How to use DuckDuckGo: Everything you need to know

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How to use DuckDuckGo: Everything yous need to know

(Image credit: Ascannio/Shutterstock)

If privacy is what you lot're after, and you want to become away from using Google, DuckDuckGo will go y'all a lot of what you lot need. Merely the results aren't every bit relevant or robust, so you lot may not ever find exactly what you lot're looking for.

In recent weeks, thousands of privacy-conscious users have made the switch from messaging platforms similar WhatsApp to more secure-seeming options such as Signal and Telegram.

At the aforementioned time, many people may be opting to use DuckDuckGo instead of Google or Bing for web searches, likely considering the lesser-known search engine does not collect user data or track what you search.

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• How to switch from WhatsApp to Signal

DuckDuckGo has seen more than 4 1000000 users install its apps and browser extensions, making information technology their default search engine, and the service recently surpassed 100 million daily searches.

Here's how to switch to — and use — DuckDuckGo.

How to add DuckDuckGo to your browser

If you simply want to endeavor out DuckDuckGo, type duckduckgo.com into your browser accost bar and enter your search query. Use information technology for a while and see if you lot similar it. In one case you're ready to make the switch, you tin either select DuckDuckGo as your default search engine or add the appropriate app or extension to your browser.

Adding DuckDuckGo to Chrome

Chrome users accept ii options for using DuckDuckGo on the desktop. The simplest option, if you lot're looking only for the private search function, is to make DuckDuckGo the default search engine.

Go to Settings (the iii vertical dots at the peak right of your browser bar) > Search engine > Manage search engine. Click the vertical dots adjacent to DuckDuckGo and select Make default. This will brand DuckDuckGo the default search engine in your address search bar every bit well.

The setting to make DuckDuckGo the default search engine in Google Chrome. Click to enlarge. (Image credit: Google/Screenshot by Tom's Guide)

An culling for actress privacy is to install the DuckDuckGo Chrome extension. This will cake hidden trackers and connect y'all to encrypted versions of websites if available.

If you lot change your mind almost DuckDuckGo, both the default setting and the browser extension tin can be disabled in your Chrome browser settings.

Adding DuckDuckGo to Firefox

To make DuckDuckGo your default search engine in Firefox, toggle open the Settings options with the three horizontal lines to the far right of your address bar. Click Preferences and open the Default Search Engine drib-down bill of fare to select DuckDuckGo. This will change the settings for search in your address bar.

The setting to brand DuckDuckGo the default search engine in Firefox. Click to enlarge. (Image credit: Mozilla Foundation/Screenshot by Tom's Guide)

To make DuckDuckGo your homepage in Firefox, drag this link to the Home icon and select Yes in the popular-up window.

Like Chrome, Firefox has an addition called DuckDuckGo Privacy Essentials that has extra privacy features.

(Image credit: Mozilla Foundation/DuckDuckGo/Screenshot by Tom's Guide)

Adding DuckDuckGo to other browsers

Safari users tin just tap the magnifying glass in the search bar, which volition bring upwards a driblet-downwards to select the default search engine. Y'all can too add together the DuckDuckGo extension from the App Store.

The setting to make DuckDuckGo the default search engine in Apple Safari. Click to enlarge. (Prototype credit: Apple/Screenshot by Tom'due south Guide)

With Dauntless, open the hamburger menu at the top right and get to Settings > Search Engine. Open the dropdown card at the top of the page and select DuckDuckGo every bit your default.

The setting to brand DuckDuckGo the default search engine in the Brave browser. Click to enlarge. (Paradigm credit: Dauntless/Screenshot by Tom's Guide)

In Edge, click the three horizontal dots (they wait like " … ") in the acme right and select Settings. On the next page, click the three stacked lines in the top left and select > Privacy, Search and Services.

Scroll all the way downwards the page and, under the Services heading, click Address Bar and Search. Open the dropdown card next to Search Engine Used in the Address Bar and select DuckDuckGo. You tin too get the Privacy Essentials addition.

The setting to make DuckDuckGo the default search engine in Microsoft Edge. Click to overstate. (Epitome credit: Microsoft/Screenshot by Tom'south Guide)

Adding DuckDuckGo on mobile

DuckDuckGo has browsing apps for both iOS and Android. If you lot prefer to use DuckDuckGo as your default search engine within Safari, Firefox, or Brave, follow the steps on DuckDuckGo's help pages.

How to use DuckDuckGo

DuckDuckGo isn't all that dissimilar from whatever other search engine. Type your query into the search bar and get your results. Every bit with Google, you lot can narrow your search to images, videos, news, maps and shopping.

DuckDuckGo'southward results pages look fairly like to Google's, with knowledge panels, news carousels and related searches. However, you'll get more with Google search results, such equally contempo tweets, People Also Ask and videos, than you lot'll get with DuckDuckGo.

Google also returns different, and perhaps more relevant, results, depending on your perspective. When nosotros searched for "Sundance Film Festival," Google'due south start iv results (punctuated by People Besides Ask and tweets from @SundanceFest) were from different pages on Sundance.org.

Google's search results, including frequently asked questions, news, tweets and related topics. Click to overstate. (Image credit: Google/Screenshot past Tom's Guide)

With DuckDuckGo, we got only ane link, to the principal festival page. The second result was from Wikipedia.

DuckDuckGo adds news and images to search results, only that's about it. Click to enlarge. (Image credit: DuckDuckGo/Screenshot by Tom's Guide)

Microsoft's Bing splits the difference between the two, with results like to DuckDuckGo but more robust knowledge panels.

Bing adds blog postings, a map and even trivia questions to the news, oftentimes asked questions and related topics. Click to overstate. (Paradigm credit: Microsoft/Screenshot past Tom's Guide)

Information technology'southward also worth noting that DuckDuckGo uses Apple tree Maps (with pretty mediocre results) and Yelp reviews. Google obviously shows Google Maps and Google reviews. Bing runs on OpenStreetMap and TripAdvisor.

DuckDuckGo'due south mapping search results aren't very informative. Click for larger epitome. (Epitome credit: DuckDuckGo/Screenshot by Tom's Guide)

Google Maps' results are great if you want to go skiing, but perchance not so much if you want to see a movie. Click to enlarge. (Image credit: Google/Screenshot by Tom's Guide)

Bing has the well-nigh useful map, plus tips on what to exercise and where to swallow. Click for larger paradigm. (Image credit: Microsoft/Screenshot by Tom'south Guide)

All that is to say, DuckDuckGo isn't anything special once you get across the privacy features.

"I would similar to have it on record that I think DuckDuckGo is a crappy search engine, and that makes me a huge hypocrite because Google is a privacy nightmare," says one Tom'due south Guide staffer. "Only damn, DuckDuckGo's results are just awful."

Emily Long is a Utah-based freelance author who covers consumer engineering science, privacy and personal finance for Tom's Guide. She has been reporting and writing for virtually x years, and her work has appeared in Wirecutter, Lifehacker, NBC BETTER and CN Traveler, among others. When she'due south not working, yous can notice her trail running, teaching and practicing yoga, or studying for grad school — all fueled past coffee, obviously.

Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/how-to/how-to-use-duckduckgo

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