How to Use Incognito Mode in Selenium WebDriver

To use incognito mode in Selenium, create a ChromeOptions object and add the argument --incognito. Then pass this options object when creating the ChromeDriver instance to launch the browser in incognito mode.

Syntax

Use ChromeOptions to set browser arguments. Add --incognito to enable incognito mode. Pass the options to ChromeDriver constructor.

• ChromeOptions: Configures Chrome browser settings.
• addArguments("--incognito"): Enables incognito mode.
• ChromeDriver(options): Starts Chrome with given options.

python

from selenium import webdriver
from selenium.webdriver.chrome.service import Service
from selenium.webdriver.chrome.options import Options

options = Options()
options.add_argument("--incognito")

service = Service()  # Use default chromedriver path or specify
browser = webdriver.Chrome(service=service, options=options)

browser.get("https://www.example.com")

browser.quit()

Example

This example shows how to open Chrome in incognito mode, navigate to a website, and then close the browser.

python

from selenium import webdriver
from selenium.webdriver.chrome.service import Service
from selenium.webdriver.chrome.options import Options

options = Options()
options.add_argument("--incognito")

service = Service()  # Assumes chromedriver is in PATH
browser = webdriver.Chrome(service=service, options=options)

browser.get("https://www.example.com")

print("Title of the page:", browser.title)

browser.quit()

Output

Title of the page: Example Domain

Common Pitfalls

• Not passing the options object to ChromeDriver causes the browser to open normally, not in incognito.
• Using incorrect argument syntax like "incognito" instead of "--incognito" will not enable incognito mode.
• Forgetting to quit the browser can leave processes running.

python

from selenium import webdriver
from selenium.webdriver.chrome.options import Options

# Wrong way: missing '--' in argument
options_wrong = Options()
options_wrong.add_argument("incognito")  # Incorrect

# Correct way
options_right = Options()
options_right.add_argument("--incognito")

# Wrong: not passing options
browser_wrong = webdriver.Chrome()

# Right: pass options
browser_right = webdriver.Chrome(options=options_right)

browser_right.quit()

Quick Reference

Summary tips for using incognito mode in Selenium:

• Always use --incognito with add_argument.
• Pass the Options object to the ChromeDriver constructor.
• Ensure chromedriver is compatible with your Chrome version.
• Close the browser with quit() to free resources.

Key Takeaways

Use ChromeOptions and add the argument '--incognito' to enable incognito mode.

Pass the options object when creating the ChromeDriver instance.

Incorrect argument syntax or missing options causes incognito mode to fail.

Always quit the browser to avoid leftover processes.

Ensure chromedriver matches your Chrome browser version for smooth operation.