Stopping Safari from remembering the websites you’ve visited Not storing any new usernames, passwords, payments cards, and other information you input into private browsing Forgetting any search engine queries you’ve run Allowing you to save money by avoiding marketing cookies that might inflate prices
However, this is pretty much all the privacy that you’ll get with Safari Private Browsing. This incognito mode won’t cloak your IP address, encrypt your internet traffic, or make you safe on public Wi-Fi. Private browsing still leaves you pretty exposed to a lot of the risks that come with connecting to the internet. For true online anonymity, you’ll need to use a VPN to change your IP address. We’re big fans of ExpressVPN, one of the fastest VPNs in the industry. In this article, we answer the question, what is Safari Private Browsing? We’ll also tell you what this handy tool can’t do to save you any embarrassment or risk to your online security.
What is Safari Private Browsing?
Private mode goes by many different names — Private Browsing, Incognito, or InPrivate — depending on the browser you’re using. The basic principle is the same: fire up a private window in your browser, and it won’t log or save any activity during the session. There’s a little more to this method of browsing than meets the eye, but we’ll go into specifics further down in this article. The point is, for a more private experience, you can use Safari’s incognito mode. You’ll be logged out of all accounts, and Safari won’t autofill user logins, passwords, or payment information. When you turn on private browsing, Safari won’t remember:
Your search engine history Webpages you’ve visited Browsing activity or history
You should, however, be aware of a major drawback of this tool on Macs: your browsing activity likely isn’t as hidden as you might think. Websites you visit can still see who you are and what you’re doing. You can read more about this in our general incognito mode article. With Macs, Private Browsing information is logged in a different place, as well: your Terminal archive.
Beware the Mac Terminal archive
On Macs, there’s something called the Terminal archive, and it’s as scary as it sounds — well, for fans of privacy at least. It’s a treasure trove for snoops. The Terminal archive contains all of the websites you visit, whether you’re using Safari Private Browsing or not. This is because your Mac stores static images and other files when you visit a website for the first time. This makes future visits to these sites and page loading much faster, as your Mac pulls the relevant files from the Terminal archive. This command-line function also lets you make systemic changes to your Mac. For most users, there’ll never be a need to make any changes in the Terminal archive, and you shouldn’t if you don’t know what you’re doing. You could end up breaking something critical in your computer’s operating system if you tinker with the Terminal.
However, it is good to know that, even when you’re using Safari’s Private Browsing mode, your online activity is logged here.
Make your Safari Private Browsing truly private
By now, you might be asking yourself: how do I clear the cache on my Mac? Well, today’s your lucky day. Below, you’ll find a brief, step-by-step guide to clearing the cache on a Mac. Just make sure not to do anything else while inside the Terminal. You may have to enter your Admin password to proceed. This is going to flush the DNS cache. Remember that you shouldn’t do anything else inside of the Terminal application unless you know what you’re doing. It only takes a short command to nuke files or entire directories in this app forever! So, tread carefully.
Why You Should Use Safari Private Browsing on Macs and iOS
We can hypothesize all we want, but you’ve probably got a good idea of why you use private browsing. According to a 2018 research study, the most common reason people use private browsing is so others that are using a shared device can’t see what they’re doing. This comes down to protecting two things from other users of your device: Fortunately, these are two things that Safari Private Mode manages to do wonderfully. Below, you can read more about what else Safari Private Browsing does for you.
Online privacy
Private Browsing can only give you so much in the way of online privacy, but it’s a great start. We’ll explain what we mean by that later, but for now, here’s how Safari Private Browsing can improve your online security:
Your browser won’t remember what websites you’ve visited. Anything you browse while you’re in private browsing mode won’t be remembered by Safari. So, if you start shopping online for gifts or a product that you find embarrassing, you won’t usually have to worry about your friends or family coming across your browsing history. Safari won’t suggest usernames, passwords, credit card numbers, and so on. You’ve probably noticed that Safari can remember usernames, passwords, credit cards, and other information when you use it for the first time. If you tell your Mac, smartphone, or tablet to remember those details, they’ll be automatically filled in the next time you visit the website. With Safari Private Mode enabled, these kinds of details won’t be stored: you won’t be prompted to save or autofill them at all. Your search engine queries won’t be remembered. If you’ve been shopping for gifts or trying to self-diagnose, you probably don’t want other users of the computer to see what you’ve searched for. Normally, you’ll see suggested searches popping up in search engines like Google. Based on your past searches and clicks, some links might be colored purple instead of blue, too. In private browsing mode, these won’t appear, nor will any new searches be stored.
