To turn off private browsing on Safari on an iPhone, tap the Tabs button, swipe across to your normal tabs or a tab group, and tap Done. On a Mac, close the private window and use a normal window. Private tabs stay open in the Private group until you close them yourself.
Private Browsing on Safari is easy to switch on by accident, and then it's confusing: your history isn't saving, you're signed out of things, and the address bar looks darker than usual. Turning it off is a swipe on an iPhone and a click on a Mac. Here's how on each, how to close the private tabs you leave behind, and what to do if Private Browsing seems stuck.
Turn off Private Browsing on iPhone
- Open Safari and tap the Tabs button, the two overlapping squares.
- At the bottom you'll see the tab group bar showing Private.
- Swipe across it to your numbered tabs or a named tab group.
- Tap Done, or tap one of your normal tabs.
You're back to normal browsing, and history saves again. A tell-tale sign of private mode is a dark address bar, so if yours has turned light again, you're out of it.
Close the private tabs too
Switching away doesn't close anything. Your private tabs wait in the Private group until you close them, and that matters on a shared phone, because anyone who swipes over to Private can see what's open. To clear them, go back to the Private group, then press and hold Done and choose to close all the tabs, or swipe each one away.
Turn off Private Browsing on a Mac
On a Mac, Private Browsing is a separate window, usually with a dark search field. Just close that window with the red button, or press Command and W, and carry on in a normal window. If Safari keeps opening private windows every time it starts, check Safari's Settings, then General, and make sure Safari opens with is set to a normal window rather than a new private window.
What Private Browsing does and doesn't do
| Private Browsing | Normal browsing |
|---|---|
| Doesn't save the pages you visit to history | Saves history |
| Doesn't save searches or AutoFill details | Remembers searches and form details |
| Blocks known trackers from loading | Uses your normal tracking settings |
| Signs you out of sites when you close the tabs | Keeps you signed in |
It's worth knowing what it isn't: Private Browsing doesn't hide what you do from your employer, school or internet provider, and the websites you visit still see you arrive. It keeps the device itself from remembering.
Locked private tabs and Face ID
Since iOS 17, Safari can lock private tabs behind Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode. Apple says on an iPhone they lock when Safari isn't on screen, when you switch away from Private Browsing or when the phone locks. On a Mac, where this lock is on by default, they lock after Safari has been inactive for a while, or when the Mac sleeps or locks.
If the lock gets in your way, you can switch it off. On iPhone, open Settings, then Apps, Safari, and under Privacy & Security turn off the Face ID or Touch ID switch for Private Browsing. On a Mac, open Safari's Settings, click Privacy and untick the option next to Private Browsing. Leave it on if anyone else ever borrows your device.
Can't turn off Private Browsing?
- Screen Time restrictions. If Limit Adult Websites is on, Private Browsing isn't available at all, which can look like a setting is stuck.
- Profiles. If you use Safari profiles, check you've switched to the profile you meant, not just a different tab group.
- Work or school phones. A management profile can force browser settings.
- Old software. Menus moved in recent versions, so update iOS if the steps above don't match what you see.
Should you turn it off for good?
There's no master switch to remove Private Browsing on an iPhone for an adult, and you don't need one. For a child's phone, Screen Time's web restrictions remove it, which is the reason parents see it disappear. For your own use, private mode is handy for things like checking a gift idea on a shared iPad or signing in to a second account without logging out of your first.
If privacy is the reason you were using private mode, it's worth a look at private search options too. My review of DuckDuckGo covers how it compares to Safari's built-in protections.
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Private Browsing and passwords
Private Browsing doesn't stop you using saved passwords. Safari can still fill in passwords from your Passwords app in a private tab, but it won't save new history or AutoFill details from that session. If you sign in to a site privately and want to stay signed in next time, do it again in a normal tab.
My verdict
On an iPhone, tap the Tabs button, swipe off Private and tap Done, then go back and close any private tabs you no longer need. On a Mac, just close the private window. If private mode keeps coming back, check Safari's opening setting, and if it's missing entirely, a Screen Time restriction is the likely reason. For a broader look at keeping your Apple devices private, see my take on NordVPN.
Frequently asked questions
How do I turn off private browsing on Safari on iPhone?
Tap the Tabs button, swipe from Private to your normal tabs and tap Done.
How do I turn off private browsing on a Mac?
Close the private window and use a normal Safari window.
Does switching off Private Browsing close my private tabs?
No. They stay in the Private group until you close them.
Why can't I use Private Browsing on my iPhone?
Screen Time's Limit Adult Websites setting removes Private Browsing.
How do I stop Safari locking private tabs?
Turn off the Face ID or Touch ID switch for Private Browsing in Settings, Apps, Safari.
How do I know if I'm in private browsing?
The Safari address bar turns dark in Private Browsing.
