Skip to main content

Privacy-focused DuckDuckGo added to Chrome as a default search option

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Privacy-focused search engine DuckDuckGo is now listed as a default search option on Google’s Chrome browser.

DuckDuckGo has been added as part of Chrome’s latest update (version 73), which rolled out on Tuesday, March 12, and should be showing for users in 60 countries around the world, including the United States.

When you first set up the Chrome browser on a PC, the default search engine is Google, which ensures that any searches made via the address bar are served by that provider. But dive into Chrome’s settings and you can change the default search engine in a few clicks (see below to learn how). Other options listed by Chrome include Bing and Yahoo.

DuckDuckGo claims to offer a more private browsing experience than other search engines, as it doesn’t store or share any personal information linked to its users and their searches. It means, for example, that you won’t see ads popping up online that relate to previous searches you made, as can happen with other engines.

The arrival of DuckDuckGo in Chrome’s list of default search engines came without any announcement from Google, though reports suggest it was added based on its growing popularity among web users. While it’s true that the vast majority of web users still head to Google for online searches, DuckDuckGo, which launched in 2008, has in the last couple of years enjoyed an uptick in use, in part because of the increased focus on web privacy and how companies handle user data. In December 2018, DuckDuckGo announced it served 9 billion searches in that year, more than double that of 2016. Google? It’s currently serving more than a trillion searches a year, globally.

Increasing interest from regulators around the world in how Google operates various aspects of its powerful tech business could also have influenced Google’s move to incorporate DuckDuckGo into Chrome.

How to switch

If you use the Chrome browser, you can set DuckDuckGo as your default search engine in a few simple steps. First, click on the three-dots icon in the top right and select Settings from the drop-down list (alternatively, click on Chrome top left, and then Preferences). Next, scroll down until you see the “search engine” subheading. Click on the box next to “search engine used in the address bar” and then select DuckDuckGo from the list. If you had google.com appearing in the middle of the page each time you opened a new tab or window, that will disappear, prompting you to conduct web searches in the address bar via DuckDuckGo.

Editors' Recommendations

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
The 5 best websites like Craigslist in 2024

For years, Craigslist has been the go-to website for scoring a free sofa or finding an apartment. But there are plenty of other alternatives to Craigslist that do an equally fine job, oftentimes with a more attractive interface and fewer spam postings. The 5 best Craigslist alternatives are:

Facebook Marketplace
OfferUp
Locanto
Mercari
Recycler

Read more
How to stop spam emails in Outlook, Gmail, and more
A person sitting on the grass and taking notes at a laptop.

Spam and other unwanted emails are a nuisance, and it can seem like keeping them away from your inbox is a losing battle. But while you won't be able to prevent every piece of spam from landing in your inbox, it is possible to significantly reduce the number of messages that show up.

In this guide, we'll show you how to use filters, blocking, and spam reporting features to help stop spam from invading your inbox. We'll also go over a few more tips on how to reduce unwanted messages overall.
How to stop spam in Gmail
If you use Gmail, the most popular email client, you will eventually start getting spam. Here are our two favorite ways to deal with it.
Block spam in Gmail

Read more
How to add a signature in Gmail on desktop and mobile
how to file for stimulus

Email signatures are a great way to automatically include your contact information to your email correspondence. If you'd like to add a signature to your emails in Gmail, it's easy enough to add one. You'll just need to go through your Gmail settings to do it.

In this guide, we'll show you how to add a signature in Gmail whether you're using the desktop website version of Gmail or its mobile app.
How to add a signature on your desktop
Step 1: Launch your favorite browser and log into your Gmail account as you normally would.

Read more