Vivaldi Browser makes DuckDuckGo default search engine in private windows

Vivaldi Technologies revealed a moment ago that the search engine DuckDuckGo is the new default search engine in private windows, and that users may set a different search engine for the browser's private browsing mode.

The cooperation with DuckDuckGo was announced on the official Vivaldi blog and it comes along with a new setting in Vivaldi to set a different search engine for the browser's private browsing mode.

All modern web browsers support private browsing. The feature has different names depending on the browser but the general functionality is more or less identical: browsers save less data in private browsing mode.

The Vivaldi web browser does not record visited pages in the browsing history, and does not save cookies or temporary files either.

Vivaldi and DuckDuckGo

Vivaldi users can open private windows either with a click on Vivaldi icon > File > New Private Window, or by using the keyboard shortcut Ctrl-Shift-N (Mac users Command-Shift-N).

Vivaldi opens a new window and an intro on first launch. The introduction reveals information about private windows in the browser and reveals that DuckDuckGo is the default search engine in the mode.

You can change the search engine to any other that is available right then and there. Note that you may hide the page by checking "do not show introduction again". You can bring it back up by loading vivaldi://private-intro or configure the search engine that you want to use in private browsing mode in the browser's preferences.

Load vivaldi://settings/search/ in the browser's address bar to open the search preferences. You find a list of all integrated search engines there as well as search parameters and the nickname (keyword) functionality to run searches using them.

Vivaldi engineers added a new "set as private search" box to the search preferences and highlight the search engine that is used in private windows.

Just select a different search engine and check "set as private search" to use it as the search engine in private windows and select save afterward.

You should see that the "private" label is moved to the new search engine from the previous one.

Closing Words

The ability to set a different search engine for private browsing sessions is an interesting option; while privacy conscious users may have switched to a search engine that promises better privacy already, users who have not will benefit from the integration.

Vivaldi users who prefer to use a different search engine may set it on the private window introduction page or in the preferences.

I'd have preferred if DuckDuckGo would have only been set if no other privacy focused search engine is set as the default in the browser, but it is easy enough to change.