Remove DuckDuckGo (Removal Instructions) - updated Aug 2020
DuckDuckGo search is a reliable search engine with several cons
DuckDuckGo is considered to be a reputable search engine, and it is not a virus! We want to put this forward not to give you the wrong impression about the software which receives an average of 63 million searches per day in mid-2020,[1], and is mostly used by mobile device users.[2] The search engine has received mostly positive feedback and has increased in popularity exponentially in the past few years. Having in mind its popularity, it might be that you already came across Duck Duck Go at some point, especially if you have been looking for a new search tool that does not spy on your online activities.
Questions about DuckDuckGo
As you might already know, browser hijackers which modify search engines often collect various user browsing details or even their personal information. DuckDuckGo is a privacy-focused search engine that does not track its users for personalized advertisements, but instead provides results that are not filtered by personal preferences. While some might see it as a negative, browser's users think that it is an excellent feature that allows them to experience an organic web without being tracked.
| Name | DuckDuckGo |
|---|---|
| Type | Search engine |
| Any dangers? | The search engine does not track you and provides organic search results |
| Compatible with | Can appear on Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and other browsers |
| Distribution | DuckDuckGo can be set up as main search engine via the browser settings; this can also happen after a browser hijacker modifies browser settings without permission |
| Compatible OS | macOS, Windows, Android, iOS |
| Removal process | If the search engine was set up by a potentially unwanted program, you can undo these changes by eliminating it. You can perform uninstallation manually or by employing anti-malware tool that detects PUPs |
| Optional steps | You can also reset your web browser in case a browser hijacker or other unwanted program has gained access to your device. In such a case, you should also make additional checks with repair tools such as Reimage Reimage Cleaner Intego to ensure best computer performance |
As we all know, privacy is a very rare feature found in search engines[3], and there is a wide belief that this search engine can be used to avoid tracking [4]. However, you should keep in mind that DuckDuckGo has been employing active promotion strategies. So, it may happen that the search engine may show up on your browser without your direct permission.
Such tendencies of software distribution are not new and are considered to be legitimate. However, they have been actively used by both reliable developers and shady search providers. If you have just found DuckDuckGo on your Mac, iPhone, Android, or computer, the only person who is to blame for letting this search provider into the system is you. Why is that, you ask?
That's because you are the one who allows the installation of bundled programs by skipping important installation steps of the freeware. If you want to know what steps do you need to perform to avoid the DuckDuckGo search engine, check further paragraphs. Ensure that you have read all the below-provided information carefully in order to reach the best option.
What is more, right after you enter the official website of the software, you can immediately notice how much stress does this web page put on your browsing habits. This might interfere with your browsing sessions as it tends to direct its users to other domains occasionally. This phenomenon might become far from annoying as it tries to promote sponsored websites and help them increase their visitors' traffic.
DuckDuckGo - a reliable search engine which has been misleadingly spread via the unfair freeware and shareware as an optional component. As a result, people think that they are infected.
If you don't want to deal with these redirects, we recommend you remove DuckDuckGo search engine along with the hijacker that gained access to your machine without permission. For time-saving purposes, you can install anti-malware and perform a full system scan with it (you can also investigate and increase your machine's performance after a computer infection whit repair tools such as Reimage Reimage Cleaner Intego). Note that, even if this program is not malicious and can be used as a reliable browser tool, there is no need to keep it on your computer system if you did not want to use it in the first place.
The latest versions of the DuckDuckGo search tool are compatible with Android and iOS. If you are dealing with any of these versions on your smartphone or tablet, you should uninstall them without hesitation. Apart from the previously-mentioned redirect tendency, the hijacker may add related plug-ins to your browser[5]. If you are not OK with that, DuckDuckGo removal should be your current priority.
You can find plenty of reasons not to remove DuckDuckGo
Right after you open the Privacy Policy or End User's License Agreement of the DuckDuckGo search tool, you can see that developers' main concern is privacy. They claim that they do not compile any personal information of their users and do not share it with third parties. Nevertheless, if you read further, you might see the following provisions which contradict each other:
“When you search at DuckDuckGo, we don't know who you are and there is no way to tie your searches together.
