How do I disable or clear DuckDuckGo extension autocomplete and suggestion history on mobile and desktop?
Executive summary
DuckDuckGo provides built-in controls to disable autocomplete suggestions and to clear locally stored suggestion/search history: on the website and mobile app these are accessible through Settings > Private Search (turn off “Autocomplete Suggestions” and “Recently Visited Sites”) and via Data Clearing/clear-history controls for the app; on desktop the extension itself offers limited controls while browser-level data must be cleared separately (DuckDuckGo cannot erase browser cache other than its own saved data) [1] [2] [3]. Users seeking to fully remove residual suggestions should combine DuckDuckGo’s settings with browser or OS-level data clearing because the extension cannot control other software’s caches [3].
1. Turning off autocomplete in the DuckDuckGo web and mobile experience
Disabling autocomplete for searches on duckduckgo.com is done in the site settings by turning off “Autocomplete Suggestions,” and in the DuckDuckGo mobile app users can navigate to Settings > Private Search to toggle off both “Autocomplete Suggestions” and “Recently Visited Sites,” which prevents the app from showing suggested query completions and locally listed recent sites [1]. This is DuckDuckGo’s documented on-product control and applies to suggestions generated by the DuckDuckGo service or the app’s local history features [1].
2. Clearing app search history and the “Data Clearing” options
The DuckDuckGo mobile app offers explicit controls to clear local search history—documented flows point to Settings > Privacy > Clear Search History in app documentation and third‑party guides—while DuckDuckGo’s own updates page highlights a “Data Clearing” area that can be used to connect UI actions (like the Fire Button) to deleting chat or search data for Duck.ai and related features [4] [2]. Enabling those Data Clearing settings makes it possible to wipe Duck.ai chat history and some in‑app data without touching browser-level caches [2].
3. Desktop extensions: what they can and cannot clear
The DuckDuckGo browser extension and privacy tools focus on preventing tracking and providing private search, but they do not—and cannot—erase all data stored by the host browser; if the default browser accumulates cache, cookies, or URL history those are controlled by the browser itself and must be cleared there [3]. Guides recommend using the extension’s own clear-data or privacy options where available, but to fully remove suggestion traces users should clear the browser’s history/cache and consider using the browser’s private/incognito mode for searches that should not leave a local trace [3] [4].
4. Practical step-by-step summary (mobile and desktop combined)
On mobile: open DuckDuckGo app Settings > Private Search and turn off “Autocomplete Suggestions” and “Recently Visited Sites”; then go to Settings > Privacy (or Data Clearing) and select Clear Search History or enable the Fire Button to clear Duck.ai chat history if using AI features [1] [2] [4]. On desktop/web: visit duckduckgo.com/settings and turn off “Autocomplete Suggestions” to stop DuckDuckGo’s own suggestions, use any clear-data option in the extension if present, and clear the host browser’s history/cache to remove stored URLs and autofill that the browser—not DuckDuckGo—may be offering [1] [3]. Third‑party guides echo this combined approach for comprehensive clearing [4] [3].
5. Caveats, alternative viewpoints, and limits of reporting
Documentation and third‑party guides are clear that turning off DuckDuckGo’s autocomplete and clearing DuckDuckGo app history addresses local and DuckDuckGo-generated suggestions, but they cannot guarantee elimination of all suggestions coming from the browser, OS-level autofill, or synced devices—those are out of DuckDuckGo’s control and require separate clearing or private-mode usage [3]. DuckDuckGo’s updates page adds features (like Data Clearing tied to a Fire Button) that help with in-app AI/chat histories but do not substitute for browser-level privacy hygiene [2]. Reporting used here does not include step‑by‑step screenshots or platform‑specific caveats like Android vs iOS differences beyond the sources cited, so exact menu labels could vary by app version and platform [2] [1].
6. Final assessment
To disable autocomplete and wipe suggestion history reliably, turn off DuckDuckGo’s autocomplete options in the site/app settings, use the app’s clear-search or data‑clearing controls (including Fire Button options for Duck.ai), and then clear or control the host browser’s history/cache because the extension cannot purge data held by other software [1] [2] [3]. Combining those actions is the only documented way in the sources reviewed to minimize both DuckDuckGo-originated and browser-originated autocomplete and suggestion traces [1] [3].