How do I hide my internet bookmarks / searches
December 8, 2014 1:23 PM Subscribe
Ok, I'll be straight with ya.....Mid 40's Male. Married. Two young kids. Using a Mac Book Pro completely updated...Using Google Chrome as my browser.....(more after the jump)
Given my situation.....LOL
I have a number of bookmarks to websites that I prefer not be found...of the adult entertainment variety....nothing sick....
My wife has her own computer, but sometimes for convienence and ease, she will grab my computer to look something up on the web....
I have a number of websites bookmarked that I would prefer not be found by my SO. They are cleverly named and hidden....However, whenever i type something into my sear/web bar, the auto fill option finds some of these sites and if a few letters or any wording matches up, the complete address shows up as an option for easy access.
I 'thought' i have gone through every single Chrome setting and option, and i cannot turn off the auto-fill.....i know how to erase my history, clear my cache, and recent searches....i'm not worried bout her finding the actual bookmarks....i just dont want the autofill to show these bookmarks if/when she uses my computer...
Is this a chrome thing? do i need to switch browsers?
disclaimer: marriage is perfectly fine....:) looking for technical support, not judgement...
Given my situation.....LOL
I have a number of bookmarks to websites that I prefer not be found...of the adult entertainment variety....nothing sick....
My wife has her own computer, but sometimes for convienence and ease, she will grab my computer to look something up on the web....
I have a number of websites bookmarked that I would prefer not be found by my SO. They are cleverly named and hidden....However, whenever i type something into my sear/web bar, the auto fill option finds some of these sites and if a few letters or any wording matches up, the complete address shows up as an option for easy access.
I 'thought' i have gone through every single Chrome setting and option, and i cannot turn off the auto-fill.....i know how to erase my history, clear my cache, and recent searches....i'm not worried bout her finding the actual bookmarks....i just dont want the autofill to show these bookmarks if/when she uses my computer...
Is this a chrome thing? do i need to switch browsers?
disclaimer: marriage is perfectly fine....:) looking for technical support, not judgement...
If you really want to be secure, set up a virtual machine for your porn browsing, use incognito/private browsing modes, and don't keep bookmarks. Make sure the password to your VM isn't the same as your usual password.
If that's too hardcore for you, look for "predictive search" switches in your settings and disable them. Are you sure your wife would freak out, BTW? Some women might surprise you. My wife's a bigger pervert than I am, and I love her for it. :)
posted by starbreaker at 1:27 PM on December 8, 2014 [5 favorites]
If that's too hardcore for you, look for "predictive search" switches in your settings and disable them. Are you sure your wife would freak out, BTW? Some women might surprise you. My wife's a bigger pervert than I am, and I love her for it. :)
posted by starbreaker at 1:27 PM on December 8, 2014 [5 favorites]
How to turn Autofill off in Chrome.
Alternate idea - show some of the sites TO your wife, if you think she'd dig that, and turn these accidental reminders into an spontaneously sexy bit of foreplay. :-)
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 1:28 PM on December 8, 2014 [1 favorite]
Alternate idea - show some of the sites TO your wife, if you think she'd dig that, and turn these accidental reminders into an spontaneously sexy bit of foreplay. :-)
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 1:28 PM on December 8, 2014 [1 favorite]
My husband and I just have an understanding this Firefox is his browser and if I jump on his laptop I use Chrome to avoid any autofill problems. Perhaps set your wife up with her own browser or use another browser for those types of things and don't leave a shortcut to that browser on the main screen?
posted by julie_of_the_jungle at 1:31 PM on December 8, 2014
posted by julie_of_the_jungle at 1:31 PM on December 8, 2014
Incognito won't hide URLs that you've already visited in Regular mode and will try to autofill them.
Press Ctrl-H and delete your browsing data from here. I've always suspected the "clear the last 1 hour" selection was added for those that forgot to enable Incognito for something or other...
posted by JoeZydeco at 1:33 PM on December 8, 2014 [1 favorite]
Press Ctrl-H and delete your browsing data from here. I've always suspected the "clear the last 1 hour" selection was added for those that forgot to enable Incognito for something or other...
posted by JoeZydeco at 1:33 PM on December 8, 2014 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: I'll keep my responses to a minimum as I know it's frowned upon to stalk my own post...
