Google promoted Chrome 83 to the stable channel for Windows, Mac and Linux on May 19, 2020. The initial desktop build, 83.0.4103.61, included 38 security fixes and rolled out over the following days and weeks. Its most visible privacy change was narrower than many headlines suggested: Chrome began blocking third-party cookies by default inside Incognito sessions, not across all browsing.
The release also reorganized Chrome’s Privacy and security controls, added Safety Check, began rolling out Secure DNS, expanded Safe Browsing options and gave extensions a new toolbar control.
What Chrome 83 changed
- Redesigned Privacy and security settings, including clearer cookie and site-permission controls.
- Third-party cookies blocked by default in Incognito on supported desktop and Android rollouts.
- Safety Check for password-compromise alerts, Safe Browsing, updates and potentially harmful extensions.
- Optional Enhanced Safe Browsing.
- Secure DNS using DNS-over-HTTPS (DoH), where supported by the selected resolver.
- A puzzle-piece extension control for inspecting, pinning and managing extensions.
Google described these features as a staged rollout, so not every user saw every control on the same day.
The redesigned Privacy and security area
This was primarily a navigation and presentation redesign rather than a new security architecture. Chrome brought related controls together and made several commonly needed actions easier to find.
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What moved or became clearer
- The former People area was repositioned as You and Google, with sync controls.
- Clear browsing data moved to the top of the Privacy and security section.
- Site permissions were grouped into clearer categories.
- Location, camera, microphone and notification permissions received more prominent treatment.
- Recent permission activity was surfaced for easier review.
- Cookie management became easier to locate and understand.
Google’s announcement explains the settings redesign and related controls at blog.google.
What “third-party cookies blocked in Incognito” means
A first-party cookie is generally associated with the site you are visiting. A third-party cookie is set or read by a different domain embedded in that page, such as an advertising, analytics, social, authentication or embedded-content provider. These cookies can enable legitimate cross-site features, but they can also support cross-site tracking.
Chrome 83 changed the Incognito default:
- Third-party cookies were blocked by default within each Incognito session.
- This did not block every cookie or every form of tracking.
- Incognito site data was still deleted when the session ended, after all Incognito windows were closed.
- A user could temporarily allow third-party cookies for the affected site through the control near the address bar.
The change was not a universal block in normal Chrome windows. Regular browsing retained separate cookie controls, and the feature rolled out gradually on desktop and Android.
What might break
Blocking third-party cookies can improve separation between embedded content and the site you opened, but some cross-domain workflows depend on those cookies.
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- HDMI 2.1 cable required (sold separately)
- See movies and TV shows from all your services right from your home screen[2]; and find new things to watch with tailored recommendations for everyone in your home based on their interests and viewing habits
- Watch live TV and access over 800 free channels from Pluto TV, Tubi, and more[3]; if you find an interesting show or movie on your TV, mobile app, or Google search, you can easily add it to your watchlist, so it’s ready when you are[2]
- Up to 4K HDR with Dolby Vision delivers captivating, true-to-life detail[4]; and you can connect speakers that support Dolby Atmos for more immersive 3D sound
- Embedded video, comments, chat or payment components may fail to load.
- A site may repeatedly ask you to sign in.
- Cross-domain authentication or account linking may not complete.
- Embedded Google Workspace or similar services may require an exception.
- Some subscription systems, paywalls and web applications may behave differently.
Allowing cookies for one site restores that site’s required workflow without turning off the protection for every Incognito page.
How to restore a broken site
Chrome 83-era Incognito workflow
- Open the affected page in an Incognito window.
- Select the cookie or eye-shaped control near the address bar.
- Choose the option to allow third-party cookies for that site.
- Close the dialog and reload the page.
- Remember that the allowance applies only to the current Incognito session.
Current Chrome menu path
In current Chrome, open More → Settings → Privacy and security → Third-party cookies. From there, choose whether to allow or block third-party cookies and add site-specific exceptions under the allowed-sites section. A temporary address-bar allowance is separate from a persistent exception; Google’s current documentation notes that regular-mode temporary permissions and Incognito allowances can have different lifetimes.
On a work- or school-managed browser, an administrator may prevent you from changing these settings. See Google’s cookie guidance for current labels and exceptions.
Incognito is not anonymity
Incognito mainly limits what Chrome stores locally after the session. It does not stop visited websites, Google services, employers, schools or internet service providers from potentially observing activity. Downloads and bookmarks saved during an Incognito session also remain after the window closes. Multiple Incognito windows belong to the same session, which ends only after all of them are closed.
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For desktop Chrome, the private-window shortcuts are Ctrl+Shift+N on Windows, Linux and ChromeOS, and Command+Shift+N on macOS. Google’s explanation of Incognito’s limits is available at support.google.com.
Safety Check
Safety Check consolidated several checks in one place. Google said it could:
- Warn when saved passwords appeared in known compromises.
- Flag disabled Safe Browsing.
- Check whether Chrome was up to date.
- Identify potentially malicious extensions and indicate where to remove them.
A compromised-password alert was not an automatic account repair. You still had to change the affected password on the relevant website.
Enhanced Safe Browsing and Secure DNS
Enhanced Safe Browsing
Enhanced Safe Browsing was an optional, more proactive mode aimed at phishing, malware and dangerous downloads. Google said it could send additional page and download information to Google Safe Browsing for more tailored protection. That stronger protection involved a greater data-sharing trade-off than basic Safe Browsing.
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Secure DNS
Chrome 83 began rolling out Secure DNS based on DNS-over-HTTPS. When the current DNS provider supported it, Chrome could upgrade DNS lookups to an encrypted connection; users could configure another provider or disable the feature.
DoH encrypts the DNS lookup step. It does not encrypt all browser traffic, hide your IP address or make you anonymous, so it is not a VPN replacement. It can also interact with enterprise policies, parental controls, filtering and ISP-specific DNS behavior. The technical explanation is available from Chromium.
Extensions get a toolbar home
The puzzle-piece icon gave users one place to inspect installed extensions, pin selected extensions back to the toolbar and see what data extensions could access on sites. The icon improved visibility and organization; it did not by itself make an extension trustworthy or remove the importance of reviewing permissions and developers.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How Chrome 83 fits the cookie timeline
Chrome 83 followed Chrome 80’s secure-by-default SameSite changes. Developers using cookies across sites generally needed the SameSite=None; Secure combination and secure transport. Applications with incorrect attributes could expose login, payment or embedded-service failures.
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| Release | Relevant change |
|---|---|
| Chrome 80 | SameSite-by-default behavior and the SameSite=None; Secure requirement began rolling out. |
| Chrome 83 | Third-party cookies were blocked by default in Incognito, alongside the privacy-controls redesign. |
| Later releases | Cookie policy and Privacy Sandbox plans continued to evolve. |
Chrome 83 therefore should not be described as the final state of Chrome’s cookie policy or as a block on all third-party cookies in normal browsing. See the historical SameSite timeline at chromium.org.
Checking the historical release
On the period’s desktop interface, use Menu → Help → About Google Chrome. Chrome checks for an update on that page and prompts for a restart when one is ready. Android Chrome 83 was announced on May 26, 2020 as version 83.0.4103.83, with Google Play availability rolling out over subsequent weeks; the Android release listing is at Chrome Releases.
The desktop announcement, including the May 19 date, build number, staged rollout and security-fix count, is recorded at Chrome Releases.
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