Search Engines

How to pick a privacy-oriented default search engine and how to tune DuckDuckGo and Brave Search so they stay minimal (no extra AI, fewer leaks, less clutter).

Quick picks

These providers are commonly used when you want to avoid the major ad-tech indexes as your daily default:

Engine	Default search URL (replace %s with the query)	Home
DuckDuckGo (no AI)	https://noai.duckduckgo.com/?q=%s	noai.duckduckgo.com
Brave Search	https://search.brave.com/search?q=%s	search.brave.com
Startpage	https://www.startpage.com/sp/search?query=%s	startpage.com
Mojeek	https://www.mojeek.com/search?q=%s	mojeek.com

TIP

If your browser expects a different placeholder than %s, use whatever that browser documents (for example %s in Firefox/Chrome custom engines).

For a deeper comparison (indexes, metasearch, jurisdiction), see Privacy Guides Search engines.

DuckDuckGo

DuckDuckGo exposes several front-ends with different behavior (JavaScript, AI, layout):

Variant	URL	When to use it
Main	duckduckgo.com	Full UI; most settings apply.
Lite	lite.duckduckgo.com	Minimal / low-JS.
HTML	html.duckduckgo.com	Non-JS HTML results.
No AI	noai.duckduckgo.com	Same idea as main, with AI features stripped from the product surface.

Recommendation: prefer no AI or HTML if you want the least surprise from generative UI. If you use noai, several “AI Features” toggles below will not exist in settings that is expected

Open DuckDuckGo Search settings and apply values in the same top-to-bottom order as each tab (so you can follow the page while scrolling).

General

#	Setting	Value
1	Region	Your choice (affects local results).
2	Display language	Your choice (labels and UI language).
3	Safe Search	Strict (or Off if you want unfiltered web results).
4	Instant Answers	Off
5	Hide AI-Generated Images	On
6	Infinite Scroll for Images, Videos, and Shopping	On
7	Infinite Scroll	On
8	Autocomplete Suggestions	Off
9	Open Links in a New Tab	On
10	Advertisements	Off
11	Keyboard Shortcuts	Off (optional; turn On if you use them)
12	Units of Measure	Your choice (metric vs US).
13	Location	Off
14	Map Rendering	Your choice (default is fine for most).
15	Blocked Sites	(leave default unless you use the blocked-sites list)
16	Page Break Numbers	Off
17	Page Break Lines	Off
18	Install DuckDuckGo	Off
19	Install DuckDuckGo reminders	Off
20	Privacy Newsletters	Off
21	Privacy Newsletter reminders	Off
22	Homepage Privacy Tips	Off
23	Help Improve DuckDuckGo	Off

Appearance

Only these differ from defaults in this guide; leave theme, base font, colors, and URL / snippet layout as you like.

Setting	Value	Where on the tab
Font Size	Medium (preference)	Upper section (after Font).
Compact Results	On (preference)	Lower section (after URL / snippet / site icon options).
‘Protected’ Reminder	Off	Same lower block as Compact Results (last rows before Cloud Save).

Privacy

#	Setting	Value
1	GET Requests	Off
2	Video Playback	Prompt me
3	Redirect (When Necessary)	On

AI Features

Section may be absent on noai.duckduckgo.comthat is fine. Hide AI-Generated Images is already set under General (row 5); DuckDuckGo may show the same toggle again on this tab.

#	Setting	Value
1	Duck.ai	Off
2	Search Assist	Never
3	Hide AI-Generated Images	On (same as General; set once if both sections appear)

Brave Search

Open Brave Search Settings. Below follows the same order as the settings page (after language, region, theme, and safe search).

#	Setting	Value
1	Safe search	Strict (recommended; or Off if you prefer)
2	Answer with AI	Off
3	Open links in new tab	On
4	Units of measure	Your choice.
5	Anonymous local results	On
6	Anonymous usage metrics	Off