Most people treat their browser like a single bucket. Open it, browse, close it, move on. Vivaldi splits that bucket into four distinct modes – regular, private, guest and user profiles – and each one behaves differently in terms of what stays on your machine and what gets shared.
That sounds like overkill until you share a computer. Or until you want to look like a stranger to a website you are already logged into. Then the difference between modes is the difference between clever and careless.
What each mode actually does
A regular window is your daily driver. History, cookies, open tabs and logins stick around. That is the convenience most people want, and it is the default.
A private window cuts the local trail. Once you close all private windows, Vivaldi minimises what is stored on your computer. It still pulls bookmarks and saved passwords from your regular profile, so you are not locked out of your accounts.
A guest profile goes further. Nothing is stored, the layout is the Vivaldi default, and the guest cannot touch your settings. The catch, as Vivaldi notes, is that a guest still sits inside your computer account, so they can hop back to your normal profile.
A user profile is a fully separate profile living inside one Vivaldi install. Each profile has its own settings, appearance and private windows. Profiles cannot read each other's stored data, but they can open links from one another.
Comparison table: Which mode matches your need
| Need | Best mode | Why |
|---|---|---|
| "Remember everything" | Regular window | Default settings keep history, cookies, tabs |
| "Forget this when I close it" | Private window | Minimal local trace after closing |
| "Pretend I am a stranger to this site" | Guest profile + VPN | Fresh install look, no stored data, VPN hides IP |
| "Keep work and life apart" | User profiles | Separate settings, history, logins in one install |
Our analysis: when the difference matters
The real question is not which mode is most secure. Vivaldi's own framing is that all four are secure. The question is how much you want to separate.
For solo work on a personal laptop, the regular window is fine. For borrowing a partner's laptop to check one thing, the guest window wins. For keeping work and personal life in one install without bleeding cookies across, user profiles are the cleanest answer.
The most underused mode is user profiles. Running a work profile and a personal profile inside one install gives you separate extension sets, separate sessions and zero accidental cross-logins, without the overhead of running two browsers.
The trade-off cuts both ways. More isolation means more setup. User profiles cost a little disk space and a small amount of mental load, because you have to pick a profile each time. Guest windows are cheaper to use but do not keep any state, so you give up convenience every time.
Who wins and who loses: power users win most with user profiles. Casual browsers win with regular windows. Guests borrowing your machine win with guest profiles. Anyone relying on private mode for anonymity loses – that mode is about local privacy, not network identity.
Worked example: working from a shared family PC
Say you share a desktop with your partner, and you both freelance. You want separate client logins, separate browser extensions and no overlap on saved passwords. Install Vivaldi once. Create two user profiles, one per freelancer. Each profile gets its own bookmarks, logins and history. When your partner clicks a link from an email, Vivaldi offers to open it in their profile, not yours. When you need to do a quick sensitive task on the same machine, pop open a private window inside your profile. Close it, and the local trace is gone. You have not touched the operating system, you have not run a second browser, and the family laptop still belongs to the family.
What to watch next
If you have not tried user profiles yet, that is the one to test this week. Guest windows are great for handing the laptop to a child for ten minutes. Private windows are fine for a one-off sensitive lookup, but do not mistake them for full anonymity. For that, Vivaldi's own advice points to layering with a VPN or anonymous proxy, not to private mode alone.
Bottom line: pick the mode by the question you are asking. "Keep everything" is a regular window. "Forget this when I close it" is private. "Pretend I am a stranger" needs a guest profile plus a VPN. "Keep work and life apart" is a user profile.
Key takeaways
- Regular windows remember; private windows forget locally; guest windows start clean.
- User profiles are the most underrated mode for separating work and personal use.
- Private mode is not anonymity – pair it with a VPN for that.
- Sharing a family PC? User profiles keep everything separate; guest windows handle short-term lending.
- All four modes are secure; the choice is about separation, not safety.
Frequently asked questions
Are Vivaldi's private windows really private?
They minimise what is stored on your computer once closed, but they are not anonymous on their own. Vivaldi recommends pairing them with a VPN or proxy if you need to hide your IP.
Can a guest profile see my regular profile's data?
No. Vivaldi's documentation says a guest cannot access your stored data or change your settings, but the guest sits inside your computer account, so they could switch to it manually.
Should I use user profiles or just run two browsers?
User profiles give you separate settings, history and logins inside one install, which is lighter than running two browsers. Running two independent installs is more isolated but cannot open links across profiles.
What is the fastest way to open a private window in Vivaldi?
Use the menu under File, the shortcut Ctrl+Shift+N on Windows/Linux or Cmd+Shift+N on macOS, or type "New Private Window" into Vivaldi's quick commands.