How To Customize DuckDuckGo Appearance and Settings (Complete Guide)

DuckDuckGo works as both a privacy-focused search engine and a standalone privacy browser app for Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS. The settings for each are different, and confusing the two is the number one reason people can’t find the options described in guides like this one.

This guide covers both. Every section is labeled so you know exactly whether the steps apply to the DuckDuckGo website, the DuckDuckGo browser app, or both.

Important: DuckDuckGo Website vs DuckDuckGo Browser App

Before you change any settings, you need to know which version of DuckDuckGo you’re using. The options available to you depend entirely on this.

	DuckDuckGo Website	DuckDuckGo Browser App
What it is	The search engine at DuckDuckGo.com, accessed through any browser (Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge)	A standalone privacy browser you download and install on your device
Where to find settings	Click the ☰ menu at the top-right of DuckDuckGo.com → Settings	Tap the three-dot menu (⋮) → Settings
What you can customize	Search appearance (theme, fonts, colors), Safe Search, region, ads	Browser theme, privacy controls, Fire Button, password manager, bookmarks/favorites
Settings are saved via	Cookies (if you clear cookies, your settings reset)	Locally in the app

If you are using DuckDuckGo.com inside Chrome or Safari, you are on the website. If you downloaded a DuckDuckGo app from the App Store, Google Play, or DuckDuckGo’s website, you are using the browser app.

How To Access DuckDuckGo Settings

On DuckDuckGo.com (any browser):

1. Go to DuckDuckGo.com
2. Click the three horizontal lines (☰) in the top-right corner
3. Select “Settings” from the dropdown

You’ll see tabs along the left side for General, Appearance, Privacy, and more.

On the DuckDuckGo browser app:

1. Open the DuckDuckGo app
2. Tap the three-dot menu (⋮)
3. Tap “Settings”

Settings are organized into sections like General, Appearance, Privacy, and Accessibility.

How To Enable Dark Mode

Dark mode works differently depending on whether you’re using the website or the browser app.

On DuckDuckGo.com:

1. Open Settings → click the Appearance tab
2. Under Theme, select Dark, Light, or System Default
3. Click Save and Exit
4. Refresh the page if the change doesn’t apply immediately

On the DuckDuckGo browser app (Android/iOS):

1. Open Settings → tap Theme (under General or Appearance depending on your version)
2. Choose Dark, Light, or Device Theme (follows your phone’s system setting)
3. Tap Set Theme to save

On the DuckDuckGo browser app (Windows/Mac):

1. Open Settings → Appearance
2. Select your preferred theme
3. The change applies immediately

Why Some Pages Are Still White After Enabling Dark Mode

DuckDuckGo’s dark mode only applies to the DuckDuckGo search interface and the browser app’s own UI. It does not force dark mode on every website you visit. When you click through to Wikipedia, a news site, or any other external page, that site controls its own colors.

To get dark mode on all websites, you have two options. The first is to install a browser extension like Dark Reader (available for Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Safari). The second is to enable force dark mode in Chrome’s experimental settings by going to chrome://flags, searching for “dark mode,” and enabling “Auto Dark Mode for Web Contents.”

The DuckDuckGo browser app does not currently have a built-in force dark mode for all websites, though this is one of the most requested features from users.

How To Change Font Size and Text Size

This is the most common complaint in our comments. Here’s what actually works.

On DuckDuckGo.com:

1. Open Settings → Appearance tab
2. Look for the Text Size option — use the slider or dropdown to adjust
3. Select a Font from the dropdown if available (Arial, Helvetica, etc.)
4. Click Save and Exit

This only changes the font size on DuckDuckGo search results pages. It does not change the font size on your browser’s home screen, toolbar, icons, or any other website.

On the DuckDuckGo browser app:

1. Open Settings → Accessibility (not Appearance)
2. Adjust the text size or zoom level from there

If you don’t see a slider under Appearance, this is expected in newer versions. The text size control has moved to the Accessibility section in recent updates.

I Still Can’t Read the Text — It’s Too Small Everywhere

If you need larger text across your entire device, not just DuckDuckGo, adjust your operating system’s display settings:

• Windows: Settings → Display → Scale and Layout → increase the scale percentage
• Mac: System Settings → Displays → choose a scaled resolution
• iPhone/iPad: Settings → Display & Brightness → Text Size (or Settings → Accessibility → Display & Text Size → Larger Text)
• Android: Settings → Display → Font Size and Display Size

These system-level changes affect all apps and websites, not just DuckDuckGo.

