using FaceID if you are on an Apple device.
As of now, the incognito lock feature is only available on Google Chrome mobile version. If you are using other browsing and looking to lock your incognito tabs, you can use the app lock feature on your smartphone. To enable incognito lock on Google Chrome:
- Open the Google Chrome browser on your smartphone. Make sure that you are using the latest version of Google Chrome. You can update Google Chrome from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store.
- Now open Google Chrome, click on the three-dot menu at the top, and click on the settings
- Now scroll down and click on the Privacy and Security settings
- Now enable Lock incognito tabs when you leave the Chrome feature.
- If you don’t find this feature, Open a new tab and enter this address
chrome://flags/#incognito-reauthentication-for-android
- A flag called ‘Enable device reauthentication for Incognito’ will be highlighted. Tap on the drop-down menu and click on enable.
- Now click on the relaunch button from the prompt.
- After following the same steps as we discussed earlier, this time you should see the option.
Lock Your Browser Using the Built-In App Lock Feature on Your Smartphone
Most Android smartphones now come with built-in app lock features. This allows users to clock specific apps with a passcode or biometric authentication. This can be a useful way to protect your privacy, including your incognito browsing activity. Different smartphones need different procedures to use the app lock feature. Here is the most common method that can be used on all smartphones.
Android:
- Open the settings on your smartphone
- Using the search bar, search for the App lock feature
- If the app lock is already enabled, Enter the app lock password to open the settings of the app lock
- Now, Search for Google Chrome and enable app-locked
- If prompted, enter the app lock password again
- You are all set; This locks the entire Google Chrome app. You need to enter the password every time you open the Google Chrome app on your smartphone.
iOS:
Unlike Android, iOS doesn’t come with a native app-locking feature. Instead, you can use the App limit feature to lock your app on your iPhone. This is not as effective compared to the native app locking feature on Android. “It’s 2024, Apple, please include the app locking feature.”
- Open the settings on your iPhone.
- Look for Screen Time and tap on App Limits.
- Now click on add limit, enter your password if prompted, and select Google Chrome.
- Now in the next screen, select 0 hours and 1 min as the time and enable Block at End of Limit toggle.
- Tap on the Add button in the top right corner to finish the setup.
Once the app usage time reaches 1 minute, the app will automatically be blocked and ask you to enter the passcode to open the app.
Related Read: How to Always Launch any Web Browser in Incognito Mode
Use Third-Party Apps to Lock Your Browser
If your smartphone doesn’t come with a built-in app lock feature, you can use a third-party application. There are plenty of third-party apps available on the Google Play Store and app store to lock your apps on your smartphone. These apps allow users to set a passcode, pattern, or biometric authentication.
Some of these apps also include additional features like the ability to take a picture of anyone who tries to access the locked app. For the sake of this blog post, I Am using Norton app lock as it is free to use and can lock apps using fingerprint, PIN, and pattern.
For Android:
- Install the Norton App lock app on your smartphone. For Android, you can install it from the Google Play Store.
- Open the app and give the necessary permission to the app by following the on-screen instructions.
- After setting up the permissions, Enter the pattern and confirm it
- On the confirmation page, click on choose Google Account and Choose the Google account you want for password recovery
- After setting up, click on continue, Now, from the home screen, select the app you want to lock.
- In our case, we are looking to lock Google Chrome incognito tabs, Find Google Chrome, and enable the lock feature.
- You are all set. The app lock will be automatically applied to your Google Chrome, and every time you are required to open the app, You can enter your password pattern or use your fingerprint to unlock the app.
For iOS:
Unfortunately, the Norton app is not available for iOS. In fact, there is no reliable app that can be instantly recommended for locking apps on iOS. Sorry, iOS users, you can blame Apple for this.
Related Read: How to Go Incognito on iPhone, iPad, and Mac
How to Lock Incognito Tabs on the Desktop
You can also lock incognito tabs when you are on the desktop too. Unfortunately, unlike mobile, we have only limited options.
Lock Using Extensions
If you are using Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, or any browser that supports extensions, you can use the LockPW extension to lock your incognito mode sessions on your desktop. If you are wondering about the Built-in incognito feature on Chrome, it is available for smartphones as of now.