We also save searches, but again, not in a personally identifiable way (…) Similarly, we may add an affiliate code to some eCommerce sites (e.g. Amazon & eBay) that results in small commissions being paid back to DuckDuckGo when you make purchases at those sites.”
In short, every website collects more or less technical information about the users. It does so not only for marketing purposes but for maintaining the security of their websites. While using this search engine, you might encounter DuckDuckGo redirects from time to time. It means that the web page might guide you to the domains of its partners.
Likewise, these third-parties might employ various tracking technologies[6] to collect the information which defines your personal browsing preferences. After acquiring such data, online advertising companies might cram your browser with frustrating personalized commercial offers.
DuckDuckGo team goes further when it comes to privacy – possibly more than any other browser on the market. It provides a variety of perks that would help users to take privacy and browsing into their own hands:
- Privacy Grade – rates websites based on their trustworthiness
- Encryption – forces sites to use encrypted connections when available
- Tracker Blocker – prevents advertisers from tracking you on the websites you visit
- Search history privacy – DuckDuckGo does not track your search history.
As you can see, in a world where most of the data about your digitized, taking privacy into your hands is extremely important. This is why DuckDuckGo is one of the better options for privacy, along with privacy-focused browsers, such as Brave, Mozilla Firefox, Chromium MS Edge, and a few others.
Reasons for obtaining unwanted search services
According to tech experts,[7] usually, possibly unwanted programs infiltrate computers by disguising under the freeware[8]. Users also contribute to such distribution peculiarities as they quickly rush through the installation wizard without even realizing that “bonus” programs come along legitimate applications as well.
In order to escape DuckDuckGo hijack in the future, change the usual sequence of installation order:
- Run the software installation wizard and select “Advanced” mode.
- Then, you should notice several check boxes that ask you do agree to download additional add-ons. Unmark them all.
If you accidentally enabled them and they got installed eventually, rest assured as the PUP can be easily removed. Keep in mind that downloading and installing a reliable antimalware program will also prevent installations of questionable-looking programs and for the content that you did not apply any requests to download on your machine.
Easy way to remove DuckDuckGo
If you want to initiate DuckDuckGo removal on your computer, check the manual removal steps that are given below. You need to uninstall this search engine and also reset your browsers to get rid of it. This process overtakes different types of web browser apps such as Chrome, Firefox, Explorer, Edge, Safari, etc.
Once you finish this procedure and DuckDuckGo is no longer on your PC, you should also think about a full system scan with anti-spyware software to make sure that your computer is totally safe and free of serious computer pests. For that, you need to use one of the security programs that are given below, update it to its latest version and run a full system scan.
Usually, it takes only a couple of minutes to remove DuckDuckGo virus properly from the device. Lastly, do not forget that personal cautiousness significantly reduces the chances of encountering a cyber threat.
FAQ:
Question. DuckDuckGo website has replaced my homepage. Although it really looks cool, it makes my computer lag and displays some annoying ads. I decided that I do not need this search engine nor do I want to use it… Can you tell me what should I do?
Answer. If DuckDuckGo has appeared as your default homepage and also as a primary search engine, you might have been inattentive while installing another app on your computer. However, it is NOT a virus, so you can use it for your searches. If the previously-used search engine looks better for you, we recommend you to remove DuckDuckGo search from your PC. You can find the removal guidelines below.
You may remove virus damage with a help of Reimage Reimage Cleaner Intego. SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner and Malwarebytes are recommended to detect potentially unwanted programs and viruses with all their files and registry entries that are related to them.
To remove DuckDuckGo, follow these steps:
Delete DuckDuckGo from Windows systems
To remove DuckDuckGo manually, you need to perform the steps that are given below. Make sure you uninstall everything related to this company.
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Click Start → Control Panel → Programs and Features (if you are Windows XP user, click on Add/Remove Programs).
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If you are Windows 10 / Windows 8 user, then right-click in the lower left corner of the screen. Once Quick Access Menu shows up, select Control Panel and Uninstall a Program.
- Uninstall DuckDuckGo and related programs
Here, look for DuckDuckGo or any other recently installed suspicious programs. -
Uninstall them and click OK to save these changes.
