safari anonymous browsing ipad

iPad User Guide

• iPad models compatible with iPadOS 17
• iPad mini (5th generation)
• iPad mini (6th generation)
• iPad (6th generation)
• iPad (7th generation)
• iPad (8th generation)
• iPad (9th generation)
• iPad (10th generation)
• iPad Air (3rd generation)
• iPad Air (4th generation)
• iPad Air (5th generation)
• iPad Pro 10.5-inch
• iPad Pro 11-inch (1st generation)
• iPad Pro 11-inch (2nd generation)
• iPad Pro 11-inch (3rd generation)
• iPad Pro 11-inch (4th generation)
• iPad Pro 12.9-inch (2nd generation)
• iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation)
• iPad Pro 12.9-inch (4th generation)
• iPad Pro 12.9-inch (5th generation)
• iPad Pro 12.9-inch (6th generation)
• Setup basics
• Make your iPad your own
• Keep in touch with friends and family
• Customize your workspace
• Do more with Apple Pencil
• Customize iPad for your child
• What’s new in iPadOS 17
• Turn on and set up iPad
• Wake and unlock
• Set up cellular service
• Connect to the internet
• Sign in with Apple ID
• Subscribe to iCloud+
• Find settings
• Set up mail, contacts, and calendar accounts
• Learn the meaning of the status icons
• Charge the battery
• Show the battery percentage
• Check battery usage
• Use Low Power Mode to save battery life
• Read and bookmark the user guide
• Learn basic gestures
• Learn advanced gestures
• Adjust the volume
• Find your apps in App Library
• Switch between apps
• Zoom an app to fill the screen
• Quit and reopen an app
• Drag and drop
• Open two items in Split View
• Switch an app window to Slide Over
• View an app’s windows and workspaces
• Multitask with Picture in Picture
• Move, resize, and organize windows
• Access features from the Lock Screen
• Perform quick actions
• Search on iPad
• Get information about your iPad
• View or change cellular data settings
• Travel with iPad
• Change or turn off sounds
• Create a custom Lock Screen
• Change the wallpaper
• Adjust the screen brightness and color balance
• Customize the text size and zoom setting
• Change the name of your iPad
• Change the date and time
• Change the language and region
• Organize your apps in folders
• Add, edit, and remove widgets
• Move apps and widgets on the Home Screen
• Remove apps
• Use and customize Control Center
• Change or lock the screen orientation
• View and respond to notifications
• Change notification settings
• Set up a focus
• Allow or silence notifications for a Focus
• Turn a Focus on or off
• Customize sharing options
• Type with the onscreen keyboard
• Dictate text
• Move the onscreen keyboard
• Select and edit text
• Use predictive text
• Use text replacements
• Add or change keyboards
• Add emoji and stickers
• Take a screenshot
• Take a screen recording
• Write and draw in documents
• Add text, shapes, signatures, and more
• Fill out forms and sign documents
• Use Live Text to interact with content in a photo or video
• Use Visual Look Up to identify objects in your photos and videos
• Lift a subject from the photo background
• Subscribe to Apple Arcade
• Play with friends in Game Center
• Connect a game controller
• Use App Clips
• Update apps
• View or cancel subscriptions
• Manage purchases, settings, and restrictions
• Install and manage fonts
• Buy books and audiobooks
• Annotate books
• Access books on other Apple devices
• Listen to audiobooks
• Set reading goals
• Organize books
• Create and edit events in Calendar
• Send invitations
• Reply to invitations
• Change how you view events
• Search for events
• Change calendar and event settings
• Schedule or display events in a different time zone
• Keep track of events
• Use multiple calendars
• Use the Holidays calendar
• Share iCloud calendars
• Take photos
• Take a selfie
• Take a Portrait mode selfie
• Take videos
• Change advanced camera settings
• Adjust HDR camera settings
• View, share, and print photos
• Use Live Text
• Scan a QR code
• See the world clock
• Set an alarm
• Use the stopwatch
• Use multiple timers
• Add and use contact information
• Edit contacts
• Add your contact info
• Send Contacts on iPad
• Use other contact accounts
• Hide duplicate contacts
• Export contacts
• Get started with FaceTime
• Make FaceTime calls
• Receive FaceTime calls
• Create a FaceTime link
• Take a Live Photo
• Turn on Live Captions
• Use other apps during a call
• Make a Group FaceTime call
• View participants in a grid
• Use SharePlay to watch, listen, and play together
• Share your screen in a FaceTime call
• Collaborate on a document in a FaceTime call
• Use video conferencing features
• Hand off a FaceTime call to another Apple device
• Change the FaceTime video settings
• Change the FaceTime audio settings
• Change your appearance
• Leave a call or switch to Messages
• Block unwanted callers
• Report a call as spam
• Connect external devices or servers
• Modify files, folders, and downloads
• Search for files and folders
• Organize files and folders
• Set up iCloud Drive
• Share files and folders in iCloud Drive
• Share your location
• Add or remove a friend
• Locate a friend
• Get notified when friends change their location
• Notify a friend when your location changes
• Add your iPad
• Get notified if you leave a device behind
• Locate a device
• Mark a device as lost
• Erase a device
• Remove a device
• Add an AirTag
• Share an AirTag or other item in Find My on iPad
• Add a third-party item
• Get notified if you leave an item behind
• Locate an item
• Mark an item as lost
• Remove an item
• Adjust map settings
• Get started with Freeform
• Create a Freeform board
• Draw or handwrite
• Apply consistent styles
• Position items on a board
• Search Freeform boards
• Share and collaborate
• Delete and recover boards
• Get started with Health
• Fill out your Health Details
• Intro to Health data
• View your health data
• Share your health data
• View health data shared by others
• Download health records
• View health records
• Log menstrual cycle information
• View menstrual cycle predictions and history
• Track your medications
• Learn more about your medications
• Log your state of mind
• Take a mental health assessment
• Customize your Sleep Focus
• Turn Sleep Focus on or off
• View your sleep history
• Check your headphone audio levels
• Use audiogram data
• Back up your Health data
• Intro to Home
• Upgrade to the new Home architecture
• Set up accessories
• Control accessories
• Control your home using Siri
• Use Grid Forecast to plan your energy usage
• Set up HomePod
• Control your home remotely
• Create and use scenes
• Use automations
• Set up security cameras
• Use Face Recognition
• Configure a router
• Invite others to control accessories
• Add more homes
• Get music, movies, and TV shows
• Get ringtones
• Manage purchases and settings
• Magnify nearby objects
• Change settings
• Detect people around you
• Detect doors around you
• Receive image descriptions of your surroundings
• Read aloud text and labels around you
• Set up shortcuts for Detection Mode
• Add and remove email accounts
• Set up a custom email domain
• Check your email
• Unsend email with Undo send
• Reply to and forward emails
• Save an email draft
• Add email attachments
• Download email attachments
• Annotate email attachments
• Set email notifications
• Search for email
• Organize your email in mailboxes
• Flag or block emails
• Filter emails
• Use Hide My Email
• Use Mail Privacy Protection
• Change email settings
• Delete and recover emails
• Add a Mail widget to your Home Screen
• Print emails
• Use keyboard shortcuts
• Get travel directions
• Select other route options
• Find stops along your route
• View a route overview or a list of turns
• Change settings for spoken directions
• Get driving directions
• Report traffic incidents
• Get cycling directions
• Get walking directions
• Get transit directions
• Delete recent directions
• Get traffic and weather info
• Predict travel time and ETA
• Download offline maps
• Search for places
• Find nearby attractions, restaurants, and services
• Get information about places
• Mark places
• Share places
• Rate places
• Save favorite places
• Explore new places with Guides
• Organize places in My Guides
• Delete significant locations
• Look around places
• Take Flyover tours
• Find your Maps settings
• Measure dimensions
• View and save measurements
• Measure a person’s height
• Set up Messages
• About iMessage
• Send and reply to messages
• Unsend and edit messages
• Keep track of messages
• Forward and share messages
• Group conversations
• Watch, listen, or play together using SharePlay
• Collaborate on projects
• Use iMessage apps
• Take and edit photos or videos
• Share photos, links, and more
• Send stickers
• Request, send, and receive payments
• Send and receive audio messages
• Animate messages
• Change notifications
• Block, filter, and report messages
• Delete messages and attachments
• Recover deleted messages
• View albums, playlists, and more
• Show song credits and lyrics
• Queue up your music
• Listen to broadcast radio
• Subscribe to Apple Music
• Listen to lossless music
• Listen to Dolby Atmos music
• Apple Music Sing
• Find new music
• Add music and listen offline
• Get personalized recommendations
• Listen to radio
• Search for music
• Create playlists
• See what your friends are listening to
• Use Siri to play music
• Change the way music sounds
• Get started with News
• Use News widgets
• See news stories chosen just for you
• Read stories
• Follow your favorite teams with My Sports
• Subscribe to Apple News+
• Browse and read Apple News+ stories and issues
• Download Apple News+ issues
• Solve crossword puzzles
• Search for news stories
• Save stories in News for later
• Subscribe to individual news channels
• Get started with Notes
• Add or remove accounts
• Create and format notes
• Draw or write
• Add photos, videos, and more
• Scan text and documents
• Work with PDFs
• Create Quick Notes
• Search notes
• Organize in folders
• Organize with tags
• Use Smart Folders
• Export or print notes
• Change Notes settings
• Delete, share, or copy a photo
• View and edit Photo Booth photos in the Photos app
• View photos and videos
• Play videos and slideshows
• Delete or hide photos and videos
• Edit photos and videos
• Trim video length and adjust slow motion
• Edit Live Photos
• Edit Cinematic videos
• Edit portraits
• Use photo albums
• Edit, share, and organize albums
• Filter and sort photos and videos in albums
• Make stickers from your photos
• Duplicate and copy photos and videos
• Merge duplicate photos
• Search for photos
• Identify people and pets
• Browse photos by location
• Share photos and videos
• Share long videos
• View photos and videos shared with you
• Watch memories
• Personalize your memories
• Manage memories and featured photos
• Use iCloud Photos
• Create shared albums
• Add and remove people in a shared album
• Add and delete photos and videos in a shared album
• Set up or join an iCloud Shared Photo Library
• Add content to an iCloud Shared Photo Library
• Use iCloud Shared Photo Library
• Import and export photos and videos
• Print photos
• Find podcasts
• Listen to podcasts
• Follow your favorite podcasts
• Use the Podcasts widget
• Organize your podcast library
• Download, save, and share podcasts
• Subscribe to podcasts
• Listen to subscriber-only content
• Change download settings
• Make a grocery list
• Add items to a list
• Edit and manage a list
• Search and organize lists
• Work with templates
• Use Smart Lists
• Print reminders
• Use the Reminders widget
• Change Reminders settings
• Browse the web
• Search for websites
• Customize your Safari settings
• Change the layout
• Use Safari profiles
• Open and close tabs
• Organize your tabs with Tab Groups
• View your tabs from another device
• Share Tab Groups
• Use Siri to listen to a webpage
• Bookmark a website
• Bookmark a website as a favorite
• Save pages to a Reading List
• Find links shared with you
• Annotate and save a webpage as a PDF
• Automatically fill in forms
• Get extensions
• Hide ads and distractions
• Clear your cache
• Browse the web privately
• Use passkeys in Safari
• Check stocks
• Manage multiple watchlists
• Read business news
• Add earnings reports to your calendar
• Use a Stocks widget
• Translate text, voice, and conversations
• Translate text in apps
• Translate with the camera view
• Subscribe to Apple TV+, MLS Season Pass, or an Apple TV channel
• Add your TV provider
• Get shows, movies, and more
• Watch sports
• Watch Major League Soccer with MLS Season Pass
• Watch multiple live sports streams
• Control playback
• Manage your library
• Change the settings
• Make a recording
• Play it back
• Edit or delete a recording
• Keep recordings up to date
• Organize recordings
• Search for or rename a recording
• Share a recording
• Duplicate a recording
• Check the weather
• Check the weather in other locations
• View weather maps
• Manage weather notifications
• Use Weather widgets
• Learn the weather icons
• Find out what Siri can do
• Tell Siri about yourself
• Have Siri announce calls and notifications
• Add Siri Shortcuts
• About Siri Suggestions
• Change Siri settings
• Set up Family Sharing
• Add Family Sharing members
• Remove Family Sharing members
• Share subscriptions
• Share purchases
• Share locations with family and locate lost devices
• Set up Apple Cash Family and Apple Card Family
• Set up parental controls
• Set up a child’s device
• Get started with Screen Time
• Protect your vision health with Screen Distance
• Set up Screen Time for yourself
• Set communication and safety limits and block inappropriate content
• Set up Screen Time for a family member
• Set up Apple Pay
• Use Apple Pay in apps and on the web
• Track your orders
• Use Apple Cash
• Use Apple Card
• Use Savings
• Manage payment cards and activity
• Power adapter and charge cable
• Use AirPods
• Use EarPods
• Use headphone audio-level features
• Apple Pencil compatibility
• Pair and charge Apple Pencil (1st generation)
• Pair and charge Apple Pencil (2nd generation)
• Pair and charge Apple Pencil (USB-C)
• Enter text with Scribble
• Draw with Apple Pencil
• Take and mark up a screenshot with Apple Pencil
• Quickly write notes
• Preview tools and controls with Apple Pencil hover
• Wirelessly stream videos and photos to Apple TV or a smart TV
• Connect to a display with a cable
• HomePod and other wireless speakers
• iPad keyboards
• Switch between keyboards
• Enter characters with diacritical marks
• Use shortcuts
• Choose an alternative keyboard layout
• Change typing assistance options
• Connect Magic Trackpad
• Trackpad gestures
• Change trackpad settings
• Connect a mouse
• Mouse actions and gestures
• Change mouse settings
• External storage devices
• Bluetooth accessories
• Apple Watch with Fitness+
• Share your internet connection
• Make and receive phone calls
• Use iPad as a second display for Mac
• Use iPad as a webcam
• Use a keyboard and mouse or trackpad across your Mac and iPad
• Hand off tasks between devices
• Cut, copy, and paste between iPad and other devices
• Stream video or mirror the screen of your iPad
• Use AirDrop to send items
• Connect iPad and your computer with a cable
• Transfer files between devices
• Transfer files with email, messages, or AirDrop
• Transfer files or sync content with the Finder or iTunes
• Automatically keep files up to date with iCloud
• Use an external storage device, a file server, or a cloud storage service
• Get started with accessibility features
• Turn on accessibility features for setup
• Change Siri accessibility settings
• Open features with Accessibility Shortcut
• Enlarge text by hovering
• Change color and brightness
• Make text easier to read
• Reduce onscreen motion
• Customize per-app visual settings
• Hear what’s on the screen or typed
• Hear audio descriptions
• Turn on and practice VoiceOver
• Change your VoiceOver settings
• Use VoiceOver gestures
• Operate iPad when VoiceOver is on
• Control VoiceOver using the rotor
• Use the onscreen keyboard
• Write with your finger
• Use VoiceOver with an Apple external keyboard
• Use a braille display
• Type braille on the screen
• Customize gestures and keyboard shortcuts
• Use VoiceOver with a pointer device
• Use VoiceOver for images and videos
• Use VoiceOver in apps
• Use AssistiveTouch
• Use an eye-tracking device
• Adjust how iPad responds to your touch
• Auto-answer calls
• Change Face ID and attention settings
• Use Voice Control
• Adjust the top or Home button
• Use Apple TV Remote buttons
• Adjust pointer settings
• Adjust keyboard settings
• Adjust AirPods settings
• Adjust Apple Pencil settings
• Control a nearby Apple device
• Intro to Switch Control
• Set up and turn on Switch Control
• Select items, perform actions, and more
• Control several devices with one switch
• Use hearing devices
• Use Live Listen
• Use sound recognition
• Set up and use RTT
• Flash the LED for alerts
• Adjust audio settings
• Play background sounds
• Display subtitles and captions
• Show transcriptions for Intercom messages
• Get Live Captions (beta)
• Type to speak
• Record a Personal Voice
• Use Guided Access
• Use built-in privacy and security protections
• Set a passcode
• Set up Face ID
• Set up Touch ID
• Control access to information on the Lock Screen
• Keep your Apple ID secure
• Use passkeys to sign in to apps and websites
• Sign in with Apple
• Share passwords
• Automatically fill in strong passwords
• Change weak or compromised passwords
• View your passwords and related information
• Share passkeys and passwords securely with AirDrop
• Make your passkeys and passwords available on all your devices
• Automatically fill in verification codes
• Sign in with fewer CAPTCHA challenges
• Two-factor authentication
• Use security keys
• Control app tracking permissions
• Control the location information you share
• Control access to information in apps
• Control how Apple delivers advertising to you
• Control access to hardware features
• Create and manage Hide My Email addresses
• Protect your web browsing with iCloud Private Relay
• Use a private network address
• Use Advanced Data Protection
• Use Lockdown Mode
• Receive warnings about sensitive content
• Use Contact Key Verification
• Turn iPad on or off
• Force restart iPad
• Update iPadOS
• Back up iPad
• Return iPad settings to their defaults
• Restore all content from a backup
• Restore purchased and deleted items
• Sell, give away, or trade in your iPad
• Install or remove configuration profiles
• Important safety information
• Important handling information
• Find more resources for software and service
• FCC compliance statement
• ISED Canada compliance statement
• Apple and the environment
• Class 1 Laser information
• Disposal and recycling information
• Unauthorized modification of iPadOS
• ENERGY STAR compliance statement

