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How to Open the Incognito and New Tabs in Chrome Android

Most web browsers support the private browsing mode or incognito mode, which technically doesn’t save any information such as browsing history, cookies, cache, etc. Google Chrome for Android offers such a feature where you can switch between the normal tab and the incognito tab for safe browsing.

Start Incognito Mode or Private Window in Chrome browser

I generally keep all the working tabs open while working on them and close them once I am done. Hence, the new tab options within Chrome are beneficial. It keeps all the tabs open and running.

One of the features available in all browsers, irrespective of mobile or desktop, is the ability to open separate tabs for browsing. These tabs make life easier and help with multitasking. In the case of a desktop, you can also open new windows instead of tabs.

Generally, one can use two types of tabs – New Tab & Incognito Tab. The primary difference between these two is privacy. The Incognito mode won’t save any information or data anywhere on the machine after closing unless you’ve downloaded something.

A week ago, my phone stopped working, and I had to attend an urgent meeting. My friend offered me his phone to attend the meeting. So, I switched to incognito mode to prevent data loss and maintain my privacy. It would also mean I didn’t have to delete anything after browsing manually.

The incognito tab is handy when you’ve borrowed someone’s else device and do not want to leave any browsing history on their device.

Open New Tab

The new tab is just a normal browsing tab with your Google account signed in. It stores the history as well as cache & cookies when you are browsing websites. You can add unlimited tabs and switch between them easily on Android phones. Here are the  steps to open a New Tab in Chrome for Android:

  1. Open the Chrome Android app.
  2. Tap on the Multitab multi tab icon for options.
  3. Tap on Plus plus add icon the command to open the new tab.
  4. You’ll be able to see two tabs and switch easily on selection.
    New Tab Icon and Switch Tabs in Chrome Android

The tabs will run until you manually close the tab using the X button OR terminate the Chrome browser from the task manager.

Incognito Browsing

Unlike the standard tab, the new Incognito tab in Chrome will not save any data in the browser.

Your browsing history, cookies & cache, etc., are temporarily stored and immediately wiped out on closing the incognito browsing session. Hence, you can’t even open recently closed tabs in Chrome Android while browsing in Incognito mode.

Follow these steps to start Incognito mode:

  1. Open Chrome for the Android app on mobile.
  2. Tap on More vertical 3dots icon the menu for options.
  3. Select New Incognito Tab from the list.
  4. If you want to add more incognito tabs, tap the Multitab icon multi tab icon.
  5. Hit the Plus plus add icon icon to add more incognito tabs in the same session.
    New Incognito Tab Chrome Android

To close the incognito tab in Chrome Android:

  1. Tap on Multitab multi tab icon while in incognito mode to list all running tabs
  2. Hit on the X button against each incognito tab
  3. The incognito tab will be closed, and all the history and browsing data will be deleted.

You can also kill the Chrome browser app from the task manager to close the incognito tab Chrome. Once you have closed the incognito tab, no trace of the data you browsed will be seen elsewhere in the history of ant.

Switch between Normal and Incognito Mode

If you tap the tab icon, you will see a list of all the existing regular and incognito tabs in Chrome. You can choose whatever you desire from the list. You can follow the given steps to switch between the tabs:

  1. Launch the Chrome Android app.
  2. Tap on the Multitab multi tab icon tabs.
    You’ll be able to see all the tabs that you have opened.
  3. Click on the Tab you want to open.
  4. Click on the Incognito icon to the right.
    You’ll be able to see the list of the incognito tabs.
  5. Select the one that you wish to open.

Chrome Android New Incognito Tab

You can also close a particular tab from the available list. In the case of the normal tabs, you can browse the same sites by visiting the history, but in the case of the Incognito tab, all the data will be erased automatically.

Video Demo

It’s easy to switch between both types by just swiping between tabs.

How to Open the Incognito Tab and New Window in Chrome Android? 😎

Bottom Line

The tabs play an essential role in multitasking and simultaneous browsing. Moreover, if you want to browse or sign in to your online account using someone else’s phone, ensure you’re using the incognito tab for safety.

As mentioned before, I used the incognito tab Chrome while I used my friend’s phone. Since it left no trace of information, including browsing history, cache, cookies, and so on, I was stress-free about my privacy and data loss. I could close the incognito tab and return the phone to her immediately.

As mentioned above, you can enable incognito mode on a Chrome computer. This works similarly to Chrome for the Android browser. Do you use incognito private browsing on your Android phone?

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Kushal Azza

Kushal is a Bachelor of Engineering and his passion for technology and gadgets has made him a digital & tech geek. He has over a decade of experience solving tech problems and creating digital solutions. Follow him on Twitter and LinkedIn.

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