Avoid staying signed in on a public computer
Your sign-in experience is changing
The web browser sign-in experience is changing when you sign in to any product or service using your Microsoft account. Starting in February 2025, you will stay signed in automatically unless you sign out or use private browsing.
If you sign in on your own computer, your browser will remember your sign-in information, but if you sign in on a computer, phone or tablet that doesn't belong to you, or is accessed by other people, you should follow the steps below to use a private browsing window instead.
Private browsing ensures that others won't be able to:
-
Access your Microsoft account, OneDrive or Outlook.com mailbox.
-
See your search and browsing history.
To sign out from your Microsoft account in a web browser, select your profile picture in the top right corner of the page and select Sign out. Alternatively, you can sign out manually below.
Tip: Always close all browser windows after signing out. If you no longer have access to a device where you were signed in, read How to sign out everywhere.
How to start private browsing
All major web browsers offer some form of private browsing mode, which prevents history, cookies, and site data from being saved on your device. Here's how to access private browsing on some popular browsers.
|
Browser |
Private browsing shortcut keys |
|---|---|
|
Microsoft Edge |
CTRL + SHIFT + N |
|
Google Chrome |
CTRL + SHIFT + N |
|
Mozilla Firefox |
CTRL + SHIFT + P |
|
Opera |
CTRL + SHIFT + N |
|
Browser |
Private browsing shortcut keys |
|---|---|
|
Safari |
SHIFT + CMD + N |
|
Microsoft Edge |
SHIFT + CMD + N |
|
Google Chrome |
SHIFT + CMD + N |
|
Mozilla Firefox |
SHIFT + CMD + P |
|
Browser |
Private browsing shortcut keys |
|---|---|
|
Microsoft Edge |
Tap Tabs then InPrivate then Open a new private tab |
|
Google Chrome |
Tap then New Incognito tab |
|
Mozilla Firefox |
Tap Tabs then Private |
|
Opera |
Tap Tabs then Private then |
|
Browser |
Private browsing command |
|---|---|
|
Safari |
Tap Tabs then Private then |
|
Microsoft Edge |
Tap Tabs then InPrivate then |
|
Google Chrome |
Tap then New Incognito tab |
|
Mozilla Firefox |
Tap Tabs then Private |
Important: Remember to close all open InPrivate, Incognito and other private tabs when you have finished.
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