How to pay less with Safari Private Browsing
There’s more to private mode options than just online security. You could also save money with Safari Private Browsing, as you won’t be quoted higher prices for products you’ve already viewed. When you visit a website, cookies (small text files) are stored on your computer by your browser. These kinds of cookies aren’t delicious or rewarding at all. Instead, they allow the site to track you and figure out that you’re interested in, for example, a particular holiday destination. This can result in you seeing higher airfares, hotel booking fees, and more. Just turn on Safari’s Private Browsing to stop cookies from being stored on your browser and avoid hiked prices.
How to Go Incognito on Safari
Safari Private Browsing is supported on more than just the Mac. You can also enable private browsing on iPhones and iPads. Below, you’ll find a step-by-step guide for turning on private browsing in Safari for both desktop and mobile Apple devices.
Safari Private Browsing on a Mac
Using Safari Private Browsing on a Mac is simple. If you’re reading this on a Mac, you can skip step one in our step-by-step guide below:
It’s that simple. Now, any new tab you open within this new private browsing window will be a private browsing tab. Give it a whirl by opening some new private tabs and navigating to a website you frequently log into. You’ll notice that your username and password aren’t suggested for autofill as they usually would be. Also, you’ll know that you’re in private browsing, as the URL bar will have a gray background rather than the usual white. Just remember to ignore or close your existing browser window if you had any open. If in doubt, check the background color of the URL bar. Finally, to turn off private browsing in Safari, simply click the red cross in the corner of the browser window as you usually would.
Safari Private Browsing on an iPhone
Using Safari’s private browsing mode on an iPhone or iPad is fairly straightforward and could increase your privacy on an iPhone. If you’re running iOS 14 or earlier, simply follow the steps below:
If you’re using Apple’s latest iPhone update, iOS 15.1.1, you’ll need to follow a slightly different (and hey, we’ll say it — more confusing) set of steps:
Again, turning off private browsing in Safari for iPhones or iPads is simple. Just press the same “Private” button that you used to enable the feature. Don’t forget, if you have multiple private tabs open, they won’t close automatically. Swipe each tab closed before you exit private mode if you want to leave no trace.
How to Set Safari Private Browsing as the Default
If you’d rather always browse privately, you can also set Safari Private Browsing as your default, so that it opens automatically whenever you open a new tab or window. Check out the step-by-step instructions below for a Mac: While you can’t automatically use Safari Private Browsing by default on mobile, there are some options for minimizing what’s remembered, stored, or recommended. Here’s how you get there: Now, you’ll have the choice to use a number of features. You can:
Disable search engine suggestions Disable Safari suggestions specifically Turn off autofill for Safari, either for personal information, payment information, or both Disable “Favorites“, which you can save in your Safari app’s home screen Turn off “Frequently Visited Sites“, which appear below your favorites
In this menu, you can also prevent cross-site tracking and block all cookies on the websites that you visit. In the event that you forget to launch Safari Private Browsing, these options should give you at least a little more privacy whenever you go online.
Is Safari Private Browsing Safe?
Whether you can consider the Private Browsing option safe, depends on your definition of “safe.” Safari Private Browsing will give you greater privacy in certain situations. However, it won’t protect you from certain other online threats. When you use Safari Private Browsing, or any private browsing mode for that matter, you’re not anonymous online. Your browsing activity will still be visible to anybody with access, like your employer, school, ISP (Internet Service Provider), or even hackers. That last risk is surprisingly common on public Wi-Fi networks too. Bear in mind that private browsing doesn’t protect you against malware (malicious software) either, nor does it protect your payment information or other personal details. For true online anonymity and to improve your online security, you should give serious thought to using a VPN (Virtual Private Network).
How to use a VPN with Safari Private Browsing
Using a VPN along with Safari Private Browsing should give you the online security you’re looking for. In addition to avoiding any logged browsing history or search history, you’ll be much harder to track and enjoy greater online anonymity. You can check out the many advantages of a VPN for more information. Want to get started right away? The following steps will only take a few minutes of your time:
Conclusion
Safari Private Browsing is perfect for hiding those Christmas or birthday purchases from your family before the big day. It’s also a great way to save money on flights, hotels, or other purchases. However, it won’t do much for your online security. If you want truly private browsing, then use a VPN along with Safari private mode. Interested in exploring other private browsers? Check out these articles below:
How Anonymous Is DuckDuckGo? Is Vivaldi Browser Safe? How to Set Up Firefox as an Anonymous Browser
To turn on Private Browsing in Safari for iPhone or iPad, the process is much the same: Check out our full article for more information on Safari Private Browsing. For true anonymity, you’ll want to use a VPN. With a VPN connection, all of your internet traffic is encrypted, which gives you far better anonymity and privacy than using private browsing on its own.
