If you fear for your safety, browse the web from a public location such as a municipal library or Internet café, and ideally in private browsing mode. Browsing in private is safer than erasing your browsing history.
BROWSING IN PRIVATE
Usually, every website you visit is logged in your browser’s History.
Your browser remembers frequently visited sites, links clicked, etc. If anyone else uses your computer and you aren’t comfortable knowing that this person may be able to see your activity, we recommend that you use private browsing so you leave no trace on your computer (traces are erased as soon as you close the private browsing window).
How to activate private browsing
How to activate private browsing mode
Before activating private browsing mode, think about Erasing your Tracks (see How to remove traces of your Internet use)
Below are the keyboard shortcuts to open a private browsing window in different browsers. Everything you do will be invisible on your computer. Passwords or browsing history are not recorded. To exit private browsing, simply close the window.
| Browser | Windows version | Mac version | Smartphone/Tablet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chrome | Ctrl + Shift + N | ⌘ + Shift + N | Options>More>New Incognito window |
Good to know: an “Incognito” button with an icon remains visible to indicate which browsing mode you are in. You can click on it to exit Incognito mode: “Close Incognito windows”.
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| Internet Explorer | Ctrl + Shift + P | ⌘ + Shift + P | Pages icon>InPrivate button |
| Microsoft Edge | Ctrl + Shift + N | ⌘ + Shift + N | |
Good to know: Microsoft Edge is available in English only.
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| Mozilla Firefox | Ctrl + Shift + P | ⌘ + Shift + P | |
Good to know: Private browsing windows have a purple mask at the top.
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| Opera | Ctrl + Shift + N | ⌘ + Shift + N | |
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| Safari | —– | ⌘ + Shift + N | Safari>Tab management>Private |
Good to know: You will know that you’re in private browsing mode because the search bar turns black.
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REMOVE ANY TRACES OF YOUR INTERNET USE
Even if you don’t browse in private, you can still protect yourself by clearing your browser’s history. Your activity is recorded whenever you surf the web! This means that anyone who uses your computer can easily track all the sites you have visited, i.e. your browsing history.
How to remove traces of your Internet use
How to remove traces of your Internet use
Mobile devices
Safari for iOS (iPhone, iPad)
- Open the Settings menu (the icon with the grey gear on the home screen).
- Select Safari.
- In the Privacy & Security section, tap Clear history and website data.
- Tap Clear History and Data to confirm.
Google Chrome for Android and IOS (Cell phone and tablet)
- Open the Chrome app. At the top right, tap More (three horizontal lines) and select History.
- Tap Clear browsing data. Next to Time range, select how much history you want to delete. To clear everything, tap All time.
- Check Browsing history. Uncheck any other data you don't want to delete.
- Tap Clear data.
Desktop computers
Mozilla Firefox
- Keyboard shortcut: Press and hold [Ctrl] + [Shift] + [Del] simultaneously on the keyboard.
- Select Browsing and Download History to be deleted (or all boxes).
- Click on Clear now button.
Google Chrome
- Keyboard shortcut: Press and hold [Ctrl] + [Shift] + [Del] simultaneously on the keyboard.
- Minimally, check the box Browsing history and select the time range: Last hour, Last 24 hours, etc.
- Click on Clear Browsing data button.
Microsoft Edge
- Keyboard shortcut: Press and hold [Ctrl] + [Shift] + [Del] simultaneously on the keyboard.
- Minimally, check the box Browsing history.
- Click on Clear button.
Microsoft Internet Explorer
- Keyboard shortcut: Press and hold [Ctrl] + [Shift] + [Del] simultaneously on the keyboard.
- Uncheck all the boxes you want to delete. Keep the Temporary Internet files and website files box selected.
- Click the Delete button.
Safari for Mac
- Keyboard shortcut: Press and hold [Cmd] + [Alt] + [e] simultaneously on the keyboard to remove all cached data in the memory.