DuckDuckGo browser for Windows is now in beta

Daniel ZimmermannJune 26, 2023

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The developers of DuckDuckGo have released their privacy-focused browser for Windows to the general public, and the beta version is now available to everyone.

The DuckDuckGo browser promises to protect users from third-party tracking, targeted advertising, search query recording, and profiling.

As of today, our desktop browser for Windows is officially in public beta. No more invitations and waiting lists, just a fast, lightweight browser that makes the web less creepy and cumbersome.the developers write

The company says that DuckDuckGo for Windows is already equipped with almost all the privacy protections and features that come with iOS, Mac and Android versions.

And every day it gets closer to parity with these browsers.the authors note.

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Let me remind you that at the beginning of 2022, the company said that it was working on a desktop browser, and version 0.30 (beta) of the DuckDuckGo browser for Mac was announced and released in the spring of 2022. This version served as a testing ground for developers to find and fix major problems before the Windows version made it to open beta testing.

Now, among the features of their browser, developers list:

tracker blocking – blocks all third-party trackers from DuckDuckGo’s list of trackers that may threaten privacy and provides protection from third-party tracking;
smart encryption – automatic HTTPS for any site that the user tries to visit, implemented using open source crawler;
Cookie pop-up management – Helps to hide cookie pop-ups, which are often designed to trick users into accepting the least privacy option they want, and ensure they use the best privacy settings;
“Fire” button – erases all browsing history and saved session information by pressing one button;
email protection – built-in email protection that cleans emails from ads and profiling trackers before messages reach the user’s mailbox;
Duck player is a built-in YouTube player that allows you to watch videos without ads and tracking.

DuckDuckGo for Windows

The developers claim that the aforementioned privacy protection mechanisms and layered tracker blocking help the DuckDuckGo browser “absorb” about 60% less data than Chrome, which potentially speeds up web browsing.

We also wrote that DuckDuckGo Will Block All Login Pop-Ups with Google, and the media reported that DuckDuckGo downgraded Russian state media in search results.

In future versions, the browser will add support for extensions, but for now, users are also offered to use the built-in password manager to manage secrets and automatically fill in credentials.

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