Why do some websites work in incognito mode but fail in normal mode?

Why do some websites work in incognito mode but not in normal mode? If you've ever wondered why A website opens perfectly in incognito mode but fails in normal modeYou're not alone. Many users experience issues with certain websites: they display errors, go blank, show "unauthorized" messages when logging in, or their content simply doesn't appear... until they try incognito mode and, magically, everything works. This can be incredibly frustrating, especially when it happens with websites you use daily or important services like Google, booking sites, banks, or job platforms.

The good news is that, although the problem may have several different causes (corrupted cache, corrupted cookies, extensions, settings, Chrome profiles, company policies, etc.)Almost all of them can be diagnosed and resolved directly from the browser or operating system. Throughout this guide, you will see, in great detail, Why some websites only work in incognito mode and what you can do to fix itwhether you're a home user or you manage Chrome in an organization.

Why a website can work in incognito mode but fail in normal mode

The first thing to understand is that Chrome's incognito mode is not a different browserRather, it's a way to run it without using much of the data stored in the user's normal profile. This difference in how data is managed is key to understanding why a site might perform well in incognito mode but poorly in a regular session.

In a normal window, Chrome uses cookies, cache, local storage, history, active extensions and the entire user profileIn incognito mode, on the other hand, a cleaner session begins: it doesn't use most of the previous data, doesn't load many extensions (except those you've explicitly allowed), and doesn't save new data upon exiting. Therefore, if something in your profile is corrupted or interfering, The website may break in normal mode but continue to function without problems in incognito mode..

Key differences between normal, incognito, guest, and ephemeral modes

Chrome offers several types of private browsing that are worth understanding, especially if you work in an organization with centralized policies. In practical terms, users typically switch between normal mode, incognito mode, guest mode, and, in managed environments, ephemeral profiles.

• Normal mode: It uses the full Chrome profile. It saves history, cookies, cache, form data, passwords, active extensions, etc. This is where problems often arise when something becomes corrupted or conflicts with other data.
• Incognito mode: It opens a separate window that does not use previous history, does not save new history entries, and does not retain cookies or cache when closed. Extensions are disabled by default, except for those you manually allow for incognito mode.
• Guest mode: It allows browsing without logging into a Google account or using existing local profiles. No history or data is saved to the diskAnd when the guest session is closed, everything used in that session is deleted.
• Ephemeral mode (in companies and educational centers): The user logs into Chrome with their managed account, can sync bookmarks and history with their account, but All local data is deleted when you sign out of Chrome or exit the browserIt is very useful on shared devices.

In the modes Guest, incognito, and ephemeral, Chrome does not rely on the same persistent dataset than in normal mode. That's why when a page only works well in incognito mode, it almost always means that Something from the "normal" profile is interfering: cache, cookies, extensions, history, or specific settings.

Common causes: why the website only fails in normal mode

There are a number of patterns that repeat themselves time and time again when users comment that Some websites only load in incognito modeAmong the most frequent reasons are the following:

• Damaged or outdated cache: Chrome caches files and images to make pages open faster, but if that cache becomes corrupted, the website may display blank screens, strange errors, or incomplete content, while in incognito mode (without that previous cache) it works.
• Corrupted cookies or broken sessions: Some websites, especially those requiring login, rely on highly sensitive cookies. If a cookie becomes inconsistent, You may see "unauthorized" errors or login loops which disappear when entering incognito mode (where new cookies are created).
• Problematic extensions: Tracking blockers, antivirus software, password managers, custom scripts, and similar programs may modify or block page resourcesSince they are not loaded in incognito mode by default, The website works there but fails in normal mode.A typical real-world example is a privacy extension like Privacy Badger breaking a website that looks perfect in incognito mode.
• Hardware acceleration and GPU drivers: Sometimes the combination of Chrome + graphics card + driver results in blank screens (the famous WSOD, White Screen of Death)In incognito mode, since it doesn't restore tabs or certain previous states, it seems to "fix" itself, but in reality the problem is with the graphical configuration (although other factors may also influence it).
• Internal profile files damaged: The Chrome user profile stores history, local databases, settings, and numerous files. If any of these become corrupted, The browser may become unstable and display errors only in the normal profile.while incognito or a new profile work well.
• Windows compatibility mode or modified shortcuts: Running Chrome in compatibility mode for an older version of Windows, or with unusual shortcut parameters, can cause blank screens, unexpected shutdowns, or strange errors that you don't see in other ways.
• Antivirus, firewall or VPN: certain security programs or VPNs may close connections (ERR_CONNECTION_CLOSED), filter content, or inject certificates in ways that affect normal mode. Sometimes, due to how Chrome processes are initialized in incognito mode, the behavior changes and the website seems to work only there.
• Configurations and policies in companies or educational centers: If you manage Chrome using policies, some settings related to IncognitoModeAvailability, BrowserGuestModeEnabled or ForceEphemeralProfiles They can cause certain navigation modes to function very differently from others, affecting access to internal pages or protected resources.