- Open the Google Chrome browser on your PC and install LOCK PW, the Chrome extension.
- Add it to your list of extensions. Now, you will automatically be redirected to the settings page.
- Now, first, on the right side, you will see three text boxes saying password and hint. Now, enter the password and enter the hint to confirm. You need to enter this password every time you want to unlock Google Chrom on your PC
- You can also make other changes like setting a number of failed login attempts, full-screen mode, Minimise Windows, and more. Based on your needs and preferences, you can set them all.
- After the changes, Click on save. Remember the password and the hint.
- You will see a prompt saying, “The password protection is turned on!” on the top. Now you are all set.
- To turn it off, Click on the extension, tap on the options, and click on the start button to stop the protections.
Lock Your Browser on Windows
If you are on Windows, similar to Android, you can lock apps on your Windows, too. While Windows offered a built-in app lock feature, it was limited in so many ways. So we recommend using Lockbox, a simple and easy-to-use app to lock apps on your windows.
Windows:
- Install MyLock Box software on your Windows laptop. You can directly download it from their official website.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation process. It is easy and simple.
- Open the MyLock Box on your PC. Now, set up the password that is used to lock the apps on your PC. Now, enter the password hint and your email address for data recovery in case you forgot your password, and click on OK.
- Now, you will be asked to select the folder you want to protect. In this case, we are going to protect Google Chrome. Click on the browse option. This will open the Windows file explorer. Navigate to the folder name containing Google and click on OK.
- Confirm the path and click on the OK to lock Google Chrome app on your Windows PC.
- To unlock Google Chrome, open the MyLock app on your windows, enter the password, and you will see the list of locked folders. Now select Google Chrome and launch it.
- Now lock to again click on Enable Protection to lock Google Chrome again. Remember to enable this protection each time to lock it again after unlocking.
Mac:
Similar to Windows, you need to install an external app on the MacOs to password-protect Google Chrome. To do this.
- Open the app store on your Mac, search for the App Locker app, and install the app.
- When you open the app, you will see a pop-up asking you to set a password. Click on the Setup My Password button, enter your password, and confirm your password.
- Now click on the red close button to exit the app.
- Now, go to the menu bar and click on the AppLocker icon. You will be prompted to enter the password. Enter the password and click on Enter.
- Now, from the home screen, click on the plus icon in the top right corner and add Google Chrome.
- Now, Google Chrome will be locked automatically.
- To remove Google Chrome, open the AppLocker app, and from the home screen, click on the “x” icon next to Google Chrome to Remove protection.
Keep Your Incognito Tabs Safe and Secure
Incognito mode is a great way to stay private, especially when you want to search for it. Due to the limitations of incognito mode, anyone with access to your smartphone can easily view all your incognito activity. To address this issue, Google recently added an incognito lock feature, which solved it. Additionally, locking incognito tabs can help prevent accidentally closing them; however, this feature is limited to Android only. So, we shared different methods to lock incognito modes on Google Chrome.
Hope you find these methods helpful. If you have any suggestions, you can suggest them in the comments below. For more helpful guides, click the links below.
FAQs on Locking Incognito Tabs
1. What is the incognito mode?
Incognito mode is a feature available in most web browsers, including Google Chrome. When you browse the internet using incognito mode, your browser will not save your browsing history, cookies, or other information about the websites you visit.
2. Can I lock incognito tabs without using browser extensions or software?
On Mobile, you can lock incognito tabs without using a browser extension or any software. But when it comes to desktop there is no such option as incognito lock mode is only available on the mobile version of Google Chrome as of now (March 2023).
3. How can I tell if my incognito tabs are locked?
There is no direct method to say your incognito tabs are locked unless you open the app and see it for yourself.
4. Will locking incognito tabs affect my browsing experience?
Yes. In some way, for good. You need to go through an extra step to access incognito tabs on your device. As we mentioned throughout this article it can be the best tradeoff if you are looking to protect your Incognito tabs from others.
5. Can I unlock locked incognito tabs?
Simply use the passcode, biometric authentication or FaceId to unlock incognito tabs on your smartphone.
