Unlocking Full Search Results
DuckDuckGo has built its reputation on privacy, promising never to track your search history, build advertising profiles, or store your IP address. However, despite its commitment to an unfiltered, private web experience, DuckDuckGo still implements a SafeSearch filter by default to prevent explicit imagery and adult websites from appearing in general search results.
By default, DuckDuckGo sets this filter to “Moderate,” which blocks explicit images and videos but still allows text-based links to appear. If you are researching medical information, artistic topics, or simply want entirely unrestricted access to the web, you will need to manually turn this filter off.
Because DuckDuckGo does not force you to create a user account, changing this setting relies entirely on browser cookies. Here is how to disable the filter and ensure the setting actually saves.
How to Turn Off SafeSearch (Desktop & Mobile)
The process for disabling the filter is identical whether you are using the DuckDuckGo website on a computer browser (like Chrome or Safari) or through a mobile browser on your smartphone.
- Open your web browser and go to duckduckgo.com.
- Perform a random search (e.g., type “test” and press Enter) so that you are looking at a page of search results.
- Look at the top-right corner of the screen, just beneath the search bar, and locate the SafeSearch drop-down menu. (On a mobile phone, this might just say “Safe Search: Moderate”).
- Click or tap the drop-down menu.
- You will see three options:
- Strict: Filters explicit text, images, and videos.
- Moderate: Filters explicit images and videos (the default).
- Off: Does not filter any results.
- Select Off.
The page will instantly refresh, and your search results will now be completely unfiltered. Unlike other search engines, there is no “Save” button to press at the bottom of the page.
Troubleshooting: The Setting Keeps Reverting
Because DuckDuckGo is a privacy-first search engine, it does not use user accounts to remember your preferences. Instead, it remembers that you turned off SafeSearch by placing a small, anonymous text file (a cookie) in your web browser.
If you successfully turn SafeSearch off, but it reverts to “Moderate” the very next time you open your browser, your browser is deleting that cookie.
This usually happens for three reasons:
- You are using Incognito/Private Browsing mode. By design, private windows delete all cookies the moment you close them. DuckDuckGo will forget your preferences every time you close a private window.
- You are using the official DuckDuckGo Privacy Browser app. If you are using the mobile app and you tap the “Fire Button” (which burns all your tabs and data), it will also burn the cookie that remembers your SafeSearch preference.
- Your browser has strict privacy settings enabled. If your standard desktop browser (like Firefox or Brave) is set to “Clear cookies and site data when you quit,” it will wipe the DuckDuckGo preference cookie. You will need to add an exception for duckduckgo.com in your browser’s privacy settings.
The Cloud Save Alternative (Anonymous Cloud Sync)
If you frequently clear your cookies but want DuckDuckGo to remember that you prefer SafeSearch turned off, DuckDuckGo offers a unique, anonymous “Cloud Save” feature that does not require an email address or an account.
- Go to the DuckDuckGo search results page and click the three horizontal lines (menu icon) in the top-right corner.
- Select All Settings.
- Ensure the SafeSearch setting is set to Off.
- Click the Cloud Save tab on the left-hand menu.
- Click Save Settings.
- DuckDuckGo will generate a random passphrase (e.g., “blue-horse-staple-battery”). Write this passphrase down or save it in a password manager.
In the future, if your cookies are cleared and SafeSearch turns back on, you can simply go back to the Cloud Save menu, click Load Settings, enter your passphrase, and all your preferences (including SafeSearch = Off) will instantly be restored without needing to create an account.