Browse privately in Safari on iPad

Visit sites privately

You can use Private Browsing to open tabs that don’t appear in History on iPad or in the list of tabs on your other devices. Tabs in Private Browsing aren’t shared with your other Apple devices, even if you’re signed in with the same Apple ID .

If you have a passcode set on your iPad, Private Browsing locks when it’s not in use. Private Browsing may not lock immediately.

Follow the directions onscreen to unlock Private Browsing.

Note: Any Safari extensions you have installed that have access to browsing data are automatically turned off in Private Browsing. To turn on an extension in Private Browsing, see Use extensions .

Choose a search engine for Private Browsing

Tap Private Search Engine, then choose a search engine.

View the Privacy Report

Safari helps prevent trackers from following you across websites and from seeing your IP address. You can review the Privacy Report to see a summary of trackers that have been encountered and prevented by Intelligent Tracking Prevention on the current webpage you’re visiting. You can also review and adjust Safari settings to keep your browsing activities private from others who use the same device, and help protect yourself from malicious websites.

Use iCloud Private Relay to browse the web with more privacy

When you subscribe to iCloud+ on iPad , you can use iCloud Private Relay to help prevent websites and network providers from creating a detailed profile about you. When iCloud Private Relay is turned on, the traffic leaving your iPad is encrypted and sent through two separate internet relays. This prevents websites from seeing your IP address and exact location while it prevents network providers from collecting your browsing activity in Safari. See Protect your web browsing with iCloud Private Relay on iPad .

See Protect your web browsing with iCloud Private Relay on iPad to learn how to:

Turn iCloud Private Relay completely on or off for your iPad.

Turn iCloud Private Relay on or off for a specific Wi-Fi or cellular network.

Turn iCloud Private Relay off temporarily.

Set the specificity of your IP address location.

Temporarily allow a website to see your IP address

If a website relies on IP filtering, monitoring, or rate-limiting, it might require your IP address to be visible. You can turn off iCloud Private Relay temporarily for that website only.

Note: iCloud Private Relay isn’t available in all countries or regions. See the iOS and iPadOS Feature Availability website .

Tap Show IP Address (if available).

Your IP address remains visible to that website until you leave the website or close its Safari tab. iCloud Private Relay remains on for other websites.

To turn off or pause iCloud Private Relay for all websites, see Protect your web browsing with iCloud Private Relay on iPad .

Control privacy and security settings for Safari

Prevent Cross-Site Tracking: Safari limits third-party cookies and data by default. Turn this option off to allow cross-site tracking.

Hide IP address: Safari automatically protects your IP address from known trackers. For eligible iCloud+ subscribers, your IP address is protected from trackers and websites as you browse in Safari. If this option is off, your IP address isn’t hidden.

Fraudulent Website Warning: Safari displays a warning if you’re visiting a suspected phishing website. Turn this option off if you don’t want to be warned about fraudulent websites.

Camera: Choose whether Safari websites can use your camera without asking you first. Tap Camera, then choose Ask, Deny, or Allow.

Microphone: Choose whether Safari websites can use your microphone without asking you first. Tap Microphone, then choose Ask, Deny, or Allow.

Location: Choose whether Safari websites can use your location without asking you first. Tap Location, then choose Ask, Deny, or Allow.

How To : Really Browse the Web Privately and Anonymously on Your iPhone or iPad

In the 21st century, we're all looking for ways to stay private, especially on our electronic devices. We have big tech corporations, enemy countries, malicious hackers, and other prying eyes watching our every move, so it's only natural to want to limit what they can see. Making your web browsing experience on iPhone and iPad more private is one way to do that.

Many of the tips below apply to Safari, Apple's default web browser for iOS and iPadOS, but to keep your web traffic even more private, you'll want to utilize third-party tools as well. While it's tough to be truly anonymous on the web these days, you can get close.

Of course, if you're only worried about specific privacy concerns versus broad anonymity, you can address those without using any of the other features listed below. If you want top-level privacy on your iPhone or iPad, incorporating a lot of these tips will help you get there.

• Don't Miss: Use Your iPhone for End-to-End Encryption of Gmail Messages for Extra Secure Emails

1. Use Safari's Private Browsing

Searching the web in Safari's Private Browsing mode is the easiest way to stay private, but it's not as private as it sounds. It's only useful when you want to hide what you're doing in Safari from Safari itself.

Your Private Browsing activity will not sync to your other iCloud-connected devices. And once you close a Private Browsing tab you were using, Safari won't remember the webpages you visited (your browsing history) or any AutoFill data used.

However, the websites you visit can still build a valuable profile based on your device and browsing habits. They can see your IP address, your interactions with the page, what browser you're using, what device you have, and your browsing activity across websites, to name a few things.

To use Private Browsing, tap the new tab icon in Safari's toolbar, tap the number of open tabs, and choose "Private." You can also long-press the new tab icon and hit "Private" or "New Private Tab."

• More Info: How to Open a New Private Tab in iOS 15's Updated Safari Design

2. Disable Location Tracking

Safari has a setting that lets you block or allow websites access to your location, but it's not located in Safari's settings menu. Instead, it's in Settings –> Privacy –> Location Services –> Safari Websites. You can either set it to "Never " to block access to your location entirely or "Ask Next Time Or When I Share" if you want to approve access on a case-by-case basis.

