How to Disable Incognito Mode in Chrome (Windows, Mac & Managed)

To disable Incognito mode in Chrome, set the IncognitoModeAvailability policy to 1, restart Chrome, and confirm the policy at chrome://policy. On Windows, you can set it in the Registry or PowerShell; on a Mac, use Terminal for a local setup or deploy it as a managed preference. Google Admin and Family Link offer supported controls for managed or supervised users. The change removes the New Incognito Window option, but it does not create a record of browsing that already happened or control other browsers.

The instructions below include a rollback for every desktop method. If the computer belongs to an employer or school, ask its administrator before changing policy settings.

Which method should you use?

Before editing a browser policy, make sure your goal is clear. Disabling private browsing can help enforce a household or workplace rule, but it is not a monitoring system. For broader hardening, review these browser security settings as well.

Disable Chrome Incognito mode with Windows Registry

This method applies the policy at the computer level, so it affects Chrome profiles used on that Windows installation. You need an administrator account.

1. Close every Chrome window. In Task Manager, confirm that no Chrome process remains.
2. Create a restore point or export the registry key you plan to edit.
3. Press Win + R, enter regedit, and approve the administrator prompt.
4. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies.
5. If necessary, create a key named Google under Policies, then create a key named Chrome under Google.
6. Inside Chrome, create a DWORD (32-bit) Value named IncognitoModeAvailability.
7. Open the value, set its data to 1, and leave the base as Hexadecimal.
8. Start Chrome again and visit chrome://policy. Select Reload policies if needed.

The complete path should be:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Chrome
IncognitoModeAvailability = 1 (DWORD)

Open Chrome’s three-dot menu after the restart. New Incognito Window should be gone, and the Ctrl + Shift + N shortcut should no longer open one.

Use PowerShell instead

Open PowerShell as Administrator and run:

New-Item -Path 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google' -Name 'Chrome' -Force
New-ItemProperty -Path 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Chrome' -Name 'IncognitoModeAvailability' -PropertyType DWord -Value 1 -Force

Close and reopen Chrome, then check chrome://policy. The policy table should show IncognitoModeAvailability with the value 1 and an OK status.

Undo the Windows policy

Either delete the IncognitoModeAvailability value in Registry Editor or run this command in an elevated PowerShell window:

Remove-ItemProperty -Path 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Chrome' -Name 'IncognitoModeAvailability'

Restart Chrome. Setting the value to 0 also permits Incognito mode, but deleting a policy that you no longer intend to manage keeps the configuration easier to understand.

Disable Chrome Incognito mode on a Mac

For a personal Mac, quit Chrome completely, open Terminal, and run:

defaults write com.google.Chrome IncognitoModeAvailability -integer 1

Launch Chrome and open chrome://policy. If the policy does not appear immediately, select Reload policies or restart the Mac. The New Incognito Window item and Command + Shift + N shortcut should be unavailable.

For a managed fleet, do not rely on a command typed separately on every Mac. Deploy IncognitoModeAvailability with the integer value 1 as a managed Chrome preference through your MDM or configuration profile. That makes ownership and rollback auditable.

Undo the Mac setting

Quit Chrome, run the following command, and reopen the browser:

defaults delete com.google.Chrome IncognitoModeAvailability

If a configuration profile manages the same setting, the profile takes precedence. In that case, only the administrator who controls the profile can restore Incognito mode.

Disable Incognito mode in Google Admin

Google Workspace and Chrome administrators should set the policy centrally rather than editing individual devices. In the Admin console, open Devices → Chrome → Settings → Users & browsers, select the organizational unit or group, find Incognito mode, and choose Disallow incognito mode. Save the change and allow time for managed browsers to fetch it.

Exact labels can move as the console changes, so search the settings page for “Incognito” if the section is not visible. On the device, chrome://policy remains the reliable check: reload policies and confirm that IncognitoModeAvailability is present with value 1.

A managed policy can make Chrome display “Managed by your organization.” That is expected on a business or school device. On a personal machine, however, an unfamiliar policy that keeps returning deserves investigation; follow our guide to checking an unwanted Chrome management policy instead of simply deleting it again.

Family Link, Chromebook, Android, and iPhone

For a supervised child account, Google says Incognito mode is turned off when the child is signed in to Chrome. Family Link is therefore the appropriate option for a child’s Chromebook or supported Android device. Keep in mind that supervision follows the child account: signing out, using an unsupervised profile, or opening a different browser can change what controls apply.

Personal Chrome installations on Android and iPhone do not provide a permanent local setting that removes Incognito for every user. Organizations can enforce browser or device restrictions on managed mobile devices, while families should use supported supervision and the operating system’s parental controls. Our guide to keeping children safer online explains why browser controls work best as one part of a wider plan.

How to verify that Incognito is disabled

1. Restart Chrome rather than only refreshing the current tab.
2. Open the three-dot menu. New Incognito Window should not be available.
3. Try Ctrl + Shift + N on Windows or Command + Shift + N on macOS.
4. Visit chrome://policy and select Reload policies.
5. Find IncognitoModeAvailability; its value should be 1 and its status should not show an error.

If the menu item remains, recheck the spelling, data type, and Registry path. The Windows value must be a DWORD named exactly IncognitoModeAvailability. Confirm that you edited the Google Chrome policy, not a similarly named browser key, and fully close any background Chrome processes. A reboot can resolve a delayed policy refresh.

What disabling Incognito does—and does not—do

Disabling Incognito removes Chrome’s private session option for the affected user or device. It can support a school, workplace, or family browsing rule. It does not recover old Incognito history, record future activity by itself, block another installed browser, or prevent someone from using a separate device.

Incognito mode itself is not anonymity: websites, network operators, and employers may still observe traffic. Conversely, removing it does not automatically improve protection from phishing, malicious extensions, or downloads. Use clear household or workplace rules, device-level controls, safe browsing settings, and realistic privacy practices together.

FAQ

References

1. Google Chrome Enterprise. “Incognito mode availability.” Chrome Enterprise Policy List. Accessed July 17, 2026. Policy reference.
2. Google. “Set Chrome policies for users or browsers.” Google Chrome Enterprise Help. Accessed July 17, 2026. Administrator documentation.
3. Google. “Manage your child’s browsing on Chrome.” Google For Families Help. Accessed July 17, 2026. Family Link documentation.