How To Remove Favorites From the Home Screen

Multiple readers have asked how to get rid of the favorites section that appears below the search bar on DuckDuckGo’s new tab page. This applies to the browser app only.

On the DuckDuckGo browser app (mobile):

1. Long-press (tap and hold) the favorite you want to remove
2. Select Delete or Remove from Favorites
3. Repeat for each favorite you want to remove

To remove all favorites at once, go to the three-dot menu → Bookmarks, then delete favorites from the list.

On the DuckDuckGo browser app (desktop — Windows/Mac):

1. Right-click the favorite on the new tab page
2. Select Delete or Remove from Favorites

Alternatively, go to the three-dot menu → Bookmarks, open the Bookmarks panel, then right-click and delete individual items.

There is currently no setting to completely hide the favorites section from the home screen while keeping your saved favorites. Removing all individual favorites is the only way to clear the section.

How To Stop the “Save Password” Pop-Up

DuckDuckGo’s browser app has a built-in password manager that prompts you to save passwords when you log into websites. If you find this annoying, you can turn it off.

On the DuckDuckGo browser app:

1. Open Settings
2. Go to Passwords & Autofill (or Autofill depending on your version)
3. Toggle off Save and Autofill Passwords

This stops the pop-up from appearing on every login page.

How To Enable Reader View

DuckDuckGo’s browser app does not have a built-in reader view like Safari does. However, there are workarounds depending on your setup.

If you use DuckDuckGo.com inside Safari: Safari’s built-in Reader View still works. Look for the Reader icon (four horizontal lines) in the address bar on any article page. This is a Safari feature, not a DuckDuckGo feature, so it works regardless of which search engine you use.

If you use the DuckDuckGo browser app: There is no native reader view. Your best options are to copy the article URL and paste it into Safari to use Reader View, or to use a service like Outline.com or 12ft.io to get a clean reading version of an article.

How To Get Vertical Tabs

DuckDuckGo’s browser app does not currently support vertical tabs on any platform. This is a feature available in browsers like Microsoft Edge, Vivaldi, and Arc, but DuckDuckGo has not implemented it.

If vertical tabs are important to you, your best option is to use DuckDuckGo as your default search engine inside a browser that supports vertical tabs. To do this, open your browser’s settings, find the search engine option, and select DuckDuckGo from the list.

How To Change or Customize the Home Page Background

The DuckDuckGo browser app uses a plain white or dark background on its new tab page. There is no built-in option to set a custom photo or wallpaper as your home screen background.

On DuckDuckGo.com (used in another browser): Your home page background is controlled by your browser, not DuckDuckGo. In Chrome, you can customize the new tab background through Chrome’s own settings.

On the DuckDuckGo browser app: Custom backgrounds are not supported. The only visual change you can make is switching between Light, Dark, and System Default themes.

How To Change the DuckDuckGo Icon Color (iPhone)

You cannot change the color of the DuckDuckGo app icon from within the app. However, on iOS 18 and later, Apple allows limited icon customization.

1. Long-press on your home screen until icons start jiggling
2. Tap Edit in the top-left corner
3. Tap Customize at the bottom
4. Choose between Automatic, Dark, Light, or Tinted
5. Use the tint slider to shift the color of all icons including DuckDuckGo

This applies a tint to all your app icons at once — you can’t change just the DuckDuckGo icon individually.

How To Fix Accidental Color/Theme Changes

If you accidentally changed DuckDuckGo’s appearance to an odd color (like mauve) and can’t get it back to normal, here’s how to reset.

On DuckDuckGo.com:

1. Go to DuckDuckGo.com/settings
2. Click the Appearance tab
3. Scroll to the bottom and click Restore Defaults or select the default theme
4. Click Save and Exit

If that doesn’t work, clear your browser’s cookies for duckduckgo.com. This resets all DuckDuckGo settings to factory defaults.

On the DuckDuckGo browser app:

1. Open Settings → Appearance
2. Set the theme back to Light or System Default

How To Move the Menu Bar or Address Bar Position

Several readers have reported that the menu bar moved from the top to the bottom after an update.

On the DuckDuckGo browser app (mobile):

1. Open Settings → Appearance
2. Look for Address Bar Position
3. Choose Top or Bottom
4. On some versions, you’ll also see a Split option that moves some controls to the bottom while keeping the address bar at top

On DuckDuckGo.com: The menu bar position is controlled by your web browser, not DuckDuckGo. Check your browser’s own settings for toolbar placement options.

