How to See Incognito History: The Complete Guide for All Devices
The incognito mode was first introduced by Google Chrome in 2008. It offers a way to browse without storing history, cookies, or site data on your device.
Although incognito has its advantages for those who require it to protect their privacy, it’s not foolproof. Even though your browser won’t save your history, traces of your activity can still be found on your device or network. You might be curious about how to check or delete this hidden data.
In this guide, you'll discover how to see incognito history on iPhone, Android, PC, and Mac, and protect your privacy.
Part 1. Understanding Incognito Mode
Let’s now discuss what Incognito mode is all about by defining its meaning and features.
1.1. What is Incognito Mode
Incognito mode exists in most web browsers, including Opera, Firefox, Safari, and Google Chrome. Switching it on prevents the browser from profiling users, and saving any information concerning web visits, cookies, or logins.
For instance, if you are planning to purchase a gift for someone using a shared computer, then switching to incognito will protect the search history from being seen by others.
However, despite the privacy incognito mode offers, it doesn’t make you invisible. Your IP address is still exposed, meaning your internet service provider (ISP) or websites can track your location and activities.
1.2. Key features of Incognito Mode
Let’s take a closer look at the key features that make incognito mode an essential tool for maintaining your privacy online.
- No browsing history: Your browser won’t save the websites you visit in incognito mode. This feature is useful when using a device in a public place as it will prevent others from seeing what you've searched.
- No autofill or saved passwords: Incognito mode disables autofill, so if you're logging into your accounts from someone else’s device, none of your login info is stored.
- Limited cookies and tracking: In incognito mode, websites won’t be able to track you as easily because cookies are deleted after each session.
- Temporary file deletion: Any files you download won’t be saved in your browser’s history, making it harder for others to trace your activities later.
- No form data saved: Also, if you populate a form with your address or payment info in incognito mode, this data isn’t stored by your browser.
1.3. Is Incognito Mode 100% private
The simple answer is No! While incognito mode improves privacy, it’s not 100% private. Here's why:
- Anonymity: Incognito mode only hides your history from your device, not from the websites you visit or your ISP. For instance, even if you browse privately, your employer or school could still monitor what you do on their network.
- Security: Incognito mode is not a shield against online risks such as malware and phishing attempts. Clicking on a shady link could still cause harm, even in incognito mode.
- Tracking: Websites can still track your activities using your IP address or GPS, so if you’re concerned about complete privacy, incognito mode alone isn’t enough.
Part 2. How to See Incognito History
You can’t check your incognito history the same way you view your regular browsing history in browsers like Chrome or Safari. However, you can still learn how to see incognito search history using specific methods. Below, we’ll discuss some effective methods to do this.
2.1. How to see incognito history on iPhone & Android
For those seeking to learn how to see incognito browsing history on an iPhone or Android, one of the most dependable tools for this is Msafely. Below, we will elaborate on what Msafely is and how it works.
Msafely is an advanced monitoring app designed to secretly track activity on both iPhones and Androids. Msafely allows you to see your incognito history or someone else’s incognito history without the person becoming aware as it works in the background.
For example, if your child is using incognito mode on their Android or iPhone, Msafely gives you access to that history through a control panel.
On Msafely’s control panel, you can check real-time updates about browsing activities, social media use, and more.
Advantages of Msafely for checking incognito history on iPhone & Android
Msafely offers numerous benefits that make it a solid choice for monitoring incognito history. Let’s explore some of them:
- View browsing history
With Msafely, you can easily view all web pages visited, even in incognito mode. Whether someone is using Safari on an iPhone or Chrome on an Android, Msafely captures their browsing activity. This can help us understand how to see someone's incognito history.
- Data encryption
Your privacy is secure with Msafely. The app encrypts all collected data, ensuring that your monitoring activities stay confidential.
- Compatibility
Msafely is not lagging behind when it comes to updates in iOS and Android Systems, you are safe from compatibility problems.
Msafely offers more amazing monitoring features
Beyond tracking incognito history, Msafely provides several other advanced monitoring features that give you a comprehensive view of the device’s activity:
Msafely monitors both SMS and iMessage texts, whether they are sent or received. This can help you track conversations that someone may be hiding while using incognito mode.
Msafely has social media tracking features that allow you to supervise social media services like Facebook and WhatsApp on a target device. This is handy when incognito mode is used to look up these particular sites’ private messages or activities.
