How to open your browser in incognito or private mode
Updated 4 months ago
🕵️♂️ When to use incognito mode in Metricool
Incognito mode (or private browsing) prevents the browser from saving information like your history, cookies, or previous sessions. In Metricool, it can help in these situations:
Social media connections: If you're having trouble connecting Facebook or X (Twitter), using an incognito window forces the browser to ask for fresh login credentials, avoiding issues caused by cached data or previous sessions.
Switching connected accounts: If you connected the wrong account, it's best to disconnect and reconnect in incognito to ensure the correct one is used.
Failed payments: If your subscription payment fails (e.g., a verification popup is blocked), try again in incognito to avoid browser or extension interference.
Viewing unavailable posts: If a post appears published but isn't accessible, open it in incognito to check whether it's really visible to the public or restricted.
Detecting issues from extensions or blockers: If features like “Best times” don’t load, an incognito window can help confirm if a browser extension or ad blocker is interfering.
How to open incognito or private mode
Here's how to activate it on the main browsers, both on desktop and mobile:
Google Chrome
On desktop:
Click the menu (three dots at the top right).
Select New incognito window.
Shortcut:Ctrl + Shift + N(Windows) /⌘ + Shift + N(Mac).
On mobile:Tap the menu (three dots) > New incognito tab.
👉 Official Chrome instructions
Mozilla Firefox
On desktop:
Menu (three lines top right) > New private window.
Shortcut:Ctrl + Shift + P(Windows) /⌘ + Shift + P(Mac).
On mobile:Tap the tabs icon > choose Private > tap
+.
👉 Official Firefox instructions
Microsoft Edge
On desktop:
Menu (three dots) > New InPrivate window.
Shortcut:Ctrl + Shift + N(Windows) /⌘ + Shift + N(Mac).
On mobile:Tap the tabs icon > InPrivate > tap
+to open a new one.
👉 Official Edge instructions
Safari (macOS)
On desktop:
Safari menu > New private window.
Shortcut:⌘ + Shift + N.
On iPhone/iPad:Go to Safari > switch to private tabs > tap
+.
👉 Official Safari instructions
Opera
On desktop:
Menu > New private window.
Shortcut:Ctrl + Shift + N(Windows) /⌘ + Shift + N(Mac).
On mobile:Menu > Private browsing > tap
+.
👉 Official Opera help