I do use the incognito browsing function in chrome, but even in either mode, the auto-fill seems to work the same....
I have tried the 'shut off' autofill option, but it hasn't worked, even after refreshing and cleaning up the browser...
Our love life is good and I don't think she'd be that upset about it, but some things are for me...LOL...
I am considering using a different browser...that might be perfect.....
or just keeping the bookmarks in an email note or task, that i can access from there, instead of from my browser.....
thanks ya...much nicer responses than i originally expected...LOL
posted by TwilightKid at 1:34 PM on December 8, 2014
I do use the incognito browsing function in chrome, but even in either mode, the auto-fill seems to work the same....
I have tried the 'shut off' autofill option, but it hasn't worked, even after refreshing and cleaning up the browser...
Our love life is good and I don't think she'd be that upset about it, but some things are for me...LOL...
I am considering using a different browser...that might be perfect.....
or just keeping the bookmarks in an email note or task, that i can access from there, instead of from my browser.....
thanks ya...much nicer responses than i originally expected...LOL
posted by TwilightKid at 1:34 PM on December 8, 2014
My husband and I have different users set up for each other on our computers. Not for any trust reasons, just because we both like keeping things clean within our own sessions. Can you just set your computer up to auto log out quickly and set up a separate account for her and/or the kids to use?
posted by brainmouse at 1:37 PM on December 8, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by brainmouse at 1:37 PM on December 8, 2014 [2 favorites]
Use a different browser, in incognito mode, and keep the bookmarks in some text file that is not the bookmarks.
FWIW, I'm the wife, and while I Understand, and Knock First, it definitely irks me to have autofill rub my nose in it when I'm going online to buy diapers or something equally Not Salacious. It's a courtesy thing. The different-browser also solves the inverse problem, which is that it can be kind of annoying when you want autocomplete to kick in but you have to retype every last goddamned link and username because the browser history's been repeatedly scrubbed.
So, thanks for being courteous!
ETA: @brainmouse: That's a good idea in principle, but it's also kind of awkward when you're sitting on the couch next to each other, and "Can you pass me the laptop so I can check tomorrow's weather?" has to result in a login/logout dance.
posted by telepanda at 1:40 PM on December 8, 2014 [4 favorites]
FWIW, I'm the wife, and while I Understand, and Knock First, it definitely irks me to have autofill rub my nose in it when I'm going online to buy diapers or something equally Not Salacious. It's a courtesy thing. The different-browser also solves the inverse problem, which is that it can be kind of annoying when you want autocomplete to kick in but you have to retype every last goddamned link and username because the browser history's been repeatedly scrubbed.
So, thanks for being courteous!
ETA: @brainmouse: That's a good idea in principle, but it's also kind of awkward when you're sitting on the couch next to each other, and "Can you pass me the laptop so I can check tomorrow's weather?" has to result in a login/logout dance.
posted by telepanda at 1:40 PM on December 8, 2014 [4 favorites]
Hide an alternative browser in an innocuous folder somewhere on your desktop.
Only use that browser for private time.
In the meantime, delete and reinstall Chrome? The way things work today, though, it is possible Chrome will still update the new install with your old browser history.
If so, delete Chrome and start using yet another new browser.
posted by jbenben at 1:45 PM on December 8, 2014 [2 favorites]
Only use that browser for private time.
In the meantime, delete and reinstall Chrome? The way things work today, though, it is possible Chrome will still update the new install with your old browser history.
If so, delete Chrome and start using yet another new browser.
posted by jbenben at 1:45 PM on December 8, 2014 [2 favorites]
When I use Firefox in Private mode, it doesn't remember those sites for auto-fill in normal mode. I'm surprised that Chrome does. So, try out Firefox. For bookmarks, you can use Delicious (which is still around), a Google document, or some sort of online notebook... just find something cloud based that's password protected.
posted by Leontine at 2:00 PM on December 8, 2014
posted by Leontine at 2:00 PM on December 8, 2014
If you are in Incognito Mode, Chrome will autofill based on URLs that you previously visited while in Normal mode.