• Don't Miss: How to Stop Websites from Asking to Use Your Location Every Single Time for Uninterrupted Browsing in Safari

3. Configure Safari's Privacy and Security Settings

Head to the menu at Settings –> Safari, and you'll see a section for Privacy & Security . You can adjust these preferences depending on your needs, but none of the options will make your web experience completely anonymous. There's so much more to do for better anonymity, but you should still adjust these Safari settings for the foundation of your internet use.

You can hide your IP address from trackers, prevent cross-site trackers , block cookies, enable warnings for malicious websites, and disable Private Click Measurement . The latter makes your ad interactions more anonymous, but you can just not give them anything. You can also block websites from finding out if you use Apple Pay on your device. And I would toggle on " Block Pop-ups " under the General section.

I wouldn't recommend blocking all cookies since it will break a lot of websites, make logging into certain accounts difficult even with the correct credentials, and show other erratic behaviors. If you need to block cookies, try Private Browsing mode.

Recommended Settings:

• Block Pop-ups: On
• Prevent Cross-Site Tracking: On
• Hide IP Address: Trackers Only (if not using iCloud Private Relay); Trackers and Websites (if using iCloud Private Relay)
• Block All Cookies: Off
• Fraudulent Website Warning: On
• Privacy Preserving Ad Measurement: Off
• Check for Apple Pay: Off

4. Limit Websites' Access to Camera, Location, and Mic

A feature that first appeared in iOS 13 and iPadOS 13 was the ability to control when websites in Safari can use your device's camera, location, and microphone. In Settings –> Safari, select each option in the Settings for Websites section, then choose either "Ask," which will ask you every time a site wants access, or "Deny," to block all access to all sites. I'd recommend using "Ask" as the primary option, then choose "Deny" for sites you don't want to give access to whenever they ask for permission.

• More Info: How to Customize Camera, Microphone, and Location Permissions for Specific Websites

5. Reset Safari's Experimental Settings

While not a massive issue for most people, I'd also recommend keeping the switches in Settings –> Safari –> Advanced –> Experimental Features set to the defaults. Messing with these preferences could reduce web privacy without you knowing it. Luckily, if your iPhone or iPad is updated to iOS 15.4 or iPadOS 15.4 and later, you can reset everything with a tap of a button.

• More Info: How to Reset Safari's Experimental Features to the Defaults to Fix or Troubleshoot Browsing Issues

6. Use iCloud Private Relay

Apple has a new privacy feature in iOS 15 called iCloud Private Relay, which lets you hide your IP address and browsing activity in Safari. When enabled, it sends your traffic through two different relays, allowing only your internet service provider and Apple to know your actual IP address.

Normally when you browse the web, information contained in your web traffic, such as your DNS records and IP address, can be seen by your network provider and the websites you visit. This information could be used to determine your identity and build a profile of your location and browsing history over time. iCloud Private Relay is designed to protect your privacy by ensuring that when you browse the web in Safari, no single party — not even Apple — can see both who you are and what sites you're visiting. When Private Relay is enabled, your requests are sent through two separate, secure internet relays. Your IP address is visible to your network provider and to the first relay, which is operated by Apple. Your DNS records are encrypted, so neither party can see the address of the website you're trying to visit. The second relay, which is operated by a third-party content provider, generates a temporary IP address, decrypts the name of the website you requested and connects you to the site. All of this is done using the latest internet standards to maintain a high-performance browsing experience while protecting your privacy. — Apple

Unfortunately, iCloud Private Relay only works if you subscribe to an iCloud+ plan. You can get an iCloud+ subscription from $0.99 per month to $9.99 per month. Access to iCloud+ is also included in Apple One plans, costing $14.95 per month to $29.95 per month.

• 50 GB iCloud+ = $0.99/month
• 200 GB iCloud+ = $2.99/month
• 2 TB iCloud+ = $9.99/month
• Apple One Individual with 50 GB iCloud+ = $14.95/month
• Apple One Family with 200 GB iCloud+ = $19.95/month
• Apple One Premier with 2 TB iCloud+ = $29.95/month

To turn on iCloud Private Relay, go to Settings –> [Your Name] –> iCloud –> Private Relay (Beta). Then, toggle on the Private Relay (Beta) switch. Once enabled, you can tap "IP Address Location" to tell Safari to use your general IP address location or only give out your country and time zone.

The service is still in beta, so you may experience bugs such as showing the wrong regional content or requiring extra steps to log in. If you have any issues, turning the service off and back on seems to solve most problems. For example, I got human verification prompts on Google when browsing and searching on the web, but they stopped once I turned iCloud Private Relay off and back on.

7. Change Your DNS Servers

A website's real URL is actually an IP address. DNS servers are how your computer translates URLs, or Domain Names, into the website's IP address. By default, your iPhone uses your internet service provider's DNS server to make that translation happen.

But running each website you access through your ISP could have some privacy implications. Some DNS servers allow you to block malicious websites, and it's very likely that your ISP's DNS server does not. Additionally, changing your DNS server could slightly speed up your browsing experience.

If you decide to change your DNS servers, not only will your Safari browsing activity will be affected, but all activity on your iPhone will go through the new servers.

There are several different DNS server options to choose from. Popular ones include 1.1.1.1 by Cloudflare and APNIC, OpenDNS by Cisco, Public DNS by Google, and Quad9 by the Quad9 Foundation. I'm using 1.1.1.1's four servers in my example because they're excellent for privacy.

• 1.1.1.1 (IPv4 address)
• 1.0.0.1 (IPv4 address)
• 2606:4700:4700::1111 (IPv6 address)
• 2606:4700:4700::1001 (IPv6 address)

Changing DNS Servers Over Wi-Fi:

• Go to Settings –> Wi-Fi.
• Tap the info (i) button next to your Wi-Fi network.
• Tap "Configure DNS."
• Change "Automatic" to "Manual."
• Delete the DNS servers currently there.
• Tap "Add Server."
• Add one of the IP addresses.
• Delete any Search Domains that appear.
• Tap "Save" to finish.

Changing DNS Servers Over a Cellular Network:

Changing your iPhone's DNS servers over a cellular network is more complicated since Apple doesn't supply any direct settings for it. You could create an MDM payload profile, but that's a lot more effort than it's worth. Several different apps allow you to install pseudo VPNs that change your DNS servers. Some of them even allow "native iOS" DNS server changing.

The easiest way to do it with Cloudflare and APNIC's servers is by using the 1.1.1.1 app, which is free to install and use as a DNS tunnel. You do not need to pay for WARP+ to use 1.1.1.1. It's also worth noting that if you install 1.1.1.1, you do not need to change your Wi-Fi's DNS servers, but it won't hurt anything if you do.

8. Use Content Blockers

You can hide your IP address from trackers and prevent cross-site trackers, as seen in tip 3 above, but some trackers will seep through the cracks. That's when content blockers become helpful. While Safari Extensions are new to iPhone and iPad as of iOS 15 and iPadOS 15, content blockers have been available since iOS 9.

Most content blockers available in the App Store will block tracking scripts in addition to advertisements. However, if you'd like to support the websites you visit by not blocking their ads, you can disable ad-blocking on most content blockers without disabling tracker prevention.

Some Popular Content Blockers:

• Hush Nag Blocker (free)
• MobiWall (free)
• Adblock Plus (free)
• Adblock One (free)
• AdGuard Pro ($9.99)
• View our Safari Extensions overview for more options.

9. Use a Different Search Engine

Most of you probably use Google's search engine in Safari, which will store your history, IP address, and other user information. For more privacy, you can switch to another search engine like DuckDuckGo, which never stores your history. To switch, go to Settings –> Safari –> Search Engine, and choose "DuckDuckGo."

10. Use a More Private Browser

While Safari has many privacy-centric features on iOS and iPadOS, some third-party browsers go above and beyond them for even more privacy. And as of iOS 14, using a third-party browser is less obnoxious than it used to be because you can make your iPhone or iPad use it as the default over Safari. That means any links you tap on will open in your chosen browser instead of Safari.

• More Info: How to Change Your Default Browser in iOS 14 from Safari to Chrome, Firefox, Edge, or Another App

DuckDuckGo Privacy Browser is a good option because of its Privacy Protection, which offers a built-in tracker blocker, social media blocker, and more. It also gives every website a privacy grade before and after Privacy Protection is enabled, doesn't store your searches, and offers a Fire button that torches your history and cookies for the session. You can even auto-clear data whenever the app restarts.

Other big-name privacy-focused browsers for iPhone and iPad include Brave Private Web Browser, Firefox Focus, and Tor-compatible options such as Onion Browser and Private TOR + VPN Browser. Now, keep in mind that all iOS browsers use WebKit's rendering engine, so third-party browsers are like skins with additional benefits. Some developers are trying to make Apple allow other engines on iOS and iPadOS, but it's unlikely to happen.

Some Popular Privacy Browsers:

• Brave Private Web Browser (free)
• Cake Web Browser (free)
• DuckDuckGo Privacy Browser (free)
• Firefox Focus: Privacy browser (free)
• Neeva Browser & Search Engine (free)
• Onion Browser (free)
• Private TOR + VPN Browser (free, except for VPN)

If you changed your DNS servers (see tip 6 above), the new servers will still work if you choose to use another browser. However, you cannot use any content blockers (see tip 7 above) with other browsers.

11. Use a Virtual Private Network (VPN)

The most popular way to keep yourself private while browsing is by using a Virtual Private Network, making it harder for anyone to monitor, track, or intercept your web traffic.

VPNs encrypt all of your outgoing internet traffic while you use public networks, giving you a secure, private tunnel for not only your web browsing but for any internet traffic to and from your iPhone or iPad. It's essential on public Wi-Fi networks where hackers may be lurking. Your IP address is hidden, you can avoid geolocation blocks, and your web traffic is obfuscated so that it seems like you're not using a VPN.

Free VPNs are not recommended because they offer the bare minimum protection, so you'll have to find one that you can afford and has a good privacy policy. CyberGhost was selected by Gadget Hacks a few years ago as the best "no-logs" VPN app , but there are others that are definitely worth a subscription, such as KeepSolid Unlimited VPN .

Some Popular VPNs for iPhone and iPad:

• VPN by CyberGhost - WiFi Proxy (requires a subscription)
• VPN - ExpressVPN: Fast & Safe (requires a subscription)
• NordVPN: VPN Fast & Secure (requires a subscription)
• VyprVPN: VPN & online privacy (requires a subscription)
• VPN Unlimited - IP changer app (requires a subscription — sale available )

Just updated your iPhone? You'll find new emoji, enhanced security, podcast transcripts, Apple Cash virtual numbers, and other useful features. There are even new additions hidden within Safari. Find out what's new and changed on your iPhone with the iOS 17.4 update.

