How to Disable Private Browsing in Safari

By Craig Witt

Updated September 28, 2017

The Safari Web browser has included a Private Browsing feature since the release of Mac OS X version 10.4. When this special mode is enabled, the browser no longer keeps track of the websites you visit, does not store cookies and does not save temporary Internet files to its cache. If you no longer want users to have access to the feature, you can remove the corresponding menu option from Safari by making use of the Interface Builder tool included with Mac OS X.

Click on the "Finder" icon located in the Dock that runs across the bottom of the screen.

Press the "Ctrl" key, click on the "Safari" icon and then select "Show Package Controls."

Double-click "Contents," followed by "Resources" and "English.lproj."

Double-click the "MainMenu.nib" file. The file opens in the Interface Builder application within a few seconds.

Select the window containing the Safari menu bar.

Click the "Safari" menu.

Click the "Private Browsing" menu item and then press the "Delete" key.

Press the "Command" and "S" keys simultaneously to save your change.

Close the Interface Builder application.

Close all open Safari browser windows. The next time you open Safari, the Private Browsing feature will no longer be available.

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