Discover how to switch to DuckDuckGois a privacy-focused search engine that has been online since 2008. Find websites, maps, videos, news and more, without tracking your searches and without serving you targeted ads.
How to switch to DuckDuckGo, as a private search engine
Here’s how to make the switch from Google, Bing, or any other search engine.
DuckDuckGo has been gaining traction for over a decade, finally breaking into the “mainstream” in September 2014 when Apple offered it as a default search engine option in Safari for iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite. Later, in November of the same year, Mozilla added it to Firefox 33.1.
Since then, almost all major browsers have recognized DuckDuckGo making it an optional default search engine. This includes Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, and Opera.
Switch to DuckDuckGo in Google Chrome
Launch Chrome, click on the “three dots” menu icon in the upper right corner of the window and click on “Settings”.
Choose “Search Engine” from the list on the left of the screen. Click the dropdown box next to “Search engine used in address bar” and choose DuckDuckGo.
How to Switch to DuckDuckGo in Mozilla Firefox
Start Firefox, click the “three-line” hamburger menu icon in the upper right corner of the window, then click “Preferences.”
Click “Search” in the menu on the left of the screen, then “Default Search Engine”, click the dropdown box and choose DuckDuckGo.
Microsoft Edge
Launch Edge and click the “three dots” menu button in the top right corner of the window, then select “Settings.” Click on “Privacy, search and services” in the menu that appears on the left, scroll down to the “Services” menu and select “Address bar and search”.
From here, click the dropdown menu next to “Search engine used in address bar” and choose DuckDuckGo.
How to Switch to DuckDuckGo in Safari
On a Mac, launch Safari, click “Safari” in the menu bar at the top of the screen, then click “Preferences.” You can also use Command + shortcut to quickly open Safari Preferences.
Click the Search tab, then choose DuckDuckGo from the “Search Engine” dropdown box.
In Safari for iPhone and iPad, launch the Settings app and tap “Safari.” Tap on “Search Engine” and choose DuckDuckGo from the list.
Opera
Launch Opera, then click the Settings “Cog” button in the sidebar on the left of the screen. In the “Basic” settings, scroll down until you see “Search Engine” and a drop-down box. Select DuckDuckGo from the list.
DuckDuckGo is available as a search engine option at .
If simply changing your search engine to DuckDuckGo isn’t enough, you can go a step further and install the DuckDuckGo Privacy Essentials browser extension. The extension is available for , , , and .
The extension blocks tracking networks by default, making it much harder for advertisers to track you across the web. You will also get an idea of who is trying to track you down.
The extension forces websites to use an encrypted connection (indicated by https:// in the address bar) whenever possible to help hide your browsing habits from ISPs and other prying eyes.
The extension also offers to turn your default search engine into DuckDuckGo (if you haven’t already) and gives a privacy score to the websites you visit through a partnership with the .
Use DuckDuckGo for media, news, maps and directions
Just like Google and other big search engines, DuckDuckGo allows you to filter results by type, including videos and images. Once you’ve searched for something, you can click through the various filters at the top of the page, just like you would on Google.
In addition to media searches, DuckDuckGo can also show you results for news, recipes, and places. You can search for “pizza near me” and then share your location to get localized results on a map. You can also use DuckDuckGo as a mapping tool for directions or references thanks to Apple’s MapKit integration.
To do this, search for “map of Australia” (replacing Australia with whatever place you’re looking for) or search for the name of the place, then click Maps. Although DuckDuckGo uses the Apple Maps API, no identifying information is shared with Apple, so your privacy is not affected.
Since this is the same mapping solution built into macOS and seen on iPhone and iPad, you can use it to get directions, view satellite imagery, or view businesses on a map. Click the map pin in the top right corner of the page to share your location (DuckDuckGo promises not to store this data).
Get answers like with Google
When you ask Google a question, you often get an answer in the form of a relevant piece of information at the top of search results.
DuckDuckGo performs a similar task, so try asking questions to get what the search engine calls Instant Answers.
This also applies to features found on other search engines, such as simple math calculations (“how much is 2 + 2”), unit conversions (“2 oz to grams”), and exchange rates (“10 USD to AUD”). You can also use DuckDuckGo to define words (“define malware”) or to find synonyms (“happy thesaurus”).
Use Bangs to search for specific websites
Bangs are qualifiers that you can add to your search query to limit your search results to a particular website. For example, to search You can add! your browser to your search query.
There are thousands of bangs available for all kinds of websites, from the obvious ones like ! Youtube and! Reddit to specialized services. If you use a website that doesn’t currently have a blast, you can . Please note that DuckDuckGo has previously removed many hits for liability reasons, including websites that allow hacking.
You can even quickly access Google from DuckDuckGo if you need to do the occasional search that only Google needs. The Google bang is a simple! G. For example, you can write «! G example” to search for “example” in Google.
Don’t forget the DuckDuckGo mobile app
Last but not least is the DuckDuckGo mobile app, available for both , as well as . This app is optional, and you may already be able to switch to DuckDuckGo in your mobile browser of choice, be it Chrome, Firefox, or Safari.
It’s more comparable to Google’s iPhone and iPad app in that it works like a web browser, except it replaces Google’s data collection and tracking with DuckDuckGo’s private browsing approach.
The app makes it easy to quickly switch from your default browser to DuckDuckGo, as well as providing many of the other benefits found in the browser extension. This includes making it as difficult as possible for advertisers to track you and providing enforced encryption and a degree of privacy for every website you visit.
The browser also includes a fire button, which records your entire browsing history and currently open tabs with a single tap. You can also protect the browser with a fingerprint or facial recognition for added security.
Of course, you can also use DuckDuckGo as your default search engine on mobile browsers like Safari and Google Chrome.
Google is an advertising company. The more it knows about you, the better it can serve you with relevant ads. That’s why the company tracks much of what you do online. Google’s algorithms take into account everything from the videos you watch on YouTube to the websites you browse that use Google Analytics to build a profile of your interests for advertisers to target.
DuckDuckGo makes money from ads served by Microsoft and affiliates like Amazon and eBay, but they do so in a way that doesn’t track or identify you. Learn more about .
While Google may be the most powerful search engine, using it comes at a privacy cost. Ditching Google in favor of a search engine like DuckDuckGo is one small change you can make for a more private online experience.
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