Be the First to Comment

Share your thoughts, how to : 10 features coming to apple news on your iphone with ios 17.5 — including some big ones, how to : customize and use control center on your iphone for quick access to your most-used apps, features, and settings, how to : apple has a killer new word game puzzle called quartiles hiding on ios 17.5, warning : sensitive info you black out in images can be revealed with a few quick edits on your iphone, how to : dial these secret codes to see if someone is hijacking calls & texts on your iphone, how to : 24 new features and changes coming to your iphone with ios 17.5, how to : make siri say whatever you want every time you connect your iphone to a charger, how to : keep your night vision sharp with the iphone's hidden red screen, how to : clear your frequently used and recent emoji from your iphone's keyboard, how to : the easiest way to secretly record someone's conversation with your iphone, how to : the simple way to stop your iphone from sending unwanted audio messages, how to : 34 new features and changes for your iphone on ios 17.4, how to : 15 hidden imessage features for iphone you probably didn't know about, how to : see your iphone's actual signal strength for cellular reception, how to : can't double click to install here's how to download apps & use apple pay on the iphone x, how to : permanently delete text messages on your iphone, how to : scroll hands-free through long webpages on your iphone to read articles at the perfect pace, how to : blur faces and text in videos with this free, easy-to-use video editing app for iphone, how to : set app limits on your iphone to restrict all-day access to games & other addictive apps, how to : add unsupported cards and passes to apple wallet for quick, easy access on your iphone.

• All Features
• All Hot Posts

How-To Geek

4 ways to open a private safari tab on iphone and ipad.

Hide your activity quickly and easily!

Quick Links

Use the drop-down on safari's toolbar, use the pages button on safari's toolbar, use 3d touch or haptic touch, say a siri command.

Private Browsing mode in Safari lets you view sites without adding anything to your history on your iPhone and iPad. Here are four different ways to open a private tab in Safari when you need it.

When you use a private tab, Safari doesn't store your browsing history, AutoFill your information, suggest recent searches, or save cookies once you close the tab.

With  iOS 15 and iPadOS 15  arrived several changes, including how you can use private browsing mode in Safari . That said, there are easier and lesser-known ways to quickly open a private tab in Safari on your iPhone or iPad.

Related: How Private Browsing Works, and Why It Doesn't Offer Complete Privacy

To get started, open Safari on your iPhone or iPad. On the iPhone, tap the "Pages" button (cascading squares icon) in the bottom-right corner.

You'll see a windows or webpages management screen with the grid of thumbnails representing the open tabs. The toolbar at the bottom will show the "Tab Groups" option with a drop-down button next to it. Tap the drop-down button.

Select the "Private" option from the menu that pops up to switch to the private browsing mode.

Select the "+" icon in the bottom-left to open a new private tab. Or tap "Done" in the bottom-left corner if you're opening a private tab for the first time.

On the iPad, you'll need to tap the "Sidebar" option on the upper-left corner.

When the sidebar panel slides open, choose the "Private" option to turn on the private browsing mode and open a new private tab.

Related: How to Always Start Any Browser in Private Browsing Mode

A quick way to open a private tab in Safari is to use the "Pages" button on the bottom toolbar on your iPhone.

Fire up Safari. Long-press or hard-press the "Pages" button (cascading squares icon).

Select the "New Private Tab" option with a hand icon next to it from the menu that pops up.

You'll need to follow the same method on the iPad by tapping the "Pages" button (four squares) in the top-right corner and then select "New Private Tab."

Related: How to Open Chrome's Incognito Mode with a Keyboard Shortcut

You can open a private tab directly from the Safari app icon using the hard-press or long-press gesture powered by  3D Touch or Haptic Touch feature. The 3D Touch is available only on the older (pre-iPhone 11) modes.

Long-press or hard-press the Safari app icon on the homescreen.

Select "New Private Tab" from the menu that pops up.

Follow the same on the iPad.

The iPhone models from iPhone 6s to iPhone X (including XS) support 3D Touch. All iPhone models from iPhone XR and higher support Haptic Touch.

Another neat method to launch a private tab in Safari is to use Siri commands on your iPhone and iPad. This method works if you have the "Listen For 'Hey Siri'" option enabled from the Settings app.

While your iPhone or iPad is unlocked, say "Hey Siri" and ask it to open a private Safari tab. Here's an example of what you can ask Siri:

• Open a private tab in Safari

That's it! Have fun opening the private tab quickly in Safari on iPhone and iPad.

Related: How to Set Up and Use "Hey Siri" on iPhone and iPad

How to Use Safari Private Browsing on iPhone or iPad

It’s very easy to use Private Browsing in Safari on your Mac. Click File > New Private Window .   It is not immediately obvious how you do it on an iPad or iPhone. (The screenshots are from an iPad running iOS 13, but it works the same on phone too.) When activated, Private Browsing means that Safari does not remember any pages you visit or your search history or AutoFill information once a tab is closed.

Safari Private Browsing on iPhone or iPad

Then tap the button labeled Private.

That then gets highlighted.

The menu bar is darkened when you’re in private browsing mode, and there is a note informing you too.

To stop using Private Browsing Mode, repeat these steps once again. You will notice the message goes and the address bar has a white background.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

• Charlotte Henry

• Apple Watch
• Accessories
• Digital Magazine – Subscribe
• Digital Magazine – Log In
• Smart Answers
• New iPad Air
• iPad mini 7
• Next Mac Pro
• Best Mac antivirus
• Best Mac VPN

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn't affect our editorial independence .

How to browse privately and avoid persistent tracking on a Mac, iPhone, and iPad

Say you find yourself using the Web on a strange computer—maybe one owned by a relative or friend, or in a library or school. When using a computer or other device that you don’t control, you can enable a private-browsing mode to prevent leaving traces of your activities. That’s good for accidental security, as it keeps the next user of the device from visiting a site with your credentials, set in a cookie or via a login, when they didn’t intend to. This an even better idea for shared computers where the subsequent user is someone you don’t know.

Likewise, you can set someone else up with private browsing on your Mac, so that they don’t have access to your settings (guest mode in Chrome) or can’t change your settings (all modes), although browsers don’t let you “lock” a browser into that mode. You get better protection by setting up a different user account on a desktop Mac or using the guest account option described next.

Each browser’s privacy mode is a little different, so I’ll go through what kinds of data each destroys after a session and how to drop into the mode in each browser. As a general rule, while browsers in a private mode don’t keep a list of downloaded files, those files do persist on your drive after a browsing session is over.

Private browsing doesn’t precisely help with anonymity, or keeping your identity difficult to determine for a website on the other end or another party able to snoop your actions at some distant end point. It can, however, prevent sites from effectively depositing tracking cookies and other nasty elements, because when the private browsing session is over, everything associated that’s cached is supposed to be dumped.

Guest user account

In macOS, the best path of action is to log in as a guest user before using a Web browser. This special kind of account let someone hand their computer over to you (or vice versa) without needing providing any access to their own stuff. When you log in as guest, macOS creates a temporary account with its own settings. When the guest logs out, the entire account’s data get destroyed, which is an effective way to ensure privacy.

Visit the Users & Groups system preference pane, click the lock, enter credentials for an administrative account, and click Guest User in the list on the left. Then make sure Allow Guests to Log in to This Computer is checked.

The Guest user in macOS lets you provide limited access to someone and deletes all associated data when that user logs out.

You can apply restrictions to the guest account by checking the box for Parental Controls, but only if FileVault is turned off. With FileVault full-disk encryption enabled, a guest user can only access Safari. (A bug in macOS lets you check the Enable Parental Controls box even with FileVault turned on.)

To get more access, the Mac’s owner could set up an account managed with Parental Controls. Parental Controls can be configured for another account from any administrative account via its preference pane. A managed account can be limited to running specific apps and either allowed to browse any website, barred from those deemed to be “adult,” or restricted to a limited set.

You can be sure no data is left behind in a macOS account by deleting it after use.

If you’re concerned about leaving a managed account set up after its use, macOS lets you delete the account’s files via Users & Groups. Click the lock icon and enter an administrative password, and then select an account and click the minus (-) sign. When prompted with “Are you sure…” opt for Delete the Home Folder and click Delete User .

Private Browsing in Safari for macOS and iOS

Apple isolates what it calls Private Browsing tabs from your regular browsing and from each other. Each tab can’t read information from other tabs. Apple doesn’t record autofill information entered or the pages you visit in a private browsing window. It prevents information leakage within the browser and through sync, too. It doesn’t pass pages through iCloud, so they don’t appear on other devices’ lists of open tabs, and Handoff doesn’t pass the open tab. Searches aren’t retained, and downloads in macOS aren’t shown in the Downloads list.

Turn to Safari for private browsing in iOS, but beware: tabs remain open when you exit the mode unless you close them one by one.

Safari for macOS also blocks reading browser cookies from your regular session and doesn’t store new ones after you close all private windows. Private browsing also blocks websites from using local storage options available via HTML5.

Apple’s detail about what happens in iOS is surprisingly thin. On its support site , the company notes, “Private Browsing protects your private information and blocks some websites from tracking your search behavior. Safari won’t remember the pages you visit, your search history, or your AutoFill information.” It would be nice for iOS details to have the same specificity as those provided for macOS, although in testing, they appear to be effectively the same.

In macOS, you create a Private Browsing window in Safari via File > New Private Window (Command-Shift-N). The new window and any subsequent private tabs you create have a dark background in the URL/search field at the top. Exiting private browser mode is a tab-by-tab operation; you can close an individual tab or a window full of private tabs.

In iOS, you tap the windows view button (which looks like two overlapping square) or, in some views, like iPhone landscape mode, you can pinch to get that view to appear. Tap the Private button, and it engages Private Browsing Mode. All tabs you open while in this mode are subject to the same privacy rules. Tap the Private button again to exit that browsing mode.

With iOS, you can’t merely exit the mode to destroy private browsing tabs. Instead, you have to bring up the windows view and close each tab one at a time. Otherwise, when you resume private browsing, the same tabs appear that you left open in your last private session.

Incognito in Chrome for macOS

Chrome offers both a guest mode and a private-browsing mode it calls Incognito. From the standpoint of the person who owns the Mac and is loaning it, guest mode is better, because it keeps your bookmarks and other data private.

Chrome’s mobile apps have Incognito mode too, but not guest mode.

For both kinds of private browsing, Chrome doesn’t store browser history information, which includes URLs, text on the page, and the IP address of pages that are linked from websites you visit—Chrome engages in some look-ahead prefetching and other behavior in normal operation to speed up browsing. It also omits snaphots of pages you visit, doesn’t share existing cookies, and it deletes any cookies it receives when you close all guest windows or Incognito windows.

To start a guest or Incognito session:

• To browse as a guest, click the name in the upper-right corner of a Chrome window, and then choose Guest from the list. Guest windows don’t pull in any information from existing Chrome profiles, like autofill or bookmark data.
• To browse Incognito, select New > New Incognito Window (Command-Shift-N). Saved passwords and suggestions based on browsing history will still appear.

Close all tabs or the entire Incognito or guest window to exit and dump data that’s temporarily retained.

Private Browsing in Firefox for macOS

Firefox’s Private Browsing has the best disclosures about precisely what it does and doesn’t retain. It omits adding visited pages anywhere, doesn’t store values entered in form fields, ignores newly entered passwords, won’t update file-download lists, and only retains cookies for the duration of the session. It also doesn’t store cached files or other data after the session ends. This mode does let the user create new bookmarks, however.

Firefox’s Private Browsing mode has a crisp list of what’s excluded from permanent storage.

To create a Private Browsing window, select New > New Private Window (Command-Shift-P).

Keep it secret, keep it partially safe

Using guest accounts and private browsing helps you prevent your surfing and your settings from commingling with others’ on computers or iPads you might use in passing, while also helping to ensure that someone else can’t scan back to see what you were up to later or access your accounts.

In a future column, I’ll look into anonymous browsing, which helps deter other people from discerning your actions from afar.