If you are in Normal Mode, Chrome will not autofill based on your history in Incognito Mode because it deletes everything from an Incognito session once all Incognito windows are closed. (this is how it is supposed to work, there could be bugs, but it seems to work pretty well for me).
So OP, while you are in Normal mode, you need to wipe your Chrome history of all of the interesting URLs/bookmarks that you don't want to have. Then, in future, when you are browsing the interesting internet you need to have the discipline to do so only in Incognito Mode.
You also need to remember to close the Incognito Mode window when you are done being interested. It's possible that "a friend" of mine was potentially burned because the friend always has a bunch of Chrome windows open and never reboots and one time happened to minimize one innocuous window to find a leftover interesting one from a few nights previous hiding out in the background but it was ok because no one else was in the room.
posted by sparklemotion at 2:11 PM on December 8, 2014 [1 favorite]
If you are in Normal Mode, Chrome will not autofill based on your history in Incognito Mode because it deletes everything from an Incognito session once all Incognito windows are closed. (this is how it is supposed to work, there could be bugs, but it seems to work pretty well for me).
So OP, while you are in Normal mode, you need to wipe your Chrome history of all of the interesting URLs/bookmarks that you don't want to have. Then, in future, when you are browsing the interesting internet you need to have the discipline to do so only in Incognito Mode.
You also need to remember to close the Incognito Mode window when you are done being interested. It's possible that "a friend" of mine was potentially burned because the friend always has a bunch of Chrome windows open and never reboots and one time happened to minimize one innocuous window to find a leftover interesting one from a few nights previous hiding out in the background but it was ok because no one else was in the room.
posted by sparklemotion at 2:11 PM on December 8, 2014 [1 favorite]
Yeah incognito mode keeps things out of your history. You need to use separate accounts on the machine to have private bookmarks. Mac OS X makes it easy to switch between users.
posted by w0mbat at 2:14 PM on December 8, 2014
posted by w0mbat at 2:14 PM on December 8, 2014
Use a different browser. I can't speak for Windows, but for Mac OS you can install it on (and run it from) a thumb drive. Just remember to remove the thumb drive when you're done browsing. Your tracks should be invisible unless your SO does a deep dive into your system caches.
posted by mosk at 2:30 PM on December 8, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by mosk at 2:30 PM on December 8, 2014 [2 favorites]
Use Safari and Chrome. Or Chrome and Firefox. Keep one icon on your desktop and use that for public one-click access. Keep the other browser icon off the screen so that you need a couple of clicks to bring it up. Use that one for yourself. If you need to hand it over, just close your browser with one click and your wife has full access to the other safe browser.
posted by raisingsand at 2:35 PM on December 8, 2014
posted by raisingsand at 2:35 PM on December 8, 2014
Nthing the multiple browsers thing as a potential option. I use this 'trick' for different pseudonyms and email accounts so that I don't accidentally post to blogs, etc. under the wrong pseud/email address. Download a browser (e.g. Opera) and just use it for porn or private surfing. Do not make a shortcut on the desktop for it. Always launch from the Applications folder. Use private mode if possible.
posted by skye.dancer at 2:38 PM on December 8, 2014
posted by skye.dancer at 2:38 PM on December 8, 2014
There are several hidden bookmarks extensions for Chrome. Maybe that combined with Private Browsing would work.
posted by advicepig at 2:45 PM on December 8, 2014
posted by advicepig at 2:45 PM on December 8, 2014
Could you just save the bookmarks in a separate word doc? (Not as bookmarks in the browser?) Not super sneaky, but if it's just low-value embarrassment risk, then could work.
posted by mercredi at 2:46 PM on December 8, 2014
posted by mercredi at 2:46 PM on December 8, 2014
The "autofill" thing above refers to forms on websites, not the browser's own address bar.
This is from more than four years ago, an eternity in computer years, but perhaps it still applies?
posted by Shmuel510 at 2:46 PM on December 8, 2014
This is from more than four years ago, an eternity in computer years, but perhaps it still applies?
posted by Shmuel510 at 2:46 PM on December 8, 2014
Delete all of the history and all of the bookmarks. Make sure that you use incognito every single time you're looking at porn. Does it still autofill the formerly bookmarked pages in a normal chrome window?