Msafely has GPS location tracking of the target device; this is useful when trying to track the possession of the device while using incognito mode browsing feature.
Msafely provides a list of installed apps on the target phone, including installation dates, app sizes, and version numbers.
You can view emails sent and received, even if they were accessed during an incognito session.
Msafely logs the Wi-Fi networks the phone connects to, helping you trace the device’s internet usage, even in incognito mode.
How to use Msafely to check incognito history on iPhone & Android
Using Msafely to monitor and view incognito history on iPhone and Android is easy. Here’s how you can get started:
Step 1. Create a free account
Visit the official Msafely page and sign up for a free account using your email address.
Step 2. Select the target devices you want to monitor
Connect the iPhone or Android phone that you wish to monitor with the app.
Step 3. Connect the target phone
After you select a subscription option, tracking begins as soon as the phone is connected.
Step 4. Start monitoring
Now you can use Msafely's control panel to view the incognito history and other activity on the target phone.
2.2. How to see incognito history on Windows & Mac
It’s possible to view incognito history on both Windows and Mac. Here are two methods to achieve this:
Method 1. Via DNS
DNS, or Domain Name System, works by translating human-readable domain names (like www.google.com) into IP addresses that computers can understand.
Every time a website is visited, a record of the domain name is logged in the DNS cache, which can give you clues about browsing activity in incognito mode.
For Windows:
One effective way to see incognito history on Windows is by using DNS. Here is how
Step 1. First, press the keys “Win + R” followed by typing “cmd” and hitting the “Enter” key.
Or Right click on the "Command Prompt" seconds and press "Run as administrator."
Step 2. In the command prompt, type in ipconfig /displaydns then press Enter. It presents the extension theory of reclaiming browsing activities on any device, using the DNS settings installed on that device.
Step 3. Review the output for domain names that represent the websites visited recently. This is essentially your cached DNS records, which can include sites accessed during incognito sessions.
For example, If someone visited the incognito example of www.netflix.com the DNS will still register that domain name and it is possible to find what sites have been and even if they were in incognito mode.
For Mac:
On a Mac, DNS logs hold a similar role in tracking domain names from visited websites. For instance, if a user in incognito mode accessed www.spotify.com, that domain name will appear in the cache, even though it won’t be saved in the browser history.
Follow these steps to see incognito history on Mac using DNS logs
Step 1. Open the Console located under Applications > Utilities > Console.
Step 2. In the search field type any:mdnsresponder.
Step 3. In the toolbar, click on the Start button on the toolbar in order to start the tracking of the DNS activity.
Step 4. Next, open Terminal by going to Applications > Utilities > Terminal.
Step 5. The next step is to type the command: sudo killall -INFO mDNSResponder. Enter.
Step 6. Enter your admin password when prompted.
Step 7. Return to the Console app, where you’ll now be able to see cached DNS records showing the websites visited.
Method 2. By browser extensions
A straightforward method to see incognito browsing history on Windows and Mac is through browser extensions. Many Chrome extensions can log browsing history during incognito sessions. One popular option is Off the Record History.
Off the Record History extension is designed to record and save browsing history for a short period, even while using incognito mode, giving you the flexibility to review and manually delete it.
Here’s how you can use it:
Step 1. You have to install the Off the Record History as an extension in the Chrome store.
Step 2. Once done, go to the settings page of the extension installed and click on “Allow” or check the option “Allow in incognito”.
Step 3. When fully activated, the extension saves incognito browsing history unless you go to the settings and erase it manually.
Part 3. How to Delete Incognito History
With more of our internet traffic coming from mobile devices, it’s important to know how to delete incognito history across different platforms. Here’s how to remove incognito history on Android, iPhone, Windows, and Mac.
3.1. How to delete incognito browsing history on Android
For Android devices, here’s the step-by-step process to delete your incognito browsing history using Google Chrome:
Step 1. Open Google Chrome, go to Address, and type in the address bar: chrome://net-internals/#dns.
Step 2. Select DNS from the left panel.
Step 3. To clear your incognito history and wipe the DNS data, select Clear Host Cache.
Step 4. This clears any stored DNS data related to websites visited in incognito mode, ensuring that your browsing remains private.
3.2. How to delete incognito browsing history on iPhone
It’s easy to delete incognito history on an iPhone by following these steps:
Step 1. Swipe up from the lower edge of the device screen to enter the Control Center.
Step 2. Press the Airplane Mode icon. It turns off Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and the cellular signal, which also clears your DNS cache.