Author: Glenn Fleishman , Senior Contributor

Glenn Fleishman ’s most recent books include Take Control of iOS and iPadOS Privacy and Security , Take Control of Calendar and Reminders , and Take Control of Securing Your Mac . In his spare time, he writes about printing and type history . He’s a senior contributor to Macworld , where he writes Mac 911.

Recent stories by Glenn Fleishman:

• How to pay even more safely with Apple Cash
• How to take advantage of Preview’s form-filling helper in macOS
• How to simplify AirDrop transfers by using proximity

How to Browse Anonymously on iOS

Many of us are becoming more and more concerned about having our online activities tracked.

Many of us are becoming more and more concerned about having our online activities tracked. Some of us want to avoid a barrage of constant marketers and spam, while others want to dodge overzealous content blocking from their Internet service provider. Generally, though, most of us simply want to use the Internet as we please without our browsing being snooped on and logged by the authorities.

The default iOS web browser, Safari , usually tracks your web movements with cookies that enable you to quickly return to the pages and products you've looked at previously. It also saves your web history, which can be useful if you want to quickly return to a page you've visited before. You can use a Private version of Safari that doesn't track you in this way, as we show you below.

However, for complete privacy it's better to use a proxy server that can mask your real details. So here's how you can temporarily surf in secret in Safari, and how to use the Tor network and the Onion web browser to surf stealthily all the time.

Stay Anonymous in Safari

1. Delete Yourself

If you're worried about someone checking the websites you've visited, delete your Safari browsing history by tapping Settings > Safari > Clear History and also Clear Cookies and Data. Next, tap Advanced > Website Data, and tap Remove All Website Data. To stop your web use from being snooped on, use a private browsing session. Launch Safari, tap the tabs button, then hit the Private button.

2. A Private Session

A "Close All Tabs?" query box appears. Tap either Close All or Keep All, depending on whether you want to return to those pages later. When you surf in Private mode in Safari, web pages are distinguished with a black URL bar. Otherwise, browse the web as normal. Tap Private again to revert to standard web browsing. You'll get a prompt about keeping tabs for sites you've just visited.

Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox

Get the hottest deals available in your inbox plus news, reviews, opinion, analysis and more from the TechRadar team.

3. Lose Trackers

Safari has a Do Not Track setting you can switch on permanently, as well as an option to limit the amount that your web browsing is logged. In Settings, tap Safari > Privacy & Security and turn on Do Not Track. Not all advertisers respect it, but this will stop some of them tracking you. We recommend you turn on Limit Ad Tracking and reset the Advertising Identifier under Settings > Privacy > Advertising.

4. Limit Trackers

Apps that don't really require your location often collect it to help advertisers target ads. You can turn off Location Services in Settings > Privacy > Location Services, but this is a bit drastic. Instead, switch off apps individually in the Location Services screen. Tap System Services at the bottom and switch off Diagnostics & Usage, Location-Based iAds and Popular Near Me. Finally, tap the Status Bar Icon to On.

5. See What Tracks You

Although lots of services log what you do online, the purpose of this tracking varies greatly. To see what web trackers are active, install the free Ghostery app from the App Store. This lets you block or allow trackers and analytics tools. Ghostery also includes the DuckDuckGo search engine. Tap the blue Ghostery tool icon in the browser to select View All Trackers, Block All Trackers, and so on.

Hide Your Location and Surf in Secret

Install Onion Browser ($0.99 from the App Store), tap to launch it and allow it to connect to the Tor network. The initial connection will take up to a minute.

B. Spoofing Your IP Address

Connect your device to check.torproject.org and you'll get a message confirming that your web surfing is now being routed through it. You'll see a message showing the IP address your device now pretends to be using — this process is called "spoofing."

Current page: Page 1

This neat iPhone camera trick will let you take pictures using nothing but your voice

Apple Maps might finally get a much-requested feature in iOS 18

Enabot Ebo SE pet robot review: the catsitter I didn’t know I needed but can’t live without

Most Popular

• 2 A 30,000TB tower powered by a 70-year-old technology — Spectra Logic proves that data tape still has a place in an AI world with storage system that can handle thousands of LTO-9 tapes
• 3 Your aging Roku TV is about to get a beautiful, free update
• 4 You took amazing smartphone eclipse photos, but reminded me why I didn't use Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra's 100x Space Zoom
• 5 7 new movies and TV shows to stream on Netflix, Prime Video, Max, and more this weekend (April 12)
• 2 The real total eclipse was better than the pics I shot with my iPhone 15 Pro Max and DSLR, and believe me I tried
• 3 I tested the Google Pixel’s Long Exposure photo mode – and it’s another reason to leave my pro mirrorless camera at home
• 4 New OLED TVs are brighter than ever – here’s what that means for LCD's future
• 5 Visible Plus is one of the best cheap cell phone plans - and it just got even better

How to browse the web privately in Safari

Use Safari’s private browsing mode to surf the internet without having all of your information tracked and recorded. Private browsing prompts Safari to block websites from tracking your search behavior. The browser won’t remember any webpages you visit and your search history won’t get logged. Follow along with us to learn how to open Safari in private browsing mode on your iPhone, iPad and Mac.

How private browsing mode works

Browsing the internet in Safari’s private-browsing mode strengthens your online privacy. When surfing the web privately, website tracking is limited and none of your browsing history or login information is saved. This prevents others with have access to your device to view a list of websites you visited. Read: How to turn off Safari website tinting

Browsing certain websites privately in Safari ensures that those histories don’t pop up in everyone’s faces. For instance, you may want to perform a web search incognito or browse adult websites privately. As mentioned, private tabs don’t appear in Safari’s history. And to boost your privacy even further, private tabs also won’t show up in the list of synced tabs on your other devices.

• Private browsing : Private browsing won’t remember your search history, show the pages you visit or reveal any automatically filled passwords. Private browsing also blocks some websites from tracking your search behavior.
• Regular browsing : Public browsing isn’t private so it will in fact record your browsing and searching history, as well as your Autofill information like saved passwords.

Of course, Safari allows you to manually clear your browsing history and website data, including cookies, at any time. But with private browsing mode, you don’t need to do that because nothing gets remembered in the first place.

How to use private browsing in Safari for iPhone

To open a new private browsing tab on your iPhone or iPod touch, you must choose the Private tab group from the browser’s New Tab screen.

• Open Safari on your iPhone or iPod touch with iOS 15.0 or later.
• Touch the New Page  icon in the bottom-right corner.
• Hit “ ⌄ ” in the center of the tab bar at the bottom of the screen, then choose Private.
• Touch  Done to start browsing the web privately.

When in private browsing mode, Safari appears black or dark instead of white or gray. Specifically, the URL field turns gray and uses white text. You will also see a message near the top of the private window saying “Private Browsing Mode”.

When opening multiple private tabs, Safari nests them under a group titled “Private”.

To close a single private tab, hit the New Page icon to get thumbnails of all your private tabs, then swipe left each of the private tabs you wish to close. To exit private browsing mode, first touch the New Page button in the bottom-right corner, then choose Private . Now simply select a different, non-private tab group and then hit Done  in order to switch to it.

How to use private browsing in Safari for iPad

Entering private browsing mode in Safari for iPad requires bringing the browser’s sidebar into view. The sidebar includes all the private tab options you need.

• Open Safari on your iPad with iPadOS 15.0 or later.
• Hit the sidebar icon near the top-left corner to open the Safari sidebar.
• From the Safari sidebar on the lefthand side, choose the option labeled Private .

Doing so creates a new tab in a group dubbed “Private”. You can open multiple private tabs in this tab group. Private tabs don’t leave traces in the Safari history nor do they appear in the list of tabs on your other devices.

To hide your private tabs and exit private browsing mode, switch to a different tab group from the Safari sidebar. Don’t worry, any open private tabs you have will reappear the next time you invoke the private browsing mode.

Forcing mobile Safari to always open in private mode

Unfortunately, Apple hasn’t provided a toggle in iOS/iPadOS to force Safari to always open in private browsing mode similar to macOS Monterey. Thankfully, there’s a simple trick that’ll let you do just that.

The trick is in creating a new private tab like you normally would and leaving it intact when you exit Safari. Doing so makes your private tabs persist across sessions, with Safari automatically showing your private tabs the next time you launch the browser.

If you exit private mode though, the next tab you open won’t be private. Safari will default to opening private windows each time you launch it.

How to use private browsing in Safari for Mac

You can open a new private browsing window in Safari on your Mac either by leveraging a dedicated menu option or invoking a special keyboard shortcut.

• Open Safari on your Mac
• Click Safari’s File menu, then choose New Private Window .

Doing so creates a new private window that has dark-colored borders, with the URL field set against the white text to distinguish it from regular Safari windows. You will also see a message near the top of the private window saying “Private Browsing Enabled”.

To open a private window faster, hit Shift (⇧) – Command (⌘) – N on the keyboard.

Forcing desktop Safari to always open with a private window

You can also force Safari for Mac to automatically launch in private browsing mode.

• Open Safari on your Mac.
• Click the Safari menu, then choose  Preferences .
• In the Safari preferences window, select the  General  tab.
• Click the menu next to  Safari opens with , then choose  A new private window .

Safari will default to opening in private browsing mode each time it’s launched.

A support document on the Apple website instructs people who don’t see this option to tick  Close windows when quitting an app  in  System Preferences → General .

To close the current private window, simply close it. Switching to a non-private Safari window or opening one will also turn off private browsing temporarily until you click the private window again. Apple advises closing all private windows when you’re done using Safari’s private browsing mode in order to prevent other people from clicking Safari’s back and forward buttons to see pages you visited in the private windows.

What private browsing mode in Safari actually does

Wondering what all of the features of Safari’s private browsing mode are? Apple notes in support documents for Safari for iPhone , iPad and Mac that all of the following are true:

• All of your tabbed windows are isolated from one another, so none of the websites that are open in your private window can see what other websites you might have open in the same window.
• All of your login sessions and AutoFill information will be forgotten the next time the web browser is used.
• Any of the webpages that you have open are kept out of iCloud so that other devices won’t have access to any of the webpages you have open in the private browsing window. Also, your recent searches won’t appear as suggestions when typing a search phrase into the URL field.
• All of your search results from searches performed in a private browsing window are hidden and not stored.
• Anything you download while in the private browsing window is not saved in your download history (downloaded items still end up in your Downloads folder or designated download location).
• Private windows are not passed to other devices when Handoff is turned on.
• All websites you visit are asked not to track you and Safari won’t remember cookie information from your current private browsing window when you begin your next browsing session.
• Any plug-ins you have installed will also be limited to tracking your information from the private browsing window.

Use private browsing to surf the web anonymously

Your online privacy is important, and you should never give it up!

Most people won’t want to do all their web surfing privately. Browsing the internet publicly has its advantages, like better website personalization, the ability to view your browsing history and so forth. Read: How to reverse Safari’s polarizing redesign in iOS 15

Browsing certain websites privately in Safari ensures that those histories don’t pop up in everyone’s faces. Private browsing is useful even if you’re the only user of your device because you never know when you’ll be sharing a screen with someone in the future when you go surfing the web. For instance, you may wanna prevent others from knowing what you were looking up in the past such as when you were shopping for the holidays.

So whenever you feel like hiding all traces of your online activity in Safari, remember to switch to the private browsing mode before doing any web surfing.

• Accessories
• Wearable Tech
• Wi-Fi and Networking
• Entertainment
• Small Business
• Digital Magazine
• Smart Answers
• Best Phones
• Best Budget Phones
• Best Tablets
• Best Budget Tablets
• Best Air Fryers
• Best Robot Vacuums
• Best Electric Toothbrushes

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn't affect our editorial independence .