I have never had something that I only looked at incognito autofill in normal mode.
posted by kinddieserzeit at 3:17 PM on December 8, 2014
I have never had something that I only looked at incognito autofill in normal mode.
posted by kinddieserzeit at 3:17 PM on December 8, 2014
Chrome allows you to set up multiple profiles on the same browser. All you have to do is set up a new email address , and then set up a new profile with this email address. Your bookmarks can be stored in this profile.
The profile *will* be visible, so you may want to name it something incongruous, like "Work Profile."
You can actually delete the profile after every session; the bookmarks and so on will remain online associated with your dummy account.
My wife does not mind or monitor my browsing habits, but it's a good best practice to have if you have kids.
Another option is to create a "family profile."
I do this in order to avoid any risk to my main email account. I also have done this because my YouTube channel is carefully "curated" and my kids tend to watch video game speed runs, which wrecks my YT feed.
posted by Nevin at 3:18 PM on December 8, 2014
The profile *will* be visible, so you may want to name it something incongruous, like "Work Profile."
You can actually delete the profile after every session; the bookmarks and so on will remain online associated with your dummy account.
My wife does not mind or monitor my browsing habits, but it's a good best practice to have if you have kids.
Another option is to create a "family profile."
I do this in order to avoid any risk to my main email account. I also have done this because my YouTube channel is carefully "curated" and my kids tend to watch video game speed runs, which wrecks my YT feed.
posted by Nevin at 3:18 PM on December 8, 2014
Try the WhiteHat Aviator browser: opens in Incognito mode by default, removes all traces of your online activity when you close it, disables media autoplay, etc.
posted by rada at 3:27 PM on December 8, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by rada at 3:27 PM on December 8, 2014 [3 favorites]
Seconding the "Hide Chrome and keep an obvious link to a different browser on the desktop" approach. Make Chrome your secret, private browser and make it so anyone else defaults to the second browser.
posted by Thorzdad at 5:24 PM on December 8, 2014
posted by Thorzdad at 5:24 PM on December 8, 2014
You can also enable fast user switching on the Mac and create a second account that you only use for your own private purposes. Set up file vault on that account so it remains encrypted when you are not logged in. Log into that, do your stuff including bookmarks and history, then log out and then back into your normal account. No need to clear history or anything. If you use a good password no one will ever get into the second account.
posted by procrastination at 5:42 PM on December 8, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by procrastination at 5:42 PM on December 8, 2014 [1 favorite]
To follow up, I would even change the icon for Chrome, just in case anyone snoops.
posted by Thorzdad at 5:45 PM on December 8, 2014
posted by Thorzdad at 5:45 PM on December 8, 2014
There's also a plugin to do this. Though they'll still likely autofill, so keep incognito on.
And yeah, you're gonna have to clear your cache and cookies (and manage your passwords if you're actually seriously logging in to stuff rather than just keeping Pornhu… from autocompleting).
posted by klangklangston at 5:52 PM on December 8, 2014
And yeah, you're gonna have to clear your cache and cookies (and manage your passwords if you're actually seriously logging in to stuff rather than just keeping Pornhu… from autocompleting).
posted by klangklangston at 5:52 PM on December 8, 2014
can you create a different account on the macbook for this purpose? As procrastination said above?
posted by nightwood at 7:17 PM on December 8, 2014
posted by nightwood at 7:17 PM on December 8, 2014
Can you create a differnt account for yourself, your wife, and your kids on the computer?
I think your account and your wife's account should be pasword protected from the kids. They could find anything from your porn habits to bank info, to what Santa is bringing them.
posted by WeekendJen at 7:56 AM on December 9, 2014
I think your account and your wife's account should be pasword protected from the kids. They could find anything from your porn habits to bank info, to what Santa is bringing them.
posted by WeekendJen at 7:56 AM on December 9, 2014
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navigate to Those Sorts Of Sites in an incognito window.
Using a different browser wouldn't be a bad idea, either.
posted by Sara C. at 1:26 PM on December 8, 2014 [1 favorite]