Step 3. To turn it off, tap the Airplane Mode symbol once more.
Step 4. To delete incognito browsing history quickly, you can also restart your iPhone. The DNS cache will be cleared, and your incognito history will be wiped each time you reboot your device.
3.3. How to clear incognito browsing history on Windows
On Windows, deleting incognito browsing history involves clearing the DNS cache. Here’s how to do it:
Step 1. First, launch the Command Prompt.
Step 2. Enter ipconfig /flushdns in the command line and click Enter.
Step 3. This command will flush the DNS cache, ensuring that no one can view the websites you’ve visited.
This method effectively clears any trace of websites accessed during an incognito session on a Windows machine.
3.4. How to clear incognito browsing history on Mac
Clearing incognito browsing history on a Mac involves flushing the DNS cache via Terminal. Follow these steps:
Step 1. Click Applications > Utilities and open Terminal.
Step 2. Type sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder into the Terminal window.
Step 3. Hit Enter.
Step 4. Enter your admin password when prompted.
Once these steps are completed, the DNS cache will be cleared, and any records of your incognito browsing activity on your Mac will be erased.
Part 4. Common Misconceptions about Incognito Mode
Incognito mode can be helpful for privacy in certain situations, but there's a lot of confusion about what it really does. Let’s break down and dispel some of the common myths people often believe about incognito mode.
Misconception 1: Incognito mode deletes all your online activity and tracking is not possible
You might think that as soon as you close your incognito window, all traces of your online activity disappear—but that’s not exactly true.
The reality:
While incognito mode does help to some extent by making sure your history, cookies, or even form data is not saved by the browser, there are still things such as files that you have downloaded or bookmarks that you have saved that do remain.
Plus, your internet service provider (ISP), employer, or school can still track what you’ve been doing online. To cover your tracks completely, you'd need to clear your downloads and use other privacy tools like a VPN.
Misconception 2: Incognito mode makes you invisible to websites
It’s easy to assume that since your browser isn’t saving data, the websites you visit can’t track you either.
The reality:
Unfortunately, websites can still track your activity through your IP address or more advanced methods like browser fingerprinting. So, even in incognito mode, sites can gather data about your session and location. If you're looking for true anonymity, you’d need tools like Tor or a VPN to mask your IP address.
Misconception 3: Using incognito mode protects against malware and phishing
Another misconception is that people mistakenly believe incognito mode offers an extra layer of security from online threats.
The reality:
Incognito mode does nothing to protect you from malware, phishing, or other cyber threats. It’s purely for privacy on your device. If you download malicious software or click on a suspicious link, incognito mode won’t stop the attack. You still need strong antivirus software and smart online habits.
Misconception 4: Incognito mode keeps your activities hidden from your Internet Service Provider
Many users assume incognito mode can hide their activity from their ISP.
The reality:
Your Internet Service Provider can see every website you visit even whilst using incognito mode. For real privacy from your ISP, you’d need to use a VPN, which encrypts your connection and hides your activity from being tracked.
Misconception 5: Incognito mode hides your location
People often believe incognito mode hides where they're browsing from.
The reality:
Websites can still detect your general location via your IP address. To fully hide your location, you’d need to use tools like a VPN or Tor to mask your IP address.
Part 5. FAQs about Seeing Incognito History
Q1. Can someone see my incognito browsing history?
Not directly from your device, but your ISP, employer, or school can still see what sites you visit.
Q2. Does clearing incognito history delete it completely?
No, clearing it only deletes local data. Your ISP or network admin can still access it.
Q3. Can I track incognito browsing on my Wi-Fi?
Yes, if you are the network admin, you will see all the activities on the network, even the images archived in incognito.
Q4. How can I hide my incognito history completely?
VPNs can be helpful in preventing networks from tracing retrospective incognito history.
Q5. Can websites track incognito browsing?
Yes, they can monitor IP addresses and people’s usage even in incognito mode.
Part 6. Conclusion
Incognito mode offers some privacy by preventing your device from saving browsing history or cookies, but it's not foolproof. At the same time, you should know that your activities can still be monitored by your ISP, employer, or network administrator, and websites can track you by your IP address.
For a higher level of privacy, especially across devices like iPhone, Android, PC, or Mac, using tools like VPNs, or monitoring apps like Msafely is necessary.
Now that you understand incognito mode and its limitations, you can take better control of your digital privacy and make informed decisions about your online security.