{"id":14836,"date":"2023-11-22T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-11-22T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businessyield.com\/tech\/?p=14836"},"modified":"2023-11-22T14:06:29","modified_gmt":"2023-11-22T14:06:29","slug":"how-to-delete-incognito-history-easy-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businessyield.com\/tech\/how-to\/how-to-delete-incognito-history-easy-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Delete Incognito History: Easy Guide","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Do you know you’re supposed to monitor and delete your incognito browsing history? Yes! Most people use the incognito browsing mode when they want to keep their browsing history private, but it’s not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When using incognito mode in your web browser, you may think that your activities are completely anonymous and untraceable. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Your Internet Service Provider (ISP) and other third-party entities may still be able to track your online activity, even during private browsing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, if you share your device with others, they can find out what you visited in incognito mode.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Understanding incognito mode<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Incognito mode, also known as private browsing or in-private mode, prevents your device from saving your browsing history. Incognito mode also doesn\u2019t save temporary data \u2014 such as cookies or website login info. This helps keep your activity hidden from anyone who uses your device later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To view your incognito browsing history, you can use tools like the DNS cache or third-party software to recover your private browsing data. While there\u2019s no straightforward way to see the sites you visited incognito \u2014 like viewing your history in your browser \u2014 the DNS cache is a good place to start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s how to check your incognito history:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

View incognito history via DNS cache<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re using a Windows device, you can see your incognito history in your DNS cache, even after your browsing session ends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Domain Name System (DNS) matches a website\u2019s URL, or web address, with its IP address. When you type a URL into your\u00a0web browser, a DNS server\u00a0finds the IP address\u00a0of that website so you can visit it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This information is recorded in the DNS cache \u2014 even when you\u2019re surfing incognito. The DNS cache helps\u00a0speed up your browsing\u00a0by ensuring your browser doesn\u2019t have to check the DNS server every time you revisit a site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you need to recover or clear your incognito history \u2014 or\u00a0delete your browsing history entirely \u2014 you can do it via the DNS cache on a Windows device.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s how to check your browsing history via the DNS cache:
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. Type\u00a0cmd\u00a0<\/strong>in the\u00a0Start menu<\/strong>\u00a0search bar to open Command Prompt. Then click\u00a0Run as administrator<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Enter the commandipconfig\/displaydns<\/strong>\u00a0and hit\u00a0Enter<\/strong>. You\u2019ll see your detailed DNS cache history.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Checking incognito history via DNS cache works only on Windows devices<\/strong>. Other operating systems like macOS or mobile devices may not offer such an easy way to see incognito history in the DNS cache.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    View incognito history on Mac<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    It might be counterintuitive, but when you open a new incognito tab, history from that tab is still being recorded somewhere. It\u2019s useful to know how to do an incognito history check. Here\u2019s how to check your incognito history on Mac:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    1. Open\u00a0Go<\/strong>\u00a0>\u00a0Applications\u00a0<\/strong>and click\u00a0Utilities<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    2. Double-click\u00a0Console<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    3. Select your device and enter\u00a0any:mdnsresponder<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0in\u00a0search<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    4. Click the\u00a0Start\u00a0<\/strong>button in the toolbar.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    5. In\u00a0Utilities<\/strong>, click\u00a0Terminal<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    6. Enter the following command:\u00a0sudo killall -INFO mDNSResponder<\/em>\u00a0and press enter. Give your password when prompted.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    7. Go back to Console<\/strong>. Your incognito history is shown.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      View incognito history with Chrome extensions<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      Your web explorer generates and stores all sorts of data, data which might be good to erase every so often. Here\u2019s how to find incognito history with the help of an extension in Google Chrome:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \n
      1. Open\u00a0Off The Record History<\/a>, then click\u00a0Add to Chrome<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      2. Confirm the installation by clicking\u00a0Add extension\u00a0<\/strong>in the pop-up.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      3. Now you have to activate the extension. Enter\u00a0chrome:\/\/extensions\/<\/em><\/strong>in the URL bar, and click\u00a0Details\u00a0<\/strong>under the Off The Record History extension.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      4. Scroll down to\u00a0Allow in Incognito\u00a0<\/strong>and toggle it\u00a0on<\/strong>. You\u2019ll now record history even in incognito mode.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

        This extension deletes incognito history automatically after seven days. You can also delete incognito history in Chrome manually by going to the settings for the extension.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        How to see incognito history on an Android device<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

        You can\u2019t view your DNS cache, but you can use third-party apps to see incognito history on Android devices. Many popular\u00a0parental control apps, such as Hoverwatch, Famisafe, and KidsGuard Pro track incognito browsing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        While you can see the incognito history using these apps, you can\u2019t delete it. And you can\u2019t check the history retrospectively. You can use the app to track future incognito sessions only.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Moreover, parental control apps often track more information than you may like, so use them at your own risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        How to see incognito history on an iPhone<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

        If your smartphone runs iOS 11 or later, the only way to see your incognito history is to use third-party apps to track it in advance. Like with Android, popular parental control apps, such as ClevGuard, Hoverwatch, and FoneWatcher enable such tracking, but be careful and use them at your own risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        If your iPhone or iPad has an older version of iOS, open Settings > Safari > Advanced > Website data to see your private browsing history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        How is your browsing history saved in incognito mode?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

        When you browse the internet in incognito mode, the browser doesn’t save your web queries and the websites you visit. Your browsing history, cookies, or other site data are not saved during private browsing. However, just using the\u00a0incognito mode doesn’t guarantee private browsing. Your browser is not the only place where your data is stored.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Your ISP collects and stores data about your online activities, including which websites you visit\u2014yes, when private browsing too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Furthermore, some websites may track the IP address of the device used to access their site. Even if your history is not saved to your browser, it can still be stored by other services and websites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Other than that, if you use private browsing, your device records your browsing session in its Domain Name System (DNS) cache. Here’s how:<\/p>\n\n\n\n