How to browse anonymously on iPhone & iPad

As technology moves forward and the internet becomes an even bigger part of our lives, many of us are worried about our privacy online. We’re going to show you how to keep your browsing anonymous on your iPhone or iPad, so you can moving through the internet safe in the knowledge that no one is watching your movements.

If you’re looking to avoid the aggressive marketing tactics where the same advertisement seems to chase you around the internet, or if you’re trying to access content that has been blocked by your ISP for whatever reason, we’ve got some solutions for you.

How to browse anonymously on your iPhone or iPad

First things first, we’re going to make sure all the settings on your phone are optimised for your privacy.

Head into your Settings, then go into Safari.

At the bottom of the page, you’ll find a bank of settings called Privacy & Security. There are a number of settings here that you’ll want to enable, including ‘Ask Websites Not To Track Me’, ‘Prevent Cross-Site Tracking’ and ‘Fraudulent Website Warning’.

You’ll also find an option here to ‘Clear History and Website Data’, which you can hit if you’re concerned about other people checking up on your phone physically.

You’ll also find a sneaky option where you can enable limited ad tracking, this will be under Settings > Privacy > Advertising. Turn that one on too.

When you’re done browsing, make sure you close all your tabs in Safari too. You can do this by tapping the pages icon at the bottom right of your screen, which will display all your open tabs. Close them all to ensure the next person that uses the phone can’t just stumble across something you were looking at.

If you’re curious to see what is tracking you, you can download an App called Ghostery from the app store. This will allow you to see and block anything you don’t want watching you.

Get yourself a VPN

A virtual private network, or VPN , will keep you anonymous online. Websites won’t be able to track you, as you will appear from a different location in the world.

When you connect to a VPN, a private tunnel is created that will keep your data encrypted. You can then access the internet through this server, and you can even select where in the world you’d like to appear from. So while you might be sitting in your bedroom in London, to the wider internet you can be in Berlin, Boston or Buenos Aires at your preference.

This is also especially good if you want to access the US version of Netflix. You can turn your VPN on, select a server in the USA, and Netflix will then believe you’re there. You’re then free to enjoy US content that wouldn’t otherwise be available in the UK (for whatever reason).

This may sound complicated, but VPN services such as NordVPN are designed to be extremely user friendly. You can download and set one up in a matter of moments, and they will cost you less than the price of a cup of coffee per month.

VPNoverview.com Privacy Anonymous Browsing Everything You Need to Know About Safari Private Browsing

Everything You Need to Know About Safari Private Browsing

Ever wondered what Safari Private Browsing does exactly? Chances are it might not be giving you the level of online privacy you expect. Safari Private Browsing does have some perks, including:

• 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.

Below, you’ll find more information on how to use Safari Private Browsing on all your Apple devices, as well as more details on how this incognito mode does and doesn’t protect your privacy.

If you use a Mac, iPhone, or iPad, then chances are you’ve encountered Safari Private Browsing before. Whether you’re shopping for a partner’s gift or want to snoop on a long-lost colleague’s LinkedIn, there are many reasons why you might want to use private mode in Safari.

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?

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.

• Open “ Finder ,” then search for “ Terminal ” in the search bar.
• Run the  Terminal  application.
• Paste the following text into the Terminal and hit enter: sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder

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:

• Their personal data
• Their browsing activity

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

• 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 s top cookies from being stored on your browser and avoid hiked prices.

How to Go Incognito on Safari

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:

• Open Safari on your Mac.
• Click on “ File ” in the menu bar at the top of the screen.
• Select “ New Private Window .” This will open a new private tab, but you can open as many private tabs in your tab bar as you need.

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:

• Open  Safari on your phone.
• Tap on the “ Tabs ” button. That’s the two small squares in the bottom-right corner of your Safari window on iPhone.
• A new option called “Private” should appear.
• Tap “ Private ” and you’ll be taken to a blank screen confirming that you’re using Private Browsing Mode . You’ll notice that it’s using the same gray color scheme as Safari for Mac.
• Lastly, click on the small “ + ” (plus) icon to launch a private browsing window.

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:

• Tap on the “ Tabs ” button.
• Tap where it says “ X Tab(s) ” – this number will reflect the number of windows you have open.
• Tap “ Private .”
• Now, you’re in Private Browsing mode and can click the small “ + ” (plus) icon to launch a new private window.

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 :

• Make sure your active application is Safari, then select “ Safari ” from your Mac’s toolbar at the top of your screen. Click on “ Preferences ” next, which can also be accessed using the keyboard shortcut “ Command ” + “ , ” (that’s Command, plus a comma).
• Now, you should see the Privacy window for Safari. Click on the “ General ” tab.
• Next to “Safari opens with”, select “ A new private window ” from the drop-down list.

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:

• Open the “ Settings ” application.
• Scroll down until you see “ Safari ” and tap on that option.

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?

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:

• Choose a VPN provider and create an account. We recommend checking out our list of the best VPNs if this is new ground for you. Alternatively, ExpressVPN is a market-leading VPN provider that we’re always happy to recommend.
• Download and install  the VPN software onto your Mac. You can also download ExpressVPN for mobile on your iPhone. Other premium providers like NordVPN, CyberGhost, and Surfshark all offer really slick mobile apps for iOS, too.
• Log into your account , either in the desktop software or the mobile app.
• Choose a VPN server in a country of your choice. If you’re purely interested in online security, then the location you choose isn’t  too  important (though some will be faster than others). However, if you want to  save money on subscriptions , for example, you should give it some more thought.
• Connect to the VPN server . When you connect, you’ll be  changing your IP address to mirror the VPN server’s IP. It’s safe, legal ( in most countries ), and best of all, it’ll give you far greater online security than simply using Safari Private Browsing alone.

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

Do you want to know how to enable private browsing on Safari? Are you wondering how much privacy Safari Private Browsing actually gives you? You’ll find these answers and more in our frequently asked questions below.

To turn on Private Browsing in Safari for Mac, follow these simple steps:

• Make sure Safari is the active application that you’re using.
• Click on  File in the menu bar along the top of the screen.
• Click on  New Private Window to switch to private browsing mode.

To turn on Private Browsing in Safari for iPhone or iPad, the process is much the same:

• Open the  Safari application.
• Tap on the  Tabs icon (the two small squares in the lower-right corner of your screen).
• Tap on  Private to switch to private browsing.
• Click on the small  + (plus) icon to open a new private browsing tab.

Check out our full article for more information on Safari Private Browsing.

No. Safari Private Browsing, like any browser’s private mode, won’t protect you against a lot of online threats. Your IP address will still be visible to many third-party individuals and organizations. For example, your ISP will know what websites you’ve visited, and hackers could determine your location using your IP (though some private modes do limit location tracking). For true online privacy and anonymity, you’re safer using a VPN like ExpressVPN .

With Private Browsing, it’s more difficult for websites to track you, since cookies are cleared the moment you close the browser — but it’s not impossible. Your ISP (Internet Service Provider), employer, school, or college could still see your internet history . That is, unless you use a VPN along with the incognito mode.

Yes. The owner of an internet connection can absolutely check up on your browsing session if they have the right technical knowledge. Some routers can be set up to remember all URLs a device accesses. So, if you’re trying to fly under your parents’ radar, for example, they could potentially bust you using the family router, even if you’re exclusively using private browsing modes.

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.

Chris Bluvshtein Author

Senior journalist.

Chris is a tech journalist with many years’ experience covering online privacy and cybersecurity. He’s also a published author and works as a Product Manager for some of the most innovative software development companies.

Share this article

More articles from the anonymous browsing section.

Kanary Review (2024): A Cheap and Secure Data Removal Service

OneRep Review (2024): Can OneRep Protect Your Private Data?

The Best Data Removal Services (Personal Information Removal Made Easy)

Hi Chris , I’m finding while using private mode in safari my sound is being cut out and I have not been able to find a way to reconnect it. I use it on a iPad with a vpn and trend anti spam for protection as much as it can in private mode. I have not been able to find any reason as to why this is happening.

Hey Wayne, I've done a bit of digging, and I've found something that might be worth a try. It seems that recent versions of Safari have a built-in feature that can prevent audio from playing when you visit a website; it's enabled by default too. Give this a try and let me know if the issue goes away: 1. Open the Safari menu and click preferences 2. Click on the websites tab 3. Look for the setting: "When visiting other websites", which has a drop-down selection beside it 4. Change this setting so that it allows websites with media to play sound. You can alternatively add individual websites to this list if you'd rather have control over which ones can play sound by default.

Hi Chris Just tried your Terminal Commands, I am running macOS Monterey The Terminal Commands Below are not working dscacheutil -cachedump -entries Host dscacheutil -flushcache

You're right. Thank you for pointing it out to us! There is a new terminal command you'll now need instead: "sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder". We've adjusted the article to reflect this. Hope this helps!

Looking for a VPN?

Take a look at our overview of the most trustworthy, fast, and safe VPN services. Extensively tested by our experts.

Home » Tech Basics » iPhone and iPad » How to Browse Anonymously on iPhone or iPad

How to Browse Anonymously on an iPhone or iPad

Want to browse the Internet on your iPhone or iPad anonymously? Sometimes, you might not want your Internet browsing activity to be saved to your browser history – especially if you’re using a shared device. Luckily, there’s an easy way to surf the Internet privately and anonymously on an iPhone or iPad, and in this article, we’ll show you how to do it. Both iPhone and iPad run the same iOS operating system, so the instructions will work exactly the same for both. The images in this article are screenshots from an iPhone 6S running iOS 10.2.1.

To browse the Internet anonymously on iPhone or iPad

1. open the safari web browser app on your device..

The first step in anonymous browsing on your iOS device is to open up your web browser app.

2. Tap the square button in the bottom right corner of your screen.

This will allow you to see more options at the bottom of your screen.

3. In the bottom left corner, tap Private .

This will switch your Safari browser over to private browsing mode. Your browsing activity will not be saved to your browser history when using this mode. Once turned on, you’ll notice the border of the browser window turn from white to black.

4. Tap the Plus Sign at the bottom to open a new tab.

You can open a new page by tapping on the Plus Sign button. You can even have multiple tabs open at the same time.

5. Browse the web anonymously.

That’s it! You have your browser set to private mode, and you can now surf the Internet without your history being saved.

6. To return to your normal browser, tap the square button and Private again.

This way you can exit private browsing mode in case you don’t want anyone else knowing you were browsing the web anonymously.

Now that we’ve covered the instructions for how to browse privately, we have a few tips for you to keep in mind when using private browsing mode on your iPhone or iPad.

3 tips for anonymous browsing on iPhone or iPad

1. keep in mind that your internet provider, boss, etc. will still be able to see your browsing activity even if you use private browsing..

Even if you use private browser settings so that your history is not saved, your Internet provider will still be able to see your activity, and likely your boss can as well if you’re browsing at work. Having your iPhone/iPad browser set to private does not guarantee that nobody will know what you’ve looked at online.

2. Turn off auto-fill settings on your iPhone/iPad so your personal information won’t be saved to your browser.

To make sure that your iPhone/iPad doesn’t save information like credit card numbers, addresses, and passwords, make sure you have the “Auto-fill” setting turned off. You can access these settings by going to Settings > Safari > Auto-fill .

