How To Disable Incognito Mode in Chrome

If you’re tired of folks sneaking around in Incognito Mode in Google Chrome, disabling it might be handy—especially in shared or work setups. It’s kind of weird, but either messing around with the registry, PowerShell, or even the Mac Terminal can help lock this feature down. Just keep in mind, these methods tend to target your entire machine, so it’s not really designed for a casual “hide this from everyone” trick, more like a parental or admin lock. Also, sometimes Chrome ignores these tweaks or resets after updates, so don’t get frustrated if it doesn’t stick immediately.

How to Disable Incognito Mode in Google Chrome

Disable via Registry on Windows

This is probably the most common method because Windows registry controls a lot of Chrome’s behavior, especially if you want it enforced across multiple users or machines. It helps because when configured properly, Chrome simply won’t launch in Incognito at all. If that didn’t help, here’s what might:

• Run regedit from the Run box (Windows + R)
• Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Chrome. If you don’t see Google or Chrome, you’ll need to create those folders manually:
• Right-click in the left pane, choose New > Key, and name it “Google”.Do the same inside “Google” called “Chrome”.
• In Chrome, right-click in the right pane, pick New > DWORD (32-bit) Value, and name it IncognitoModeAvailability.
• Double-click on that value and set it to 1. This tells Chrome “No Incognito for you.”

Once that’s done, restart your PC. Now, when Chrome launches, the Incognito option should have vanished from the menu. If it’s being stubborn, check if you have other policies enforced via an enterprise management system—that might override local edits.

Using PowerShell on Windows

Another way, especially if poking in the registry isn’t your thing, is using PowerShell. It’s faster, but still does the same thing underneath. Here’s the command if you’re running PowerShell as an admin:

New-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Chrome" -Name "IncognitoModeAvailability" -Value 1 -PropertyType Dword -Force | Out-Null

Run that line, and it should create or modify the necessary registry key. Reboot, and Chrome shouldn’t let anyone open an incognito session anymore. Happens on certain setups more than others—sometimes it’s finicky, so don’t be surprised if it needs a reboot or a Chrome reset to fully kick in.

Disabling Incognito on MacOS

This is a bit more straightforward, assuming you’re okay with Terminal commands. Open Utilities > Terminal from Go. Then type this line and hit Enter:

defaults write com.google.chrome IncognitoModeAvailability -integer 1

Note: If the command doesn’t work immediately, double-check the spelling or try restarting Chrome or even the Mac. You might need to clear Chrome’s cache or preferences if it stubbornly insists on showing Incognito.

For re-enabling Incognito Mode later, just swap the “1” to a “0” in the command and repeat everything.

Honestly, it’s kind of a pain that Chrome doesn’t offer an easier toggle for this. Because of course, Chrome has to make it harder than necessary to restrict features on a per-user basis. Sometimes, Chrome updates reset these settings, so be aware that you might have to reapply the tweak after an update.