By default, web browsers don’t allow extensions in the incognito mode browsing. This is to prevent extensions from accessing incognito mode browsing data like history etc. But, users can override this default behaviour, and opt to run extensions in the incognito mode.
In this tutorial, we would see the steps to allow extensions in the incognito mode. Note that, in Firefox, incognito mode is termed as “Private Browsing” mode. While in Microsoft Edge, the incognito mode is termed as “InPrivate Browsing” mode. Apparently, we need a web standard here too.
Allow Extensions in Incognito Mode
Steps to allow extensions in incognito mode is almost same for all browsers:
Step 1: Right click on the extension’s icon on the toolbar, and select “Manage extensions” option in the appeared context menu.
Step 2: The above step would open browser’s extension manager page. Look for the option “Allow in incognito” (Google Chrome), “Allow in InPrivate” (Microsoft Edge) or “Run in Private Windows” (Mozilla Firefox) – and enable this setting.
Firefox:
Google Chrome:
Microsoft Edge:
Verify Setting
Once you have completed above two steps, you can verify the configuration by opening an incognito mode window, and confirm that the extension is available to use there.
Using extensions in incognito mode enables users to take advantages of extensions’ features in the incognito mode. While security and privacy could be an issue for some users, but using extensions in the private browsing mode is as safe as using them in the normal browsing mode.
Related: Difference Between Private Browsing and Guest Browsing Modes