Private browsing in Safari hides your browsing history from your device and prevents websites from tracking your activity

Safari's Private Browsing mode stops Safari from saving the websites you visit, the searches you make, and the passwords you enter. It also tells websites not to track you and blocks some tracking cookies. When you close a Private Browsing window, Safari deletes everything from that session — no history, no cached files, no autofill data.

This is useful if you're researching data brokers or checking whether your information appears on public sites. Private Browsing doesn't make you invisible to your internet service provider or your employer's network, but it does keep your activity off your own device's history and away from Safari's memory.

Key Takeaways

  • Open a new Private Browsing window by pressing Command-Shift-N on Mac or tapping the tabs icon and selecting Private on iPhone and iPad.
  • Private Browsing hides your history from your device and blocks many tracking cookies, but does not hide your activity from your internet service provider.
  • Websites cannot see your browsing history from other windows, and Safari will not save passwords or autofill information from private sessions.
  • Close the Private Browsing window when you're done — Safari automatically deletes everything from that session.

Opening Private Browsing on Mac

On a Mac, press Command-Shift-N to open a new Private Browsing window when ready. The window will have a dark appearance and display "Private" in the address bar area, making it clear you're in private mode.

Alternatively, open Safari, click File in the menu bar, then select New Private Window. You can open as many private windows as you need, and each one operates independently — closing one does not affect the others. This is helpful if you're comparing multiple data broker sites at once without mixing your browsing sessions.

Opening Private Browsing on iPhone and iPad

Tap the tabs icon in the bottom right corner of Safari (it shows two overlapping squares). At the bottom of the screen, you'll see a button labeled Private — tap it to switch to Private Browsing mode.

If you want to open a new private tab, tap the + icon while in Private Browsing mode. To return to regular browsing, tap the tabs icon again and tap Private to toggle it off, then tap the + icon to open a regular tab. You can switch between private and regular tabs throughout your day without losing your place in either.

What Private Browsing Does and Does Not Do

Private Browsing stops Safari from recording your browsing history, search history, and autofill data. Websites cannot see your previous browsing activity, and Safari will not save passwords you enter (though you can still choose to save them if prompted). It also blocks many tracking cookies and tells websites to respect your privacy preference.

Private Browsing does not hide your activity from your internet service provider, your employer's network administrator, or the websites you visit. Those parties can still see that you visited their sites. It also does not protect you from viruses, phishing attacks, or malware — use the same caution in private mode as you would in regular browsing. When you're visiting data broker removal pages, remember that the data broker itself can still see your visit and your removal request, which is exactly what you want.

Closing Private Browsing and Clearing Your Session

When you close a Private Browsing window or tab, Safari automatically deletes everything from that session. You don't need to manually clear anything — just close the window or switch back to regular browsing mode.

On Mac, close the window by clicking the red close button in the top left corner or pressing Command-W. On iPhone and iPad, swipe up on the private tab or tap the - icon to close it. Once closed, Safari removes all traces of that browsing session from your device, including any pages you visited, searches you performed, and temporary files Safari downloaded.

Combining Private Browsing with Other Privacy Steps

Private Browsing works best as part of a broader privacy approach. If you're checking data broker sites, use Private Browsing to avoid Safari recording those visits, but also consider using a password manager to keep track of removal requests across different sites. Many data brokers require you to verify your identity before removing your information, so keeping separate notes outside your browser history can be helpful.

You can also adjust Safari's tracking prevention settings in Preferences (Mac) or Settings (iPhone and iPad) to block more trackers even in regular browsing mode. These settings work alongside Private Browsing to reduce how much information websites collect about you. Safari's Intelligent Tracking Prevention is on by default and blocks many known trackers automatically.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Private Browsing hide my activity from my internet service provider?

No. Your internet service provider can see which websites you visit regardless of whether you use Private Browsing. Private Browsing only hides your activity from your device and from Safari's records.

Can I save bookmarks in Private Browsing mode?

Yes. Bookmarks you create in Private Browsing are saved to your regular bookmarks and will appear in all your Safari windows. Only your history, searches, and autofill data are deleted when you close the private window.

What happens if I close Safari while a Private Browsing window is open?

Safari deletes everything from the private session when you close the window, whether you close it manually or quit Safari entirely. The next time you open Safari, that private browsing data will be gone.

Can websites tell I'm using Private Browsing?

Websites cannot directly detect Private Browsing mode, but they may notice that you're not sending certain tracking data or that your browser is blocking cookies. This does not prevent you from using the website normally.

Should I use Private Browsing every time I visit a data broker site?

It's a good practice if you want to keep those visits separate from your regular browsing history. Since you're likely visiting multiple data brokers to check and remove your information, Private Browsing prevents Safari from building a record of those specific sites on your device.