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How to add DuckDuckGo to a Google Chrome browser to get a privacy-focused default search engine

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If you're a fan of the privacy-focused search engine DuckDuckGo, you might want to make it your default search engine or add its browser extension to Google Chrome. Installing the extension automatically makes DuckDuckGo your default search engine when using Chrome.

How to make DuckDuckGo your default search engine on Chrome

1. Click the three-dot menu icon at the top right of the Chrome window. In the dropdown menu, choose "Settings."

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ou can change your default search engine using Chrome's Settings.  Dave Johnson/Business Insider

2. On Chrome's Settings page, click "Search engine" at the left side of the page. 

3. In the Search engine section of the main page, click the dropdown menu to the right of "Search engine used in the address bar." 

4. Click "DuckDuckGo." 

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DuckDuckGo is one of the available choices for the default search engine.  Dave Johnson/Business Insider

How to add the DuckDuckGo extension to Chrome

1. Open the DuckDuckGo webpage in Chrome. 

2. In the upper right corner of the webpage, click the three horizontal lines (DuckDuckGo's hamburger menu). In the dropdown menu, choose "App and Extension."

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You can find the DuckDuckGo extension via the "App and Extension" option in the menu.  Dave Johnson/Business Insider

3. On DuckDuckGo's app page, click "Add to Chrome."

4. The Chrome Web Store page should appear. Click "Add to Chrome" again. Confirm you want to do this by clicking "Add extension" in the pop-up window. 

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Add the extension via the Chrome web store.  Dave Johnson/Business Insider

5. The extension is now installed. If you don't see it, you can pin it to the browser's toolbar by clicking the "Extensions" icon (shaped like a puzzle piece) and then clicking the pin to the right of DuckDuckGo.

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Pin the extension to the toolbar to have one-click access to it.  Dave Johnson/Business Insider

6. You can click the extension icon to see additional search settings and statistics about your DuckDuckGo searches.

How to remove the DuckDuckGo extension from Chrome

If you decide you don't want to keep the DuckDuckGo extension, here's how to delete it from Chrome.

1. Click the Extensions icon in Chrome's toolbar – it's shaped like a puzzle piece.

2. In the dropdown menu, click the three dots to the right of DuckDuckGo. 

3. In the pop-up menu, choose "Remove from Chrome…" and then confirm you want to do this by clicking "Remove" in the pop-up window. 

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Dave Johnson is a technology journalist who writes about consumer tech and how the industry is transforming the speculative world of science fiction into modern-day real life. Dave grew up in New Jersey before entering the Air Force to operate satellites, teach space operations, and do space launch planning. He then spent eight years as a content lead on the Windows team at Microsoft. As a photographer, Dave has photographed wolves in their natural environment; he's also a scuba instructor and co-host of several podcasts. Dave is the author of more than two dozen books and has contributed to many sites and publications including CNET, Forbes, PC World, How To Geek, and Insider.