Private Browsing
Private Browsing
A browser feature that lets you view websites without saving data like browsing history or cookies.
In Simple Terms
Private browsing is a feature that stops your browser from saving the history of websites you've viewed and the words you've searched for. When you use it, no traces of your internet activity are left on your computer or smartphone. For example, it's used when you're secretly looking for a present on a shared family computer, or when you borrow someone else's device and sign in to your own account temporarily.
Behind the Name
The Japanese name for this feature, "Secret Mode," combines "Secret" with "Mode." Safari and several other browsers call the same feature "Private Browsing." Just as the name suggests, it lets you use the internet without leaving traces like browsing history on your own computer or smartphone.
Take a Closer Look!
Private browsing is a web browser feature that keeps data such as your browsing history and the passwords you enter from being saved on your device.
Simply put, it's a way to erase the traces of your internet activity from that browser.
Normally, a browser saves images from sites you've visited so pages load faster the next time you visit, and stores your login details so you can sign in automatically later.
In a private browsing window, however, all of that information is automatically deleted the moment you close the window.
So even if someone else uses the same computer, they won't find out which sites you visited or what you searched for, and they won't be signed in to your accounts automatically.
One thing to be careful about, though: your access is still visible to the other end of the connection.
Network administrators at your school or workplace, and the websites you use, may keep records of who accessed them.
This feature only keeps history off your own smartphone or computer — it doesn't hide your presence on the internet completely.