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Short answer: DuckDuckGo makes the clearer commitment not to save or share search history. Google may save searches and links you interact with to your account, depending on your settings, but provides controls to review, delete, and automatically delete saved Search history. That is a comparison of the companies’ stated policies—not an independent audit or proof that either service prevents every form of tracking.
What’s the privacy difference?
| Question | Google Search app | DuckDuckGo |
|---|---|---|
| Does it retain search history? | Google says terms searched and links interacted with may be saved to a Google Account, depending on settings. | DuckDuckGo says it does not save or share search history when you search with its products. |
| Can you manage saved history? | Google documents options to review, delete, and set automatic deletion for Search Services History. | Its policy makes a no-search-history-retention commitment; that is different from controls for other data or app features. |
| Does using search alone block trackers elsewhere? | The Google Search sources reviewed focus on Search history and account controls. | No. DuckDuckGo’s additional web-tracking protections are features of its browser or extensions, not a consequence of visiting its search site in any browser. |
The practical choice depends on what matters most: avoiding retained search history, managing account-linked activity and personalization, or adding protections against tracking beyond search.
Does Google save my searches?
It can, depending on your account settings. Google says Search data such as terms you search and links you interact with may be stored in your Google Account. Its Privacy Policy says activity from Search, Maps, and Shopping is saved to Search Services History, while activity on some other Google sites and apps is saved to Web & App Activity. Whether activity is saved depends on your settings.
Google’s Search privacy help page describes a “Your Data in Search” area for reviewing and deleting saved history. It also says Search Services History can be set to auto-delete after 3, 18, or 36 months. These are available retention-setting intervals, not a guarantee that every user’s history is saved for that long or deleted on a particular day.
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Find and manage Search history
- Open Google Search settings for your account. In the Google Search app, open your profile picture or initial and look for “Your data in Search.” Labels and availability can vary as Google updates the interface.
- Review or delete saved activity. Use the history controls in “Your data in Search” to inspect or remove saved Search activity.
- Check automatic deletion. Look for Search Services History auto-delete settings and select an available duration if you want one.
- If the screen differs, check Web & App Activity. Google says the Search settings update is rolling out gradually; while the interface differs, history and personalized recommendations remain controlled through Web & App Activity.
Google’s Privacy Policy, effective October 1, 2026, describes these controls and explains that saved activity depends on settings. Changing a history control is not the same as preventing all information from being processed to provide a service.
Does DuckDuckGo track what I search?
DuckDuckGo’s Privacy Policy states: “We don’t save or share your search, chat, or browsing history when you search on DuckDuckGo, chat on Duck.ai, or use our apps and extensions.” That is a specific commitment about retaining and sharing history, and it covers more than searches made on its search website.
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It does not mean DuckDuckGo receives no information. The same policy says a device sends information such as its IP address, browser type, and language when it visits DuckDuckGo’s search engine or websites. DuckDuckGo says it processes such information temporarily to deliver content and for security, including protection against abuse. “Does not save search history” should not be read as “no data is transmitted or processed.”
Do DuckDuckGo’s extra protections work when I only use its search site?
No. Search-history policy and tracker blocking are separate matters. DuckDuckGo’s browser and extensions offer additional web-tracking protections, but simply visiting DuckDuckGo Search in another browser does not give that browser all of those protections.
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Its Web Tracking Protections documentation lists features including third-party tracker loading protection, Global Privacy Control, link tracking protection, CNAME cloaking protection, and Google AMP protection. The page advises installing the relevant app or extension; availability depends on the product and platform.
DuckDuckGo’s privacy help page identifies App Tracking Protection as a feature currently available in its Android browser. It is intended to block third-party trackers in other apps. Do not assume this particular feature is available on iOS or that installing only a browser extension enables protection inside unrelated apps.
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Which should you choose?
- Choose DuckDuckGo if avoiding retained search history is your main priority. Its policy offers the more explicit no-history-retention commitment. Use its browser or an appropriate extension if you also want its separate web-tracking protections.
- Stay with Google if you want to manage account-based Search history and related settings. Review the controls on your own account, since saving depends on settings and Google’s interface rollout may mean the labels differ.
- Compare like with like. Search-site use, a search app, a browser, an extension, and Android App Tracking Protection are not interchangeable. The protection you get depends on which product you actually use.
What this comparison can—and cannot—establish
The policies and help pages describe what Google and DuckDuckGo say about their own services. They are not independent privacy audits, and they do not establish comparative search-result quality, ad relevance, or measured privacy outcomes. Google’s Secure Searches & Safe Results page discusses search safety, but that is a different question from how search history is retained.
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