Why doesn't Ctrl+Shift+N work?

On a Mac, use ⌘ instead of Ctrl. If the shortcut does nothing on any computer and New Incognito window is missing from the menu, Incognito has been disabled by a policy — common on school and work devices.

Is there a shortcut that turns the current tab Incognito?

No. Every shortcut opens a new private window. Copy the address, open an Incognito window, and paste it — the page then loads without your signed-in cookies.

What is the shortcut to exit Incognito?

Ctrl+Shift+W (⌘+Shift+W) closes the current Incognito window. The private session ends only when every Incognito window is closed, so check for others before you assume it is over.

Incognito Mode Keyboard Shortcuts

Every desktop browser opens a private window with one keystroke. It is almost always Ctrl+Shift+N on Windows and Linux, or ⌘+Shift+N on a Mac — Firefox is the odd one out with P.

Incognito shortcut by browser

Chrome: Ctrl+Shift+N (⌘+Shift+N on Mac).
Edge: Ctrl+Shift+N opens an InPrivate window (⌘+Shift+N on Mac).
Brave: Ctrl+Shift+N (⌘+Shift+N on Mac).
Opera and Opera GX: Ctrl+Shift+N (⌘+Shift+N on Mac).
Firefox: Ctrl+Shift+P (⌘+Shift+P on Mac).
Safari on Mac: ⌘+Shift+N.

Click inside the page or the address bar first if the shortcut does nothing — a focused browser extension popup or developer panel can swallow it.

Shortcuts inside an Incognito window

Ctrl+T (⌘+T) opens another tab in the same Incognito window — new tabs stay private.
Ctrl+W (⌘+W) closes the current tab; Ctrl+Shift+W (⌘+Shift+W) closes the whole window.
Ctrl+Shift+T (⌘+Shift+T) does not bring back a closed Incognito tab in Chrome — Incognito keeps no list of closed tabs.

Open Incognito from the taskbar or Dock

Windows: right-click the Chrome icon on the taskbar and choose New Incognito window.
Mac: Control-click the Chrome icon in the Dock and choose New Incognito Window. Safari's Dock menu has New Private Window.

Make a shortcut that always opens Incognito

Windows: right-click your Chrome desktop shortcut and choose Properties.
In the Target field, add a space and --incognito after the closing quote, then click OK.
Double-clicking that shortcut now opens Chrome straight into Incognito. Your regular shortcuts and the Start menu entry are unchanged.

Phone equivalents

Chrome on Android or iPhone: long-press the Chrome app icon and tap New Incognito tab.
Or open Chrome, tap the ⋯ menu, and tap New Incognito tab.
Safari on iPhone: long-press the tabs button (two overlapping squares) and tap New Private Tab.

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FAQ

Why doesn't Ctrl+Shift+N work?: On a Mac, use ⌘ instead of Ctrl. If the shortcut does nothing on any computer and New Incognito window is missing from the menu, Incognito has been disabled by a policy — common on school and work devices.
Is there a shortcut that turns the current tab Incognito?: No. Every shortcut opens a new private window. Copy the address, open an Incognito window, and paste it — the page then loads without your signed-in cookies.
What is the shortcut to exit Incognito?: Ctrl+Shift+W (⌘+Shift+W) closes the current Incognito window. The private session ends only when every Incognito window is closed, so check for others before you assume it is over.