Private Browsing Is a Separate Session, Not a Disguise

Before opening a private window, finish this sentence: I want to keep this activity private from… Someone sharing your browser, a website, and the owner of your device are different audiences. One browser button does not answer all three questions. AI-generated concept illustration, not a product screenshot or a record of your settings. What Chrome separates Google's Incognito documentation describes a session separate from ordinary browsing. Chrome temporarily uses cookies and site data while it is open, then discards that session data when every Incognito window is closed. Closing just one of several windows does not end the session. Chrome does not automatically sign you into your usual accounts in that window. That separation does not prevent sites from collecting information. Google explicitly warns that websites and organizations managing your network may still observe activity. Avoid translating that warning into a claim that every observer sees every page field; the documentation does not establish that. What remains on the computer Mozilla's Firefox guide distinguishes browser records from saved items. Private visits are omitted from history, but downloaded files and newly saved bookmarks remain. Google documents the same distinction for Chrome. Firefox's current guide also describes a control for clearing the private session and starting a fresh one. Use your installed browser's documented controls rather than assuming that hiding its window clears anything. Before handing over a shared computer, review what you deliberately saved. Do not promise another person that a private session leaves no files behind. Check extensions and the device separately Firefox extension permissions are a separate decision: extensions are not enabled in private windows by default, and Firefox lets you allow or deny that access for supported extensions. An extension you permit can access information according to its permissions. Private mode is not a reason to skip reviewing those permissions. Mozilla also warns that private browsing does not protect against spyware or keyloggers already on the computer. For a sensitive task, deciding whether to trust the device comes before choosing a window type. A useful check, without a privacy score Write down the specific outcome you need: separate a sign-in session, avoid adding visits to local history, or review what you saved. Then check that outcome directly. Our browser permission audit concerns supported permissions for this website. It cannot certify your private session, enumerate your extensions, or inspect the computer for monitoring software. Continue with the extension access guide or the privacy resources for a different task. Keep each result within the limits of what it actually checked.