Google Chrome Guest Mode Is Great For Shared Computers

March 21, 2020

Written by wukovits

Google has recently rolled out a small but important change to its Chrome browser for Windows, Linux and macOS users. The most recent update adds a ‘Default to Guest mode’ to the browser that can be enabled via Enterprise policy or a simple command-line switch.

When the new feature is enabled, any time a browser session is opened on the machine in question, it will default to Guest Mode.

That means that Chrome will delete all browsing activity from the machine when the browser is closed, providing users with a “stateless browsing experience from session to session.” This is actually a lot more significant than first meets the eye.

In particular, it means that Chrome set to Guest Mode will not save any information about:

  • Websites you’ve visited, including the ads and resources used on those sites
  • Your employer, school, or whomever controls the network you’re using while surfing
  • Search engine details
  • Your internet service providers
  • Websites you sign into

From a privacy perspective, that’s huge.

If it’s something you’re interested in enabling, the easiest way to toggle Guest Mode to the default is to follow these steps:

  1. Exit Chrome (all instances)
  2. Right click on your “Chrome” shortcut
  3. Click “Properties”
  4. Scroll to the end of the “Target” and add the following: chrome.exe -guest
  5. Apply that change and close the properties window. When you double click the shortcut, you’ll be in guest mode.

If you’re a macOS or Linux user, follow these steps:

  1. Exit out of Chrome
  2. Run the Terminal application of your choice
  3. Find the Chrome application and add – – guest as a command-line parameter, then hit the enter key to launch Chrome.

This is a small but superb addition. Kudos to Google for the inclusion!

Used with permission from Article Aggregator

Bayou Tech

We provide solutions for your business. Find out how we can help.

Related Articles

Major Cyber Attack at OMV

Louisiana’s Office of Motor Vehicles (OMV) is one of a still undetermined number of government entities, major businesses, and organizations to be affected by an unprecedented Data Breach.There is no indication at this time that cyber attackers who breached MOVEit...

New Graphene Technology May Increase Hard Drive Storage

HDDs are old, well understood technology. They haven't changed much in recent years. In fact, increasingly, people are writing them off, preferring SSDs for their greater speed and smaller size, even though HDDs are less expensive. The clever folks at the University...

Send us a message

Your message was sent.