Chrome tracks you even in incognito mode — change these 5 settings to fight back

1. Turn off usage tracking

Chrome collects data about how you use the browser: which features you click, how long pages take to load, which extensions you install. This helps Google improve Chrome, but it also creates a detailed profile of your behavior.

Open Chrome's settings by clicking the three-dot menu and selecting Settings. Under You and Google, select Sync and Google services, and toggle off "Help improve Chrome's features and performance" under Other Google services.

2. Reduce ad tracking and personalization

Google makes money from targeted advertising, which is why it wants your data. You can't stop ads entirely through Chrome settings, but you can prevent personalized targeting.

In Settings, go to Privacy and security, and Ads privacy. You'll see three options: Ad topics, Site-suggested ads, and Ad measurement. Make sure all three of these are toggled off to stop Chrome from sharing data with advertisers for personalized ads.

For complete ad blocking, you could considering installing an extension. These block ads across websites and prevent many tracking scripts. Be aware that Google occasionally breaks ad blocker functionality through Chrome updates, so you may need to switch blockers if needed.

3. Limit browsing history tracking

Chrome tracks which websites you visit, even in incognito mode. Google settled a lawsuit over this practice and had to delete collected data, but there's no guarantee they've stopped entirely.

In Settings, go to You and Google, Sync and Google Services, and toggle off "Make searches and browsing better." This reduces Chrome's ability to track which sites you visit.

Also turn off "Enhanced spell check" in the same section. When enabled, this sends everything you type to Google's servers for spell checking. Disabling it stops the spell checker but prevents Google from seeing what you're typing on every website.

Go to You and Google, Sync and Google services and toggle off "Improve search suggestions." This stops Chrome from sending your searches to Google separately from whatever search engine you're actually using.

4. Delete browsing data automatically

Chrome stores browsing history, cookies, and cached files locally. Deleting this data doesn't stop Chrome from collecting it, but it removes the local record.

You can choose what you'd like to delete, whether that's your browsing history, cached files, or even your download history.

To do this, go to Settings, Privacy and security, and Delete browsing data. You can choose to delete your data from the last fifteen minutes to all time. Then confirm by clicking the blue "Delete Data" button at the bottom right of the screen.

5. Block third-party cookies and trackers

Third-party cookies let websites and advertisers track you across the internet. Blocking them reduces cross-site tracking significantly.

Go to Settings, Privacy and security, Third-party cookies and toggle on "Block third-party cookies." Some website features may break, but most sites still work fine.

In the same Third-party cookies menu, toggle on "Send a 'Do not track' request with your browsing traffic." Not all websites honor this request, but some do, and it doesn't hurt to enable it.