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Always Open Chrome in Safe or Incognito Browsing Mode

Want to always start Google Chrome in safe or incognito browsing mode? Learn how to activate secure or private browsing.

Google Chrome browser allows us to launch the browser window in Safe mode or Incognito mode without leaving any browsing traces or conflicting the installed plugins.

The Incognito or Safe mode is available under the menu options list. It can be easily invoked using the keyboard shortcut.

We can also create the Chrome Incognito mode desktop shortcut to launch the browsing directly in safe mode.

In this guide, we have shared the steps to open Chrome browser in safe mode. You can create a Chrome shortcut to always open incognito browsing.

Starting Safe or Incognito Mode in Chrome browser

The built-in incognito mode allows the browser to be launched without third-party extensions.

  1. Launch the Google Chrome on your computer.
  2. Click on the More vertical 3-dots icon menu for the list.
  3. Select the New Incognito Window option.
    New Incognito Window menu in the Chrome browser on computerIt will start a new incognito window in the browser.

Incognito mode will disable all your extensions and tracking scripts without storing your browsing data or history.

Launching Chrome in Safe Mode using Keyboard Shortcut

The first method calls for three instruction steps. However, you could also trim it to just a single set of handy keyboard shortcuts.

All you need to do is launch the browser and hit the Ctrl + Shift + N shortcut keys.

Switch to Incognito Private browsing mode in Chrome

Always Open in Chrome in Incognito Mode

You might have noticed that to carry out any of the above two methods, you would first have to launch Chrome in normal mode and then perform a switch to the Incognito tab. This unnecessarily requires an extra set of effort.

What if you could directly launch Chrome in Safe Mode?

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Note: the following method will only work on Windows OS computers.
  1. Head over to the Chrome shortcut icon through which you access the browser.
  2. Right-click for the context menu and select Properties.
  3. Go to its Shortcut section and check out its Target field. It should spell something along the lines of:
    "C:\Program Files (x86)\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe"

    Chrome Properties window in Windows OS PC

  4. Append a space followed by -incognito keyword after the double quotes. So the Target would then modify to:
    "C:\Program Files (x86)\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe" -incognito

    Always open Chrome in Incognito Mode in Windows OS

  5. Hit on Apply followed by OK.

From now on, it will always launch in Safe Mode whenever you launch Chrome via this shortcut. However, if you wish to revert this change at any point, remove the -incognito word from the end of the Target field.

Bottom Line

So, these were the three different methods to open the Chrome browser in Safe Mode or Incognito mode. While these add-ons no doubt add more features to the browser, they aren’t bereft of issues.

In this regard, manually disabling each installed add-on might take ages. This is where the Safe Mode functionality would come in handy. Add to it that it also provides a secure browsing experience, and we couldn’t have asked for more.

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Kushal Azza

Kushal Azza

Kushal Azza is a Google Certified IT Professional, Digital Content Creator, and Go-To Digital Marketer with Engineering Degree. He has over a decade of experience solving tech problems, troubleshooting, and innovating digital solutions. Follow him on Twitter and LinkedIn.

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