Incognito mode in Google Chrome has received a significant privacy boost. According to Windows Latest, copied text and media are no longer saved to the clipboard on Windows 10 and 11. This undocumented change, implemented in 2024, enhances user privacy within incognito sessions.
While this update is not new, the lack of official acknowledgment from both Google and Microsoft is surprising. Previously, copied content in Chrome, including in incognito mode, would be saved to the clipboard history and synchronized with the Windows Cloud Clipboard. This presented a potential security risk, as accessing this synced content was easily achieved by pressing the Windows key and V.
This update addresses this vulnerability, ensuring that data copied within Incognito mode remains confined to that session, as intended. A code update from Microsoft in March 2024 specifically prevents copied content within Incognito mode from being saved to the clipboard history or synced to the cloud. Microsoft also acknowledged the difference in clipboard handling between Windows and platforms like Android, where such specific exclusion mechanisms aren’t present.
The Windows clipboard formats responsible for preventing content from being saved are:
ExcludeClipboardContentFromMonitorProcessing: Prevents saving to both history and the cloud.CanIncludeInClipboardHistory=0: Prevents saving to the clipboard history.CanUploadToCloudClipboard=0: Prevents synchronization with the cloud.
Similar changes, though implemented differently, also apply to macOS and iOS. On macOS, the clipboard is cleared after copying to prevent synchronization with iPhones and Macs. While Google remains silent on the matter, it’s worth noting that this change follows a significant class-action lawsuit against the company.
This enhanced privacy measure reinforces the intended function of Incognito mode, providing users with a more secure browsing experience. By preventing copied data from being stored or synced, Chrome Incognito now offers greater confidentiality for sensitive information.
