“Is this browser private?” is too broad a question to answer with one badge. A useful privacy check asks smaller questions: what is visible at the network layer, what persists locally, what browser characteristics are exposed, and what happens when you download a file or grant a permission.
Start with your threat model
A shared computer, an advertising tracker, a local Wi-Fi operator, an ISP and the destination website all observe different layers.
Check your public IP
Record the public IP seen in a normal session. Enable the privacy or routing mode you want to test and check again. If the address is unchanged, that mode did not change the public-facing route. Read our incognito guide.
Check WebRTC separately
A useful WebRTC test distinguishes public addresses, private addresses, relay candidates and mDNS-obfuscated host information. See What Is a WebRTC Leak?.
Understand your DNS path
Compare the resolver infrastructure reported by a DNS test with the path you expected from your browser, operating system, VPN or encrypted DNS settings. Read our DNS guide.
Inspect cookie and storage behavior
Check whether private mode isolates cookies from the normal profile and whether temporary storage disappears after all private windows are closed.
Look at fingerprinting signals
Compare exposed browser characteristics across modes. Treat fingerprinting results as diagnostics, not a universal score. Read our fingerprinting guide.
Review permissions
Check which sites can use the camera, microphone, location, notifications, clipboard and other sensitive capabilities.
Test what remains locally
After closing a private session, reopen the browser and inspect history, cookies, recently closed tabs, form state and session restore behavior.
Downloads are separate
Save a harmless test file and confirm where it goes. Closing the private session should not be assumed to remove it. See Safer Browser Downloads.
A simple test sequence
- Record the public IP.
- Check DNS behavior.
- Inspect WebRTC candidates.
- Test cookie and storage isolation.
- Compare fingerprint signals.
- Review site permissions.
- Close the session and inspect local traces.
- Verify downloaded-file persistence.
Build a baseline before changing settings
Run the first test in your normal browser configuration and save the results you care about: public IP, DNS resolver, WebRTC candidates, cookie behavior and visible browser characteristics. Then change one privacy setting or mode at a time. A baseline makes it much easier to see what actually changed instead of guessing from a label.
Repeat tests after restarting the browser
Some privacy behavior only becomes clear after every private window is closed or after the browser restarts. Temporary cookies, session storage and recently closed state can behave differently while a session is still active. Repeat important tests after closing the session completely so you can separate temporary isolation from persistent storage.
Compare signed-out and signed-in sessions
A browser can reduce cookies or fingerprinting exposure while a website still recognizes you because you signed in. If your goal is to understand browser-level privacy, compare a signed-out test with a signed-in one. Account identity is a separate layer and should not be confused with browser anonymity.
Do not overread a single privacy score
Privacy tests use different samples, assumptions and measurement techniques. A unique-looking fingerprint in one test does not prove that every site can identify you, and passing a WebRTC or DNS check does not prove complete anonymity. Focus on the underlying signals and whether they match the behavior you expected.
Keep a small before-and-after checklist
- Did the public IP change?
- Did the expected DNS resolver change?
- Did WebRTC expose any unexpected public route?
- Were cookies isolated from the normal profile?
- Did browser characteristics become more or less distinctive?
- Did sensitive permissions remain granted?
- Did local history or downloaded files remain after closing the session?
This approach turns privacy testing into a repeatable comparison instead of a one-time badge. Start with the Voryqe Privacy Test, then use the individual guides when a result needs more explanation.
FAQ
Can one privacy test prove that I am anonymous?
No. A test measures only the signals it is designed to inspect.
If my public IP changed, am I fully private?
No. Accounts, cookies and fingerprints may still recognize the session.
The takeaway
Good privacy testing is specific. Test IP, DNS, WebRTC, storage, fingerprinting, permissions and downloads independently. You can begin with the Voryqe Privacy Test.