How To Manage Notifications

If your phone is pinging with random notifications from DuckDuckGo (or you need to enable notifications for a specific site like Ring.com), here’s how to manage them.

Disable DuckDuckGo notifications:

• Android: Settings → Apps → DuckDuckGo → Notifications → toggle off
• iPhone: Settings → Notifications → DuckDuckGo → toggle off Allow Notifications

Enable site-specific notifications (like Ring.com) in DuckDuckGo browser:

DuckDuckGo’s browser blocks most notification requests by default for privacy. If a site like Ring.com requires notifications to function, you may need to use a different browser (like Chrome or Safari) for that specific site. DuckDuckGo’s browser does not currently allow granular notification permissions for individual websites.

If your phone is pinging constantly with no visible notifications from any app, the issue is likely a different app. Go to your phone’s Settings → Notifications and review which apps have notification permissions enabled. Also check your Do Not Disturb schedule to silence notifications during nighttime hours.

How To Disable Ads on DuckDuckGo

DuckDuckGo shows non-personalized, non-tracked ads by default. You can reduce ad personalization but cannot fully remove ads on the free version.

On DuckDuckGo.com:

1. Open Settings → Privacy tab (or General tab depending on your version)
2. Look for Advertisements and toggle it off

If you don’t see an “Advertisements” option, make sure you’re on DuckDuckGo.com in a desktop browser, not the mobile app. This option may not appear on all versions.

How To Keep All Tabs Visible Without Scrolling

If your open tabs are overflowing and you have to scroll to find them, this is a browser limitation, not a DuckDuckGo setting. All browsers shrink tab widths or add scrolling when too many tabs are open.

Workarounds include using tab groups (available in Chrome, Edge, and Firefox), using a tab manager extension, or reducing the number of open tabs.

In the DuckDuckGo browser app, tabs are managed through the tab switcher (tap the tab icon). There is no option to display all tabs in a fixed top bar without scrolling.

How To Change the Keyboard in DuckDuckGo Browser

DuckDuckGo uses your device’s default keyboard. If you’re having issues with key layout (like a space bar that’s too small), the fix is to install a different keyboard app, not to change a setting within DuckDuckGo.

Recommended alternatives include Gboard (Google Keyboard) for its clean layout and customizable sizing, Microsoft SwiftKey for larger keys and predictive text, or Samsung Keyboard if your device supports it.

To change your default keyboard on Android, go to Settings → System → Languages & Input → On-Screen Keyboard → Manage Keyboards, then enable your preferred keyboard.

How To Disable Zoom on DuckDuckGo

If pages are zoomed in too much on DuckDuckGo, the issue is usually your browser’s zoom level, not a DuckDuckGo setting.

• Desktop: Press Ctrl+0 (Windows) or Cmd+0 (Mac) to reset zoom to 100%
• Mobile: Go to your phone’s Accessibility settings and check whether display zoom or magnification is enabled

In the DuckDuckGo browser app, go to Settings → Accessibility and check the zoom or text size settings.

A Note About Cookies and Saved Settings

One important point that several readers have raised: if you’re customizing DuckDuckGo.com (the website, not the browser app), your settings are saved using cookies. This means if you clear your browser’s cookies, all your DuckDuckGo preferences reset to defaults.

DuckDuckGo offers a workaround. On the Settings page, you’ll see an option to generate a settings URL or use cloud save. The settings URL contains all your preferences encoded in the link itself, so you can bookmark it and restore your settings anytime without relying on cookies.

If you’re uncomfortable with cookies or cloud saving, the DuckDuckGo browser app stores settings locally on your device instead, which avoids this issue entirely.

Keyboard Shortcuts for DuckDuckGo Search

These shortcuts work on DuckDuckGo.com in any desktop browser.

Shortcut	Action
J or ↓	Move to the next search result
K or ↑	Move to the previous search result
Enter	Open the selected result
Ctrl/Cmd + Enter	Open the selected result in a new background tab
/	Jump to the search bar
T	Scroll back to the top of the page

Summary

DuckDuckGo is simple by design, but that simplicity means some features you might expect are either in a different location than you’d guess, limited to specific platforms, or not available at all. The key to getting the most out of it is knowing whether you’re using the website or the browser app, and adjusting your device’s system settings for anything DuckDuckGo can’t control on its own (like system-wide font size, icon appearance, or dark mode on all websites).

For feature requests, bug reports, or further help, visit the official DuckDuckGo Help Pages at duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo-help-pages.