What local data does DuckDuckGo browser store besides history?
Executive summary
Two publicly available pieces of reporting give conflicting answers about what the DuckDuckGo browser stores locally: a Security Stack Exchange discussion notes that the browser appears to keep a simple list of visited sites and marks links as visited (suggesting some local storage of visits) [1], while a 2025 parental-control article flatly states that DuckDuckGo “does not save browser history” and emphasizes that no data is stored locally or on servers [2]. The sources do not include official DuckDuckGo engineering documentation, so this account must treat both claims as reported observations rather than definitive product fact [1][2].
1. The claim that DuckDuckGo stores a pared-down list of visited sites
A contributor on the Information Security Stack Exchange described observable behaviors—visited links rendered in a different color and previously-viewed sites appearing as address-bar suggestions—which the poster interpreted as evidence that the DuckDuckGo browser stores at least a list of visited sites locally rather than a rich timestamped history [1]. The same post argues this is likely a deliberate privacy trade-off: keeping minimal metadata useful for usability (visited-link styling and quick suggestions) while avoiding a “full browsing history” that would include timestamps, page titles and other contextual data that raise privacy risks [1]. That account is anecdotal and user-reported rather than an audit, but it provides a plausible mechanism for how a privacy-focused browser could retain basic usability without preserving a complete forensic trail [1].
2. The counterclaim that DuckDuckGo doesn’t save browser history at all
A commercial parental-control site published in 2025 asserted categorically that “No, DuckDuckGo does not save browser history,” framing the browser as “private by default” and stating that no data is stored locally or on servers [2]. The same article nevertheless acknowledges that other kinds of local data—cookies and cached content—remain relevant to privacy and must be managed even when using DuckDuckGo, which introduces a complication: the site’s headline denial of history storage sits alongside guidance about local data that can persist, suggesting nuance that the headline claim may overstate the case [2].
3. Reconciling the reports and noting their limits
The two sources present opposing conclusions: one sees signals of a minimal local “visited sites” list [1], the other asserts a clean slate with no history stored locally [2]. Neither source is an official DuckDuckGo statement or a formal technical audit; one is a forum post reporting observed browser behavior [1], the other is an explanatory article likely aimed at parents that may simplify or round off technical distinctions for readers [2]. Because the reporting is limited to observation and summarization rather than source code inspection or vendor confirmation, it is not possible from these sources alone to definitively state which account matches the product’s implementation under all configurations [1][2].
4. Practical implication for users and journalists
Given the discrepancy in reporting, the prudent conclusion is that users and reporters should not assume perfect erasure of local traces: observable behaviors like visited-link styling and address-bar suggestions can indicate some local caching or indexing of visited sites in some builds or modes [1], while vendor or secondary reporting may emphasize privacy defaults and downplay retained local artifacts [2]. The sources also highlight that other forms of local data—cookies, cache, saved passwords or bookmarks—are separate issues that may persist and deserve explicit verification beyond broad claims that “no data is stored” [2].
5. What the current reporting does not establish
None of the provided reporting establishes whether DuckDuckGo stores timestamps, full page titles, the full URL path beyond domain, synchronized logs across devices, or whether any stored items are encrypted or easily exported; likewise, there is no vendor confirmation here about differences between mobile and desktop versions, private/incognito modes, or optional settings that alter local retention [1][2]. Those are material technical questions that require official documentation, source-code inspection, or a forensic audit to answer, and they remain unanswered by the sources provided [1][2].