{"id":612,"date":"2008-09-16T10:00:08","date_gmt":"2008-09-16T04:30:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/198.58.113.91\/blog\/?p=612"},"modified":"2021-05-24T20:18:26","modified_gmt":"2021-05-24T14:48:26","slug":"how-to-start-internet-explorer-8-in-inprivate-mode-by-default","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/how-to-start-internet-explorer-8-in-inprivate-mode-by-default\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Start Internet Explorer in InPrivate Browsing Mode by Default"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary: This post tells you how to start Internet Explorer in InPrivate mode by default, using a shortcut or double-clicking a .url or .htm file. Instructions apply to all versions of Windows, up to Windows 10 as of the last revision of this post.<\/i><\/p>\n

InPrivate Browsing mode in Internet Explorer enables you to surf the web without leaving a trace in the computer, as the cache is erased automatically when the “InPrivate Browsing” window is closed.<\/p>\n

Shortcut to open IE in InPrivate Browsing mode<\/h2>\n

Right-click on the Desktop, click New, Shortcut<\/p>\n

Type the following and click Next<\/b><\/p>\n

\"%ProgramFiles%\\Internet Explorer\\iexplore\" -private<\/pre>\n
Note:<\/b> The command-line argument is case-sensitive.<\/p>\n
Provide a name for the shortcut, e.g., “Internet Explorer (Private),” and click Finish<\/b>.<\/p>\n
The following indicator is shown when Internet Explorer is running in InPrivate<\/b> mode.<\/p>\n

\nFig 1: InPrivate Browsing mode indicator<\/i><\/p>\n
Internet Explorer Desktop icon – InPrivate mode as default<\/h2>\n
Alternately you can change the default double-click action for the Internet Explorer namespace icon to launch Internet Explorer in InPrivate Browsing mode. Use the following registry fix to set the “Start in InPrivate mode” option as the default context menu option for Internet Explorer (Namespace) Desktop icon.<\/p>\n
Note:<\/b> The above REG file adds a subkey under the Internet Explorer Namespace registry key. The GUID for IE Namespace is {871C5380-42A0-1069-A2EA-08002B30309D}<\/p>\n
Registry Fix<\/b><\/p>\n
Download ie-inpriv-context.zip<\/a><\/b> and save to Desktop. Unzip and extract the contents of the file to a folder. Double-click the file inprivate-context.reg<\/b> to run it. To undo the change, run the file undo.reg<\/b> included in the Zip file.<\/p>\n

\nFig 2: Start in InPrivate mode as the default action.<\/i><\/p>\n
Double-clicking the Internet Explorer namespace icon will start Internet Explorer in InPrivate mode.<\/p>\n
Register Internet Explorer (InPrivate) with Default Programs<\/h2>\n
The above two methods help only if you’re launching Internet Explorer directly. What about when double-clicking a .url file or .htm\/.html\/.mht file, or when launching websites via the Run dialog, etc.? For this, you need to associate all file types and protocols with the IE (InPrivate) mode. A long time ago, I wrote a program to do this<\/a> for Windows Vista and 7 (32-bit), and I haven’t updated the program since then.<\/p>\n
So, here is a REG file that registers Internet Explorer (In Private) Mode entry to the Default Programs listing for all versions of Windows, including Windows 10. Download ie-inprivate-default-programs.zip<\/a>, unzip, and run the enclosed REG file.<\/p>\n
The enclosed REG file assumes your system drive as C:\\. If it’s different in your case, alter the REG file using Notepad and update the correct drive letter. The zip file also contains an undo file if you want to reverse the changes, i.e., unregister Internet Explorer (InPrivate) from Default Programs.<\/i><\/p>\n
In the Default Programs applet, select Internet Explorer (InPrivate)<\/b> and click Set this program as default.<\/p>\n
Note that even if Internet Explorer (InPrivate) mode is set as default, when a normal IE window is already open, double-clicking a webpage or internet shortcut file would still use the existing IE window that’s running in normal mode.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Summary: This post tells you how to start Internet Explorer in InPrivate mode by default, using a shortcut or double-clicking a .url or .htm file. Instructions apply to all versions of Windows, up to Windows 10 as of the last revision of this post. InPrivate Browsing mode in Internet Explorer enables you to surf the … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[264,441],"class_list":["post-612","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-internet-explorer","tag-internet-explorer","tag-registry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3802,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/always-start-google-chrome-incognito-mode-default\/","url_meta":{"origin":612,"position":0},"title":"How to Always Start Google Chrome in Incognito Mode by Default","author":"Ramesh","date":"August 13, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Google Chrome's Incognito mode lets you browse the web privately, without leaving traces of your browsing history on the local computer. 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This feature was explained in our earlier article How to Disable Adobe Flash Animations for All but White-Listed Sites in IE8. 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Microsoft Edge (Chromium) command-line switches The new Microsoft Edge (Chromium) is a classic desktop app that supports command-line arguments as Chrome does. Here are some examples: To start Edge in private mode: msedge --inprivate To\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Microsoft Edge"","block_context":{"text":"Microsoft Edge","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/category\/edge\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"edge url shortcut","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/edge-url-shortcut-1.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3178,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/winkey-e-shortcut-target-change\/","url_meta":{"origin":612,"position":3},"title":"How to Change Win + E Shortcut Target in Windows 10\/11","author":"Ramesh","date":"June 1, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"The WinKey + E keystroke, as well as the File Explorer shortcut on the taskbar, open Quick access view by default. 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