How to Enable Extensions in Chrome’s Incognito Mode

by Lori Kaufman on

Chrome’s Incognito mode prevents websites from tracking you when you’re online. Because Chrome can’t guarantee that extensions aren’t tracking you, they are disabled in Incognito mode by default.

RELATED: The Many Ways Websites Track You Online

However, there may be some extensions you need to use while browsing in Incognito mode, such as LastPass or 1Password for logging in to websites, the OneNote Web Clipper for saving web pages to read later or offline, or others. You can allow individual extensions like these to run in Incognito mode, and we’ll show you how using 1Password as an example.

To get started, open Chrome and type chrome://extensions in the address bar to go to the Extensions page.

For each extension you want available in Incognito mode, check the “Allow in incognito” check box under the extension’s name. A warning displays about Chrome not being able to prevent extensions from tracking you. We don’t recommend enabling every extension. Chrome disables them for a reason, but if there are some extensions you trust and would help make your browsing experience in Incognito mode easier, you can turn those on.

Now, you can open a new Incognito window from the Chrome menu…

…and you’ll find the extension you allowed is available on the toolbar.

If you’re concerned about your privacy when using Chrome, read our article about optimizing Google Chrome for maximum privacy.

Lori Kaufman is a writer who likes to write geeky how-to articles to help make people's lives easier through the use of technology. She loves watching and reading mysteries and is an avid Doctor Who fan.