How to Enable or Disable InPrivate Browsing in Edge

This guide explains how to turn the “InPrivate Browsing” feature on or off in Microsoft Edge.

Microsoft Edge is the web browser that comes built into Windows 11. However, users can  switch to their preferred or favorite browser if they prefer a different program. Edge is built on Chromium, which is the same engine used by Google Chrome.

Why use InPrivate Browsing?

When you use InPrivate mode, Edge does not save your history, cookies, or information you type into forms. This is helpful if you are using a shared computer or just want to keep your online activity private.

What happens when you change these settings?

By changing the registry, you can force the browser to either stop using this private mode or require it every time you open a window.

How to Enable or Disable InPrivate Browsing

Note: You must be signed in with an account that has admin privileges to perform these steps.

1. Open the Windows Registry editor as an administrator.
2. Go to the following location in the registry:

Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge

• Find InPrivateModeAvailability on the right side and double-click it.
• Type 1 to turn off InPrivate browsing completely.
• Type 2 to force the browser to always open in InPrivate mode.

If you do not see the InPrivateModeAvailability item, right-click in an empty space, create a new DWORD (32-bit) value, and name it InPrivateModeAvailability. Then, set the value to 1 or 2 depending on your preference.

To go back to the normal default settings, simply delete the InPrivateModeAvailability item you created. You may need to restart your computer for these changes to take effect.

Summary

InPrivate Browsing is a great tool for privacy. By using the Windows Registry, you can easily enable, disable, or force this feature to suit your needs. Remember that these steps require administrator access and a quick system restart to finish the process.