Real-world examples: websites that only work well in incognito mode

To understand it better, it helps to review real-life situations very similar to those that any user may be experiencing:

• One user comments that with websites like America's Test Kitchen, TripAdvisor or Costco You get 404 errors or "unauthorized" messages when logging in. If you log in in incognito mode, everything works perfectly the first time, even after clearing the site's data in normal mode. The cause here is usually... session cookies or deeper cache that do not regenerate properly until a more aggressive cleaning is forced or the profile is reset.
• Another case: upon entering freescreenwriting.comThe page goes completely blank and the URL transforms into something like this: https://freescreenwriting.com/#ED993~***~branch=-changing the characters after the # each time. In incognito mode, the website works perfectly. The user suspects an extension, tries disabling them one by one, and finally discovers that it was causing the problem. Privacy Badger, a crawl blocker that broke the website's normal behavior.
• Another user with the Brave browser starts to see ERR_CONNECTION_CLOSED on several sites (especially Google services and the browser's own help section). Interestingly, in incognito mode, those same sites load without issue. This is where possible causes come into play. conflicts between cache, extensions, browser and system network settings, and even DNS or certificate problems.
• On a puzzle website like puzz.linkThe puzzle database stops displaying items and the type filter disappears. An error message appears in the console. “Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'childNodes')”In incognito mode, the page works perfectly. It's a classic symptom that some data stored locally (localStorage, IndexedDB, etc.) or a script modified by an extension It's leaving the page in an unexpected state.

All these examples have something in common: The behavior changes depending on whether or not persistent Chrome profile data is used.And that gives a clear clue as to where to start tackling the problem.

Blank screen problems and the infamous WSOD error in Chrome

One of the most perplexing symptoms is when, upon opening Chrome or a specific tab, Only a completely empty white screen appears.This is commonly called the WSOD (White Screen of Death). It can happen on a single website, when opening the browser, or when restoring previous sessions.

There are usually several possible causes behind WSOD: Corrupted cache, extensions that keep crashing, hardware acceleration issues, compatibility errors, a damaged history, or even a Chrome update that wasn't applied correctly.The fact that sometimes You can see the website in incognito mode. This indicates that, in the normal profile, something is blocking the loading before the content is displayed.

In these cases, it's best to follow a step-by-step approach: from the simplest actions (closing processes, clearing cache, disabling extensions) to more drastic measures such as Rename the History folder, delete local storage, or as a last resort, reset or reinstall Chrome.Later on, you will see all these actions explained in detail.

Extensions: the usual suspect when Incognito works

When a website works in incognito mode but not in normal mode, one of the first things to look at are the Chrome extensionsIn incognito mode, by default, All extensions are disabled Unless you've specifically enabled them for that mode. That's why, if an extension is breaking a website, the problem usually disappears when you open it in incognito mode.

There are certain types of extensions that are especially prone to causing conflicts: Ad blockers, privacy and anti-tracking tools, security extensions, custom scripts (such as Tampermonkey), advanced translators, or plugins that inject code into pagesA real-world example is what we saw with Privacy Badger, which prevented a screenwriters' page from loading properly in normal mode but left it intact in incognito mode.

To isolate the culprit extension, the most effective method is Disable all extensions and test the websiteIf that's how it works, we need to reactivate them. one by one (or in small groups) until it fails again, at which point you'll know who's responsible. Another very useful technique is Start Chrome directly without extensions., adding the parameter –disable-extensions to the browser shortcut: that way you can check at a glance if the problem disappears when no add-on is loaded.

Also, keep in mind that Some extensions allow you to specify that they also run in incognito mode.If you enabled that option in a conflicting add-on, it might still cause problems even in incognito mode. In that case, you'll need to disable it for private windows as well, or simply remove the extension if you don't need it.

Cache, cookies and local storage: when data turns against you

Another major reason why a page breaks only in normal mode This is the state of the local data that Chrome stores about it: file cache, session cookies, localStorage, IndexedDB, form data…While in incognito mode you start "clean", in the normal profile you carry over all that history, which can sometimes be corrupted or incompatible with a new version of the website.

Something as simple as a change in the internal structure of a page can cause A value stored locally no longer makes sense. and cause JavaScript errors such as “cannot read property X of undefined”, just like the case of the puzzle site that threw errors when trying to access childNodes of an element that no longer existed.

To tackle these kinds of problems, it's best to proceed step by step. A first step is clear cache and cookies of the affected website, or even the entire browser, choosing "all time" as the time interval and marking elements as browsing history, cookies and other site data, cached files and images and, if applicable, data from forms. If that is not enough, in some extreme cases it may be necessary Manually delete the contents of the Local Storage folder from your Chrome profile, so that the page is forced to regenerate its data from scratch.

Corrupted Chrome profiles, history, and internal settings

When problems become widespread (Chrome only works properly in incognito mode, or a blank screen appears on many pages), it's likely that the browser user profile is corruptedOn Windows, Chrome stores its main profile in the folder Defaultwhere it stores history, preferences, extensions, local storage, and other information.

