How to Launch Chrome in Incognito Mode by Default

By Hongkiat Lim. in Internet. Updated on March 21, 2023.

In the Chrome browser, there’s an option to open a new tab in Incognito mode. But what if you would want the browser to launch in Incognito every time you launch it?

We’e previously showed you how to open Brave browser in private mode by default. In this post, we are going to explore how to launch Chrome in Incognito mode by default. The steps are a bit different for Windows and Mac users, so follow the instructions of your specific OS.

Windows Users

Step 1

First, locate where Google Chrome is stored in your Windows. It should be right inside: Program Files > Google > Chrome > Application.

Step 2

Right-click on Chrome, then select “Show more options”.

Step 3

Select “Create shortcut”, then follow by “Yes” to create a Chrome shortcut on your Desktop.

Step 4

Right-click on created Chrome shortcut on your Desktop and select "Properties".

Step 5

In the Properties dialogue box, look inside “Target:”. Go to the end of the line, add a space, follow by “-incognito” (without quotes), then hit “OK”.

Basically, we are replacing the default path:

"C:\Program Files\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe"

with the following path:

"C:\Program Files\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe" -incognito

Step 6

It should now be done. Double-click the Chrome shortcut, and if it opens up a Chrome browser in Incognito mode, that means the shortcut works.

Drag the shortcut down to the Taskbar so it opens up an Incognito-mode Chrome every time you click on it.

Mac Users

Step 1

Launch Spotlight, search for Script Editor. and launch it.

Step 2

Select “New Document” and paste the following codes inside.

do shell script "open -a /Applications/Google\\ Chrome.app --args --incognito"

Then save the file by going to File > Save, or hit Command + S.

Select “Desktop” for “Where:”, “Application” for “File Format:” and then hit the "Save" button. This will create an executable file that opens up Chrome Browser in Incognito mode.

Step 3

Give the executable file a test. Double-click it, and it should open Chrome in Incognito mode.

Step 4

We are basically done here, but let’s take an extra step to make it a little nicer. Let’s give the executable file a Chrome icon and then add it to the Dock.

Launch Finder, look for the original Google Chrome app on your Mac, then right-click, and select “Get Info”.

Note: Chrome app can be found inside Macintosh HD > Applications.

Next, also “Get Info” on the executable file you just created and the two dialogue boxes side by side.

Left-click once on the Chrome logo, do a Command + C to copy the logo, click the executable file’s logo and do a Command + V. This will give the executable file a nice-looking Chrome logo.

Finally, add it to your Dock.