- Remove DuckDuckGo from Windows shortcuts
Right click on the shortcut of Mozilla Firefox and select Properties.
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Go to Shortcut tab and look at the Target field. Delete malicious URL that is related to your virus.
Repeat steps that are given above with all browsers' shortcuts, including Internet Explorer and Google Chrome. Make sure you check all locations of these shortcuts, including Desktop, Start Menu and taskbar.
Erase DuckDuckGo from Mac OS X system
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If you are using OS X, click Go button at the top left of the screen and select Applications.
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Wait until you see Applications folder and look for DuckDuckGo or any other suspicious programs on it. Now right click on every of such entries and select Move to Trash.
Remove DuckDuckGo from Internet Explorer (IE)
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Remove dangerous add-ons
Open Internet Explorer, click on the Gear icon (IE menu) on the top right corner of the browser and choose Manage Add-ons.
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You will see a Manage Add-ons window. Here, look for DuckDuckGo and other suspicious plugins. Disable these entries by clicking Disable:
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Change your homepage if it was altered by virus:
Click on the gear icon (menu) on the top right corner of the browser and select Internet Options. Stay in General tab. -
Here, remove malicious URL and enter preferable domain name. Click Apply to save changes.
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Reset Internet Explorer
Click on the gear icon (menu) again and select Internet options. Go to Advanced tab. - Here, select Reset.
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When in the new window, check Delete personal settings and select Reset again to complete DuckDuckGo removal.
Eliminate DuckDuckGo from Microsoft Edge
To fix Microsoft Edge, you need to remove add-ons related to DuckDuckGo. You can also opt for resetting this browser.
Reset Microsoft Edge settings (Method 1):
- Launch Microsoft Edge app and click More (three dots at the top right corner of the screen).
- Click Settings to open more options.
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Once Settings window shows up, click Choose what to clear button under Clear browsing data option.
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Here, select all what you want to remove and click Clear.
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Now you should right-click on the Start button (Windows logo). Here, select Task Manager.
- When in Processes tab, search for Microsoft Edge.
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Right-click on it and choose Go to details option. If can’t see Go to details option, click More details and repeat previous steps.
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When Details tab shows up, find every entry with Microsoft Edge name in it. Right click on each of them and select End Task to end these entries.
Resetting Microsoft Edge browser (Method 2):
If Method 1 failed to help you, you need to use an advanced Edge reset method.
- Note: you need to backup your data before using this method.
- Find this folder on your computer:
C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe. -
Select every entry which is saved on it and right click with your mouse. Then Delete option.
- Click the Start button (Windows logo) and type in window power in Search my stuff line.
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Right-click the Windows PowerShell entry and choose Run as administrator.
- Once Administrator: Windows PowerShell window shows up, paste this command line after PS C:\WINDOWS\system32> and press Enter:
Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers -Name Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register $($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml -Verbose}
Once these steps are finished, DuckDuckGo should be removed from your Microsoft Edge browser.
Get rid of DuckDuckGo from Mozilla Firefox (FF)
To stop using DuckDuckGo search, you can either get rid of related add-ons from Mozilla or reset the browser.
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Remove dangerous extensions
Open Mozilla Firefox, click on the menu icon (top right corner) and select Add-ons → Extensions.
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Here, select DuckDuckGo and other questionable plugins. Click Remove to delete these entries.
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Change your homepage if it was altered by virus:
Click on the menu (top right corner), choose Options → General. - Here, delete malicious URL and enter preferable website or click Restore to default.
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Click OK to save these changes.
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Reset Mozilla Firefox
Click on the Firefox menu on the top left and click on the question mark. Here, choose Troubleshooting Information.
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Now you will see Reset Firefox to its default state message with Reset Firefox button. Click this button for several times and complete DuckDuckGo removal.
Uninstall DuckDuckGo from Google Chrome
Get rid of the new DuckDuckGo browser tool from your Google Chrome web browser by using this guide:
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Delete malicious plugins
Open Google Chrome, click on the menu icon (top right corner) and select Tools → Extensions.