3. Set your browser back to normal when you’re finished browsing.

If you share your device with a family member and you don’t want them to see that you used private browsing, be sure to set it back to normal when you’re done browsing anonymously.

That’s all you need to know about how to surf the Internet anonymously on your iPhone or iPad. If you’d like to learn more about Internet privacy and safety, check out our free Internet privacy course and our Internet safety course . In these courses, we have more tutorials where you can learn how to browse privately on your desktop computer with Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Internet Explorer.

More Great Related Articles

How to Sync Messages from iPhone to Mac

How to Get iPhone Emojis on Android Devices

How to Print Text Messages from iPhone

How to Recover Deleted Text Messages on iPhone

• Entertainment
• Beebom Gadgets

How to Go Incognito in Safari on iPhone, iPad & Mac

How to Go Incognito in Safari on iPhone

3. Tap Done or the “+” button to open a new private tab in Safari. 

How to Exit Incognito Mode in Safari on iPhone

2. Tap [numbers] Tab to exit private browsing mode in Safari on iPhone.

How to Go Incognito in Safari on iPad

3. You will know that you’re browsing privately in Safari as the address bar will turn dark or black, and the buttons also turn black (instead of blue).

How to Exit Incognito Mode in Safari on iPad

How to Go Incognito in Safari on Mac

1. Open Safari and click on File in the menu bar at the top.

How to Make Incognito the Default Mode in Safari

If you are a privacy-concious user, you can choose to always start Safari in incognito mode for private browsing. When you do this, Safari is going to open a private window by default on your Mac. Here’s what you need to do:

How to Exit Private Browsing in Safari on Mac

Frequently Asked Questions

Beebom Staff

Bringing the latest in technology, gaming, and entertainment is our superhero team of staff writers. They have a keen eye for latest stories, happenings, and even memes for tech enthusiasts.

Privacy Protection: Ensuring the privacy of our online activities is of utmost importance. Opting for Utopia P2P web proxy as a private browsing solution is the best decision due to its advanced features and decentralized network, which provide comprehensive privacy protection.

Add new comment

How to use tabs and private browsing in Safari for iPhone and iPad

Become a tab master.

• How to open a new tab in Safari
• How to switch tabs in Safari
• How to close a tab in Safari
• How to view recently-closed tabs in Safari
• How to view websites from your other devices in Safari

How to use Tab Groups in Safari

• How to use private browsing in Safari

Tabs in Safari let you keep multiple web pages open so you can switch between them efficiently or refer back to them whenever you want. You can open links in new tabs, so you don't lose where you're currently surfing, and even go into Private Mode to give you some privacy on the internet.

Safari has been around for a couple of decades now, and there's a lot to learn — especially for power users. As a first-party app, there are some excellent iOS features Apple's browser can offer, and it integrates seamlessly with your other Apple devices, making it the best web-browser to navigate seamlessly between iPhone, iPad, and Mac. 

How to open a new tab in Safari on iPhone and iPad

Note: We have our Safari Tab Bar at the bottom of our iPhone screen, but all the steps in this guide work if you have yours at the top except from gesture-based manoeuvring. For more on moving the Safari address bar, check out our guide: How to change the Safari address bar on iPhone .

• Open Safari
• On an iPhone, tap the show pages icon in the bottom right of the screen (it looks like two squares). A quick swipe up from the Bottom Tab Bar on iOS 15 and newer gets you there even quicker.
• Tap the + button.

Alternatively, tap and hold the show pages icon, then tap New Tab . For those who like gestures, a quick swipe to the left on the Bottom Tab Bar opens a new tab while a swipe to the right goes back to your previous one. 

You can also open links you come across in a new tab by doing the following:

• Tap and hold (long press) the link you want to open in a new tab.
• Tap Open in New Tab (or Open in Background on iPad).

If you're on an iPad, you can open a link in a new window with Split Screen in Safari . Instead of tapping Open in Background, hit Open in Split Screen to have both tabs side by side -- great for when you're working on an essay for example.

How to switch tabs in Safari on iPhone and iPad

• On an iPhone, tap the show pages icon in the bottom right of the screen (it looks like two squares). On iPad, this looks like four squares and appears in the top right of the screen.
• Tap the tab you want to view.

You'll also benefit from Mac-like tab dividers beneath the URL field on the iPad's larger display. You can tap these to switch between tabs too.

Master your iPhone in minutes

iMore offers spot-on advice and guidance from our team of experts, with decades of Apple device experience to lean on. Learn more with iMore!

How to close a tab in Safari on iPhone and iPad

• Tap the X in the top right of a tab to close it. (You can also swipe the card to the left to throw it away).

While the above steps work on an iPad, it is easier to tap the X next to your tab in the toolbar to close it and save yourself an extra tap.

How to quickly close all tabs in Safari on iPhone and iPad

• On an iPhone, tap and hold the show pages icon in the bottom right of the screen (it looks like two squares). On iPad, this looks like four squares and appears in the top right of the screen.
• Tap Close All X Tabs .

How to view recently-closed tabs in Safari for iPhone and iPad

• On an iPhone, tap the show pages icon in the bottom right of the screen (it looks like two squares). On iPad, you can skip this step.
• Tap and hold the + button to bring up the Recently Closed Tabs menu.

How to view tabs open on your other devices in Safari on iPhone and iPad

Safari's iCloud Tabs feature lets you quickly and easily access web pages you've already opened in Safari on any of your other Apple devices — iPhones, iPads, or Macs. It's a very useful tool for getting the most out of your Apple ecosystem.

• On iPhone or iPad, tap the URL field in the Bottom Tab Bar .
• Scroll down to the bottom of the page to see tabs open on your other devices.
• Click on the tab you want to access from your other device.

Each device linked to your iCloud account is sorted alphabetically -- if you don't see your iPhone, iPad, or Mac make sure you sign in with the same Apple ID credentials across all devices. Note: tabs created in Private Browsing mode do not appear in iCloud Tabs, so you won't see those.

In iOS 16 , Apple improved upon Tab-Groups in Safari. Tab-Groups are a great way to combine several tabs together and organize them to make them easy to find. The feature also saves you from leaving a ton of tabs open for later reference.

We have a dedicated guide on how to use Tab Groups in Safari , so check that out to get the most out of the organizing tool. 

How to use private browsing in Safari on iPhone and iPad

Private browsing works just like regular browsing, except Safari won't cache your search terms or add the pages to your browser history -- this can be useful around the holiday period when gift shopping. Here's how to open private browsing on iPhone or iPad.

• Tap Private or New Private Tab .

To exit private browsing mode, press and hold the show pages icon and tap (number) Tabs to return to your previously open regular tabs.

You can also start and stop a private browsing section from the sidebar menu on the iPad.

Become a tab master

Using Safari on iPhone and iPad is similar to using Safari on Mac , however, the interface has some differences to account for smaller screens and touchscreen input. With the above guidance, you'll be well on your way to browsing Safari like a pro on your iOS devices making sure you're getting the best iPhone and best iPad experience possible.

John-Anthony Disotto is the How To Editor of iMore, ensuring you can get the most from your Apple products and helping fix things when your technology isn’t behaving itself. Living in Scotland, where he worked for Apple as a technician focused on iOS and iPhone repairs at the Genius Bar, John-Anthony has used the Apple ecosystem for over a decade and prides himself in his ability to complete his Apple Watch activity rings. John-Anthony has previously worked in editorial for collectable TCG websites and graduated from The University of Strathclyde where he won the Scottish Student Journalism Award for Website of the Year as Editor-in-Chief of his university paper. He is also an avid film geek, having previously written film reviews and received the Edinburgh International Film Festival Student Critics award in 2019.  John-Anthony also loves to tinker with other non-Apple technology and enjoys playing around with game emulation and Linux on his Steam Deck.

In his spare time, John-Anthony can be found watching any sport under the sun from football to darts, taking the term “Lego house” far too literally as he runs out of space to display any more plastic bricks, or chilling on the couch with his French Bulldog, Kermit. 

Apple's iOS 17.4 browser choice is under fire, despite increased adoption of third-party alternatives

Apple to issue iPhone update over unintentional Palestinian flag emoji Jerusalem reference

Want better iPhone photo quality without taking up lots of storage? You’re not using your 48MP camera properly unless you use this HEIF Max tip

Most Popular

• 2 Apple insider predicts company's M4 Mac lineup, and the Ultra is back
• 3 Apple doubles down on 8GB Macs despite calls to increase the base spec ahead of M4 devices
• 4 Apple's iOS 17.4 browser choice is under fire, despite increased adoption of third-party alternatives
• 5 Google is about to give iPhone owners a privacy and security headache as it prepares to shut down another key service

How To See Safari Private Browsing History

• Software & Applications
• Browsers & Extensions

Introduction

Private browsing has become an essential feature for many internet users seeking to maintain their online privacy. Whether you're using Safari on your Mac, iPhone, or iPad, the ability to browse the web without leaving a trace of your activity can be invaluable. However, there are instances where you may need to access your private browsing history for various reasons, such as revisiting a website you previously viewed or tracking down a lost link. In this comprehensive guide, we'll delve into the intricacies of Safari's private browsing mode and explore the methods for viewing your private browsing history on both Mac and iOS devices.

Understanding the nuances of private browsing in Safari is crucial for effectively managing your browsing history and ensuring that your privacy remains intact. By gaining insight into the functionality of private browsing, you can navigate the digital realm with confidence, knowing that your online activities are shielded from prying eyes. Whether you're a seasoned Safari user or a newcomer to the world of private browsing, this guide will equip you with the knowledge and tools necessary to navigate your private browsing history with ease.

As we embark on this journey through Safari's private browsing landscape, we'll uncover the steps required to access your private browsing history on Mac, iPhone, and iPad. Additionally, we'll provide valuable tips for managing your private browsing history, empowering you to maintain control over your digital footprint while harnessing the full potential of Safari's private browsing mode. Join us as we unravel the mysteries of private browsing history in Safari, empowering you to navigate the digital realm with confidence and privacy.

Understanding Private Browsing in Safari

Private browsing, also known as "Incognito" mode in other browsers, is a feature designed to allow users to browse the internet without leaving a trail of their online activities. When you engage private browsing in Safari, the browser does not store your browsing history, search history, or any information entered in forms. Additionally, any cookies, cache, or temporary files generated during the private browsing session are discarded once the session is closed.

It's important to note that while private browsing prevents the storage of your browsing history on the local device, it does not make you completely anonymous online. Your internet service provider, employer, or the websites you visit can still track your online activities. Private browsing is primarily intended to prevent the storage of browsing data on the local device and to maintain privacy from other users who may have access to the device.

When you open a private browsing window in Safari, it is visually distinguished from a regular browsing window. The browser interface typically adopts a darker theme, and a mask or "privacy" icon may be displayed to indicate that you are in private browsing mode. This visual cue serves as a reminder that your browsing activity during this session will not be saved locally.

One of the key benefits of private browsing in Safari is the ability to conduct research, access sensitive accounts, or explore content without affecting your regular browsing history or stored data. This can be particularly useful when using a shared computer or when you simply want to prevent certain websites from appearing in your browsing history.

It's important to remember that private browsing does not provide complete anonymity or protection from online tracking. If you require a higher level of privacy and security, additional measures such as using a virtual private network ( VPN ) or specialized privacy-focused browsers may be necessary.

By understanding the principles and limitations of private browsing in Safari, you can make informed decisions about when and how to utilize this feature to safeguard your online privacy while navigating the digital landscape.