One very effective technique consists of Completely close all Chrome processes from the Task Manager and then go to the user route, for example: C:\Users\YourUser\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\DefaultFrom there, you can select all the content and delete it, or delete the entire Default folder. When you restart Chrome, the browser will generate a new, clean profile, which usually solve many problems when the browser only works in incognito mode.

Another less radical variant is Rename the History file (for example, to temp) within that profile path. If the history is corrupted and that's affecting tab loading or browser startup, this simple change can unblock it without deleting all other data.

If none of these measures work, a more aggressive option is reset the browser to its default settings from within Chrome's own settings. This disables third-party extensions, restores options, homepage, search engine, and startup tabs, but does not delete bookmarks or saved passwords. In extreme cases, Completely uninstall Chrome and reinstall it Starting from scratch can be the definitive way to clean any trace of corruption in the profile or binaries.

Hardware acceleration, shortcut target, and compatibility mode

Beyond extensions and local data, there are Chrome and Windows settings that can cause blank screens, graphical errors, or strange behavior that disappears in incognito modeOne of the most frequently mentioned is the Hardware acceleration, a function that offloads some of the rendering work to the computer's GPU.

If the graphics card driver is outdated, unstable, or there's a specific conflict, that hardware acceleration can cause Chrome displays a completely blank screen or the content takes a long time to appear.A classic solution is to go to Chrome's advanced settings, enter the System section and disable the option “Use hardware acceleration when available”After restarting the browser, many users find that pages load normally again.

It's also worth reviewing the Chrome shortcut destination in Windows. If the shortcut has added parameters (such as -disable-gpu to force the GPU to disable, or -incognito (to always open in private mode), this can change how the browser starts and how pages behave. In some cases, adding -disable-gpu At the end of the route it helps to avoid WSOD, but it should be done consciously and checking the result.

Finally, the Windows compatibility mode It can also backfire. Running Chrome as if it were an application from an older version of Windows can cause problems. stability errors and blank screensIt is recommended to go into the shortcut's properties, check the Compatibility tab, and make sure that The "run in compatibility mode" box is not checked. unless you have a very specific reason.

Managed Chrome in Enterprises: Policies on Incognito, Guest, and Ephemeral

In corporate, educational, or managed device environments, browser behavior can be controlled by Chrome policiesThese policies can be applied from the Google admin console, using Windows group policies, configuration profiles on Mac, or JSON files on Linux.

Among the most relevant policies for private browsing and the behavior of the different modes are BrowserGuestModeEnabled, BrowserGuestModeEnforced, DeviceEphemeralUsersEnabled, DeviceGuestModeEnabled, ForceEphemeralProfiles and IncognitoModeAvailabilityWith them you can, for example, force users to browse only in ephemeral mode, allow or block guest mode, or force only incognito mode to exist.

If you notice that You can only browse smoothly in incognito or guest mode On a managed device, a combination of local policies and data may be affecting the user's primary profile. In these cases, it's appropriate to review the applied policies by accessing chrome://policy, reload the policies and check the status of each one (for example, that IncognitoModeAvailability have the correct value: 0, 1 or 2 depending on the desired configuration).

Depending on the platform, the way these policies are applied changes: Group policies in Windows (Google Chrome administrative templates), configuration profiles in Mac (with keys like ForceEphemeralProfiles or BrowserGuestModeEnabled), or JSON files in /etc/opt/chrome/policies/managed in LinuxFor administrators, a good understanding of these options is crucial so that users are not forced into "strange" solutions, such as always having to use incognito mode for things to work.

Best practices to prevent Chrome from only working in incognito mode

Once the problem is solved, it's worth adopting some Best practices to reduce the likelihood of encountering websites that only work well in incognito modeThere's no magic formula, but there are a number of habits that help a lot:

• Keep Chrome always up to date: New versions fix bugs, improve compatibility with modern websites, and patch vulnerabilities. Leaving your browser outdated increases the chances of... conflicts with recent sites or modern extensions.
• Periodically review the installed extensions: It's easy to accumulate extensions you no longer use or that come from unreliable sources. It's advisable Clean up unnecessary add-ons, avoid dubious extensions, and review those with too many permissions..
• Clear your cache from time to time: Although caching speeds up page loading, it can also accumulate corrupt or outdated filesCleaning it periodically, especially if you start noticing any problems, is a simple way to keep your browser healthy.
• Do not overuse programs that intercept traffic: VPNs, antivirus, and firewalls are necessary in many cases, but you have to Configure them wisely and avoid strange combinations of several tools at once. that can close connections or aggressively modify traffic.
• Avoid touching advanced options without knowing what they do: Unusual shortcut parameters, experimental flags, or compatibility mode changes can help with specific problems, but also break other things silently.

If every time something goes wrong you have to open incognito mode to access your favorite websites, it means that There's something on your profile about Chrome which deserves a thorough reviewUnderstanding how cache, cookies, extensions, hardware acceleration, and browser policies interact is key to restoring stable, normal browsing and not always relying on the "trick" of opening a private window to make everything work.