How to Browse Anonymously on Reddit
Reddit is one of the most popular social news aggregation websites and has over 330 million monthly active users. However, did you know that Reddit offers users a unique way to access its content with its anonymous browsing feature? Although private bRowing has become a myth, Reddit is trying to get exposure.
If you’re new to Reddit and want to explore the social news aggregation site without a profile, or just don’t want to associate your searches with your Reddit account, anonymous browsing comes in handy. Wondering how it works? In this article, we explain how you can surf Reddit anonymously on any device.
What is Anonymous Browsing on Reddit and How Does it Work?
Browsing Reddit anonymously allows users to browse the site without revealing their IP address or identity, which means they can remain anonymous even when logged into their account. Therefore, their Reddit activities cannot be traced back to them. This doesn’t mean what you browse is completely private, which means third-party service providers and trackers can still track your movements.
In addition, your activities will not appear in Reddit’s browsing history. While you can view all content on Reddit using Anonymous Browsing, you cannot perform actions that require your identity (discussed in detail later).
So now that that’s out of the way, here’s how to browse Reddit privately.
How to Enable Anonymous Browsing on the Reddit App (Android and iOS)
Step 1: Open the Reddit app and tap on your avatar to open the account menu.
step 2: Tap the down arrow next to your username.
step 3: Select Anonymous Browsing from the menu.
Here we go. Now you can search Reddit anonymously. If you want to go back to normal, all you have to do is click to vote or comment, or you can click on your avatar and a prompt will appear showing you how to exit anonymous browsing.
However, the official Reddit app is buggy and doesn’t offer the best user experience. If you are looking for alternatives, you can use one of these Reddit apps for iPhone or Android.
How to search Reddit anonymously on desktop
Unlike the Reddit app, anonymous browsing is not officially available on the desktop version of Reddit. Therefore, we recommend opening Reddit in Incognito mode. For your information, we use the Chrome browser in the following steps.
Step 1: Open your default browser and click on the three dots in the upper right corner.
step 2: From the drop-down menu, click New Incognito Window.
note: You can skip the above two steps and directly press Ctrl+Shift+N to open Incognito mode.
step 3: Open Reddit official website from the link below and start browsing.
Mind you, browse without logging into your Reddit account. When you’re done browsing, you can either close the incognito window or switch to normal browsing mode. Incognito mode blocks cookies and third-party downloads. By not signing in, you prevent your browsing history and Reddit’s first-party tracking cookies from being associated with your account.
Alternatively, you can also use a VPN to browse Reddit privately if you don’t trust incognito mode.
What you can and can’t do in Reddit’s anonymous browsing mode
Anonymous browsing allows you to control your privacy on Reddit. The benefit of using this feature is that you can search pages and content across the platform without having to Give Reddit access to your activity to personalize your feed, notifications, and recommendations.
This is especially helpful when you want to watch something without disrupting your Reddit recommendations or checking subreddits you’re blocked from.
However, there are things Reddit’s Anonymous Browsing can’t do. This includes actions such as upvoting or downvoting, posting and commenting as they are linked to your account for personalization. In simple terms, you can do anything on Reddit’s Anonymous Browsing as long as it doesn’t involve your participation in the platform’s posts or content.
Frequently asked questions about Reddit Browsing
You must know that if you have anonymous browsing enabled, you must disable it to switch back. To do this, tap on your avatar in the top right corner and select “Exit anonymous browsing”. If that didn’t help, try clearing the cache (if you’re using Android). If the problem persists, the last resort is to delete and reinstall the app.
Sometimes the application backend causes a connection issue that affects your experience of the app. Just go to phone settings > app settings > choose Reddit > Clear cache. If that doesn’t solve the problem, try clearing the storage. The problem should be resolved.
Yes, you should be able to view NSFW content provided you enable it from the command prompt. However, if you have previously enabled NSFW content on your profile, you do not need to do so again.
Safe browsing on Reddit
Reddit Anonymous Browsing has a purpose, whether it’s for privacy reasons or to explore content that you don’t want personalized results for and that you don’t want to associate your account with. This feature comes in handy for all cases and scenarios. I think it should be a nice addition to other social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. What do you think? Let us know in the comment section below.