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Here, select DuckDuckGo and other malicious plugins and select trash icon to delete these entries.
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Change your homepage and default search engine if it was altered by your virus
Click on menu icon and choose Settings. -
Here, look for the Open a specific page or set of pages under On startup option and click on Set pages.
- Now you should see another window. Here, delete malicious search sites and enter the one that you want to use as your homepage.
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Click on menu icon again and choose Settings → Manage Search engines under the Search section.
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When in Search Engines..., remove malicious search sites. You should leave only Google or your preferred domain name.
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Reset Google Chrome
Click on menu icon on the top right of your Google Chrome and select Settings. -
Scroll down to the end of the page and click on Reset browser settings.
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Click Reset to confirm this action and complete DuckDuckGo removal.
Delete DuckDuckGo from Safari
To remove DuckDuckGo from Safari, you need to reset this web browser. It is not a virus, so you can also try changing your start page and the default search provider as it is shown in the guide below.
- Remove dangerous extensions
Open Safari web browser and click on Safari in menu at the top left of the screen. Once you do this, select Preferences.
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Here, select Extensions and look for DuckDuckGo or other suspicious entries. Click on the Uninstall button to get rid each of them.
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Change your homepage if it was altered by virus:
Open your Safari web browser and click on Safari in menu section. Here, select Preferences as it was displayed previously and select General. -
Here, look at the Homepage field. If it was altered by DuckDuckGo, remove unwanted link and enter the one that you want to use for your searches. Remember to include the "http://" before typing in the address of the page.
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Reset Safari
Open Safari browser and click on Safari in menu section at the top left of the screen. Here, select Reset Safari....
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Now you will see a detailed dialog window filled with reset options. All of those options are usually checked, but you can specify which of them you want to reset. Click the Reset button to complete DuckDuckGo removal process.
Access your website securely from any location
When you work on the domain, site, blog, or different project that requires constant management, content creation, or coding, you may need to connect to the server and content management service more often. It is a hassle when your website is protected from suspicious connections and unauthorized IP addresses.
The best solution for creating a tighter network could be a dedicated/fixed IP address. If you make your IP address static and set to your device, you can connect to the CMS from any location and do not create any additional issues for server or network manager that need to monitor connections and activities. This is how you bypass some of the authentications factors and can remotely use your banking accounts without triggering suspicious with each login.
VPN software providers like Private Internet Access can help you with such settings and offer the option to control the online reputation and manage projects easily from any part of the world. It is better to clock the access to your website from different IP addresses. So you can keep the project safe and secure when you have the dedicated IP address VPN and protected access to the content management system.
Backup files for the later use, in case of the malware attack
Computer users can suffer various losses due to cyber infections or their own faulty doings. Software issues created by malware or direct data loss due to encryption can lead to problems with your device or permanent damage. When you have proper up-to-date backups, you can easily recover after such an incident and get back to work.
It is crucial to create updates to your backups after any changes on the device, so you can get back to the point you were working on when malware changes anything or issues with the device causes data or performance corruption. Rely on such behavior and make file backup your daily or weekly habit.
When you have the previous version of every important document or project you can avoid frustration and breakdowns. It comes in handy when malware occurs out of nowhere. Use Data Recovery Pro for the system restoring purpose.
About the author
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References
- ^ DuckDuckGo Traffic. DuckDuckGo. Official website.
- ^ DuckDuckGo Statistics. 99Firms. Evaluation of the best IT, marketing, and business service and software providers.
- ^ Molly Wood. Sweeping Away a Search History. The New York Times.
- ^ David Barrett. Online privacy: the issues that are worrying you. The Telegraph. A national British daily broadsheet newspaper and website.
- ^ Marie Cartwright. How to Know if Someone Hijacked Your Browser. Chron. Huston News, Sports, Business, and Entertainment.
- ^ Michelle Markelz. Digital Tracking Technologies: A Primer. AMA. The official website of American Marketing Association.
- ^ Virusi.hr. Virusi. Latest technology news and virus information.
- ^ Bill Pytlovany. The Dangers of Downloading Free Software. PC Pitstop TechTalk. PC Tech, Tips and Tricks.
