In this guide, we will be showing you how you can keep your browsing history private in Safari on your Mac and never have to worry again about having to turn it on. To do this, we will be showing you a way in which you can open a new private browsing tab each time you start Safari on your Mac. But first off, what is private browsing in Safari?
What is Private Browsing in Safari?
In Safari, Private Browsing is a mode which when activated, your browsing history, changes to cookies, download history between sessions, AutoFill information, and recent searches will not be saved. There are also some Apple-centric privacy features included in this mode such as preventing the sharing of browsing information through iCloud. Also, if you have enabled Handoff on your Mac, private browsing will prevent browsing windows from getting passed to your other Apple devices.
Despite all these features, however, you should note that activating this mode does not prevent websites on the internet that might use your IP address to track you across sites, hosts of your network (such as a school or business), or your ISP from accessing your browsing history.
How to Make Safari Start With a New Private Browsing Window Whenever You Open It
- First off, go to Safari and then go to the menu bar at the top of the window and select “Safari.”
- Now, click “Preferences” from the drop-down menu.
Safari Click Preferences - The Preferences window will pop up on the screen. Now, go to the “General” tab and look for the “Safari Opens With:” option. It is located right next to a drop-down menu.
Click Dropdown - Now, click the drop-down menu and then click the “A New Private Window” option.
Select New Private Window - Once you are done, quit the Preference window and then close Safari. Launch Safari again and you should notice a private window open with a “Private Browsing Enabled” indication at the top of the window.
Private Browsing Enabled
From here, you can go on to use the window as you like. However, make sure to close the window when you are done browsing.
You should also take note that this setting will be applied only to the first tab that opens whenever you launch Mac. By default, all other tabs you open in Safari will be normal tabs. To open more private tabs in Safari, simply click the File tab and then select the “New Private Window” option from the drop-down menu. You can also use the Shift + Command + N shortcut to get this done.