Viewing Safari Private Browsing History on Mac

Accessing your private browsing history in Safari on a Mac involves navigating through the browser's settings to reveal the hidden records of your private browsing sessions. While private browsing is designed to leave no trace of your online activities, there are methods to uncover the history from these sessions.

Accessing Private Browsing History: To view the private browsing history in Safari on a Mac, you can follow these steps:

• Open Safari on your Mac.
• In the menu bar at the top of the screen, click on "History."
• From the drop-down menu, select "Show History." Alternatively, you can use the keyboard shortcut Command + Y.

Identifying Private Browsing Sessions: Once the history window opens, you can identify the private browsing sessions by looking for entries with the label "Private Browsing" and the date and time of the session. These entries represent the websites visited during private browsing sessions and are distinct from the regular browsing history.

Browsing and Managing Private History: You can scroll through the private browsing history to revisit specific websites or search for particular entries. Additionally, you have the option to clear individual entries or the entire private browsing history by right-clicking on the desired item and selecting "Delete" or "Clear History" from the "History" menu.

Understanding Limitations: It's important to note that the private browsing history in Safari on a Mac is only accessible from the local device and is not synced across your iCloud account or other devices. This means that the private browsing history can only be viewed on the specific Mac where the private browsing sessions occurred.

By following these steps, you can effectively access and manage your private browsing history in Safari on your Mac, providing you with the ability to revisit websites from previous private browsing sessions and maintain control over your browsing records.

Understanding how to view the private browsing history on your Mac empowers you to navigate your digital footprint with confidence, ensuring that you can access the information you need while maintaining control over your browsing history.

Viewing Safari Private Browsing History on iPhone or iPad

Accessing your private browsing history in Safari on an iPhone or iPad requires a slightly different approach compared to viewing it on a Mac. While private browsing is designed to leave no trace of your online activities, there are methods to uncover the history from these sessions on your iOS device.

To view the private browsing history in Safari on your iPhone or iPad, you can follow these steps:

Accessing Private Browsing History:

• Open Safari on your iPhone or iPad.
• Tap the book icon at the bottom of the screen to open the bookmarks menu.
• From the bookmarks menu, tap the clock icon, which represents your browsing history.

Identifying Private Browsing Sessions:

• Once the history window opens, you can identify the private browsing sessions by looking for entries with the label "Private Browsing" and the date and time of the session. These entries represent the websites visited during private browsing sessions and are distinct from the regular browsing history.

Browsing and Managing Private History:

• You can scroll through the private browsing history to revisit specific websites or search for particular entries. Additionally, you have the option to clear individual entries or the entire private browsing history by swiping left on the desired item and tapping "Delete."

Understanding Limitations:

• Similar to the Mac, the private browsing history on your iPhone or iPad is only accessible from the specific device and is not synced across your iCloud account or other devices. This means that the private browsing history can only be viewed on the specific iPhone or iPad where the private browsing sessions occurred.

By following these steps, you can effectively access and manage your private browsing history in Safari on your iPhone or iPad, providing you with the ability to revisit websites from previous private browsing sessions and maintain control over your browsing records.

Understanding how to view the private browsing history on your iPhone or iPad empowers you to navigate your digital footprint with confidence, ensuring that you can access the information you need while maintaining control over your browsing history.

Tips for Managing Private Browsing History in Safari

Managing your private browsing history in Safari is essential for maintaining control over your digital footprint and ensuring that your online activities remain private. While private browsing is designed to leave minimal traces of your browsing history, there are several tips and best practices that can enhance your ability to manage and safeguard your private browsing history effectively.

Regularly Clear Your Private Browsing History : To maintain privacy and prevent the accumulation of private browsing data, consider clearing your private browsing history regularly. This can be done by accessing the history section in Safari and selecting the option to clear your private browsing history. By doing so, you can ensure that no residual data from private browsing sessions is retained on your device.

Use Private Browsing Wisely : While private browsing can be a valuable tool for maintaining privacy, it's important to use it judiciously. Avoid relying solely on private browsing for sensitive activities, especially if you require a higher level of anonymity and security. Consider utilizing additional privacy measures such as VPNs or specialized privacy-focused browsers when engaging in activities that require enhanced privacy.

Be Mindful of Shared Devices : If you share your Mac, iPhone, or iPad with others, be mindful of the potential impact of private browsing on the overall user experience. While private browsing prevents the storage of browsing history on the local device, it does not prevent websites from tracking your activities or your internet service provider from monitoring your online behavior. Exercise caution and consider the implications of private browsing in shared environments.

Educate Yourself on Privacy Features : Familiarize yourself with the privacy features and settings available in Safari. Explore options for managing cookies, preventing cross-site tracking, and enhancing your overall privacy while browsing. By leveraging the built-in privacy features of Safari, you can augment your privacy protection and minimize the need to rely solely on private browsing.

Consider Alternative Privacy Solutions : In addition to private browsing, consider exploring alternative privacy solutions to augment your online privacy. This may include using privacy-focused search engines, employing ad and tracker blockers, and integrating privacy-enhancing browser extensions. By diversifying your privacy toolkit, you can fortify your online privacy beyond the scope of private browsing.

By implementing these tips for managing your private browsing history in Safari, you can navigate the digital landscape with heightened privacy awareness and control. Empower yourself with the knowledge and tools necessary to safeguard your online activities while leveraging the benefits of private browsing in Safari.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

• Crowdfunding
• Cryptocurrency
• Digital Banking
• Digital Payments
• Investments
• Console Gaming
• Mobile Gaming
• VR/AR Gaming
• Gadget Usage
• Gaming Tips
• Online Safety
• Software Tutorials
• Tech Setup & Troubleshooting
• Buyer’s Guides
• Comparative Analysis
• Gadget Reviews
• Service Reviews
• Software Reviews
• Mobile Devices
• PCs & Laptops
• Smart Home Gadgets
• Content Creation Tools
• Digital Photography
• Video & Music Streaming
• Online Security
• Online Services
• Web Hosting
• WiFi & Ethernet
• Browsers & Extensions
• Communication Platforms
• Operating Systems
• Productivity Tools
• AI & Machine Learning
• Cybersecurity
• Emerging Tech
• IoT & Smart Devices
• Virtual & Augmented Reality
• Latest News
• AI Developments
• Fintech Updates
• Gaming News
• New Product Launches

• AI Writing How Its Changing the Way We Create Content
• How to Find the Best Midjourney Alternative in 2024 A Guide to AI Anime Generators

Related Post

Ai writing: how it’s changing the way we create content, unleashing young geniuses: how lingokids makes learning a blast, 10 best ai math solvers for instant homework solutions, 10 best ai homework helper tools to get instant homework help, 10 best ai humanizers to humanize ai text with ease, sla network: benefits, advantages, satisfaction of both parties to the contract, related posts.

How Do You Turn Off Incognito Mode?

How To View Private Browsing History On Safari IPhone

How To Open Private Browser On Safari iPhone

How To Turn On Incognito Mode On Iphone

How To Delete Download History

How To Delete History On Incognito Mode

How To Go To Private Browser On Mac

How To Put Computer On Incognito Mode

Recent stories.

How to Find the Best Midjourney Alternative in 2024: A Guide to AI Anime Generators

How to Know When it’s the Right Time to Buy Bitcoin

How to Sell Counter-Strike 2 Skins Instantly? A Comprehensive Guide

10 Proven Ways For Online Gamers To Avoid Cyber Attacks And Scams

• Privacy Overview
• Strictly Necessary Cookies

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.

iOS 18: The latest on Apple’s plans for on-device AI

When WWDC kicks off on June 10, there will be a lot of attention on Apple’s plans for new artificial intelligence features. In the latest edition  of his Power On newsletter , Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reiterates that one of Apple’s primary focuses will be on privacy and on-device intelligence.

Gurman says that the “initial wave” of Apple’s AI features will work entirely on device, with “no cloud processing component.”

As the world awaits Apple’s big AI unveiling on June 10, it looks like the initial wave of features will work entirely on device. That means there’s no cloud processing component to the company’s large language model, the software that powers the new capabilities. This approach comes with some benefits, including speed and privacy.

But while there are benefits to the on-device strategy, there are also drawbacks. For instance, on-device AI features wouldn’t be able to access higher-power cloud infrastructure that can “run more sophisticated AI algorithms.”

9to5Mac’s Take

This is something I’m really interested in watching play out. We’re expecting Apple to announce many of its own AI features, while simultaneously teaming up with a company like Google for cloud-based artificial intelligence features.

There’s also the question of device compatibility for AI features powered on-device. While cloud-based AI features can run on older devices with slower hardware, on-device features could be limited to only the newest iPhones with newest A-series chips.

How will Apple balance the privacy-focused approach of on-device AI features with a Google partnership? That’ll be a delicate balance to strike.

• iOS 18: Here are the new AI features in the works
• Rumor: iOS 18 to include new ‘Safari browsing assistant’ AI feature
• Apple to launch new AI coding and testing features in Xcode this year: report
• iPhone 16 Pro: New A18 Pro chip to offer powerful on-device AI performance

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Check out 9to5Mac on YouTube for more Apple news:

Chance is an editor for the entire 9to5 network and covers the latest Apple news for 9to5Mac.

Tips, questions, typos to [email protected]

• a. Send us an email
• b. Anonymous form
• Buyer's Guide
• Upcoming Products
• Tips / Contact Us
• Podcast Instagram Facebook Twitter Mastodon YouTube Notifications RSS Newsletter

Apple Seeds Second Betas of iOS 17.5 and iPadOS 17.5 to Developers

Apple today seeded the second betas of upcoming iOS 17.5 and iPadOS 17.5 updates to developers for testing purposes, with the software coming two weeks after Apple released the first betas .

Most of the features that Apple promised would be coming in ‌iOS 17‌ have now been released, but iOS 17.5 adds additional app ecosystem changes in the European Union. App developers can offer apps for download on the iPhone directly from their websites , in addition to through app marketplaces.

There are also code changes that hint at new Apple Pencils and a Battery Health feature for the iPad , with more information on what's new available in our iOS 17.5 beta features post .

Get weekly top MacRumors stories in your inbox.

Top Rated Comments

Popular Stories

iOS 18 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Game Boy Emulator for iPhone Now Available in App Store Following Rule Change [Removed]

Top Stories: M4 Mac Roadmap Leaked, New iPads in Second Week of May, and More

Best Buy Opens Up Sitewide Sale With Record Low Prices on M3 MacBook Air, iPad, and Much More

Apple removes game boy emulator igba from app store due to spam and copyright violations, apple's first ai features in ios 18 reportedly won't use cloud servers, next article.

Our comprehensive guide highlighting every major new addition in iOS 17, plus how-tos that walk you through using the new features.

App Store changes for the EU, new emoji, Podcasts transcripts, and more.

Get the most out your iPhone 15 with our complete guide to all the new features.

A deep dive into new features in macOS Sonoma, big and small.

Revamped models with OLED displays, M3 chip, and redesigned Magic Keyboard accessory.

Updated 10.9-inch model and new 12.9-inch model, M2 chip expected.

Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference will kick off with a keynote on June 10.

Expected to see new AI-focused features and more. Preview coming at WWDC in June with public release in September.

Other Stories

24 minutes ago by MacRumors Staff

1 day ago by MacRumors Staff

4 days ago by MacRumors Staff

4 days ago by Tim Hardwick