How to Switch Between Regular and Private Mode in Microsoft Edge on an iPhone

To switch between regular and private mode in Microsoft Edge on an iPhone, tap the numbered square icon on the menu bar, then tap Tabs for regular browsing or InPrivate for private browsing. Tap an open tab in that group, or tap the + icon to start a new one.

Edge calls its private mode InPrivate. It is not a setting that you turn on and off. Regular tabs and InPrivate tabs sit in two separate groups inside the tabs window, and you move between the groups whenever you like.

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Quick Steps: Switch Browsing Modes in Edge on an iPhone

1. Open Microsoft Edge.
2. Tap the numbered square icon on the menu bar.
3. Tap InPrivate to go private, or tap Tabs to go back to regular browsing.
4. Tap an open tab, or tap the + icon to open a new tab in that mode.

Before You Start

These steps are for the current Microsoft Edge app for iPhone, checked against Microsoft documentation in October 2026. The same app runs on iPad, though the position of buttons can differ on a larger screen.

• You need the Edge app. InPrivate belongs to Microsoft Edge. Private Browsing in Safari is a separate feature in a separate app, and tabs do not move between the two.
• Labels can shift between app versions. Microsoft describes a menu bar with a numbered square icon and a three-dot menu (…). If your version draws these differently, look for the same names: Tabs, InPrivate, and New InPrivate tab.
• Know the terms. The tabs window is the screen that shows all of your open pages as cards. The numbered square is the button that opens it. The number is how many tabs you have open.

The steps follow the iOS section of Microsoft Edge for mobile FAQs.

How to Switch From Regular Mode to InPrivate Mode

1. Open the Microsoft Edge app on your iPhone. The last page you had open, or the new tab page, appears.
2. Find the menu bar. It is usually at the bottom of the screen. If it is hidden, scroll up a little on the page to bring it back.
3. Tap the numbered square icon. The tabs window opens and shows your regular tabs.
4. Tap InPrivate. The view changes to your InPrivate tabs. It is empty if you have none open.
5. Tap the + icon to open a new InPrivate tab, or tap an InPrivate tab that is already open.
6. Type a search or a web address. Pages that you visit in this tab are not added to your Edge history.

There is also a shortcut that skips the tabs window. Tap the menu (…), then tap New InPrivate tab. Our guide on how to open an InPrivate tab in Edge on an iPhone covers that route in more detail.

How to Switch From InPrivate Mode Back to Regular Mode

1. Tap the numbered square icon on the menu bar. The tabs window opens.
2. Tap Tabs. Your regular tabs appear.
3. Tap the regular tab that you want to return to, or tap the + icon to open a new regular tab.

Another way is to tap the menu (…), then tap New tab. That opens a regular tab. If the new tab page shows site icons you do not want, you can delete a site icon from the Edge new tab page on an iPhone.

Switching back does not close anything. Your InPrivate tabs stay open in the InPrivate group until you close them, so anyone who picks up your unlocked iPhone and opens that group can see those pages. Close them first if that matters to you.

What Changes When You Switch Modes

Microsoft says that on iOS devices, Edge does not save history and form data for an InPrivate tab. Cookies, which are small files that sites use to remember you, are stored only as temporary data for each InPrivate tab and are deleted when that tab is closed.

Edge also does not save new passwords that you enter while InPrivate. It can still offer to fill in passwords that you saved earlier.

InPrivate hides your activity from other people who use the same iPhone. It does not make you anonymous. Microsoft’s InPrivate guide says that your school, workplace, and internet service provider might still be able to access your browsing data. It also says InPrivate does not make you safer from malicious websites and does not add extra ad blocking. Edge has a separate setting for that, covered in how to block ads in Edge on an iPhone.

That same guide says favorites and downloaded files are kept after an InPrivate session ends. If you bookmark a page or save a file while InPrivate, expect it to remain on the phone.

How to Check Which Mode You Are In

Open the tabs window with the numbered square icon and look at which group is selected, Tabs or InPrivate. The page you were just viewing is listed in the group it belongs to.

A second check is your history. Visit a page, then tap the menu (…) and open History. Microsoft lists the path as Settings > History. A page opened in a regular tab is listed there. A page opened in an InPrivate tab is not. See how to view your history in the Edge iPhone app for the full steps.

How to Close InPrivate Tabs When You Are Done

Closing an InPrivate tab is what removes its cookies, so do this at the end of a private session. A closed InPrivate tab cannot be reopened from your history, because Edge kept no history for it. Copy any address you still need before you close the tab.

1. Tap the numbered square icon.
2. Tap InPrivate.
3. Tap the close icon (X) on a tab, or swipe the tab left or right.
4. Repeat for each InPrivate tab, then tap Tabs to return to regular browsing.

For more ways to tidy up, including closing every tab at once, read how to close a tab in Microsoft Edge on an iPhone.

Troubleshooting

The InPrivate option is missing or grayed out

Microsoft says that children who have activity reporting or web filtering turned on through a Microsoft family group cannot browse InPrivate. A school or workplace can also turn InPrivate off in Edge on phones that it manages. In both cases the option is blocked on purpose. The family organizer or the organization’s IT administrator is the person who can change it.

You cannot find the numbered square icon

The menu bar can hide while you scroll down a page. Scroll up slightly, or tap near the bottom of the screen, to show it again. If the bar still looks different from this guide, tap the menu (…) and use New InPrivate tab or New tab instead.

Your tabs seem to have disappeared after switching

They are almost always in the other group. Open the tabs window and tap Tabs or InPrivate to look in each one. Regular tabs never show in the InPrivate group, and InPrivate tabs never show in the regular group.

Pages you visited privately still show in History

Those pages were opened in a regular tab. To remove them, tap the menu (…) > Settings > Privacy > Clear browsing data, choose what to remove, and confirm. If Edge sync is turned on, check what you are clearing first, because history is one of the things Edge can sync between your devices.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is InPrivate the same as incognito or private browsing?

Yes. InPrivate is the name Microsoft uses for the private browsing mode in Edge. Other browsers call the same idea incognito mode or private browsing. You will see the word InPrivate in the Edge app.

Does switching to InPrivate close my regular tabs?

No. Regular tabs stay open in the Tabs group while you browse InPrivate. They are there when you tap the numbered square icon and tap Tabs again.

Can I move an open page from a regular tab to an InPrivate tab?

Microsoft’s mobile FAQ does not describe a way to convert a tab. The reliable method is to copy the web address, open a new InPrivate tab, and paste the address there. The visit in the regular tab stays in your history unless you delete it.

Do I need to sign in to a Microsoft account to use InPrivate?

Microsoft’s steps for opening an InPrivate tab on iOS do not mention signing in. If you are signed in, Edge can still offer passwords that you saved before, but it does not save new ones entered in an InPrivate tab.

Can I make Edge on my iPhone always open in InPrivate mode?

Microsoft’s mobile FAQ does not list a setting for this on iPhone. Plan on switching to the InPrivate group, or using New InPrivate tab, each time you want a private session.

Does InPrivate hide my browsing from my employer or internet provider?

No. InPrivate only limits what Edge saves on your iPhone. Microsoft states that your school, workplace, and internet service provider might still be able to access your browsing data.

Next Step

Open the tabs window now and tap InPrivate once, so you know where the two groups are before you need them. For privacy controls outside the browser, see how to limit ad tracking on iPhone.