How to Force Safe Search on DuckDuckGo

Tech Lockdown Team

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Updated January 9, 2025

One of the most important features for browsing the internet with Duckduckgo is the ability to lock-on SafeSearch, especially if you are focused on self-control. For many of us, we want to filter search results to exclude explicit results, especially image and videos. However, making sure that Duckduckgo's search results filter can't be turned off can be confusing, especially since the enforcement techniques vary compared to other popular search engines. In this guide, we'll walk you the best ways to force Duckduckgo's SafeSearch and ensure that SafeSearch isn't accidentally or intentionally turned off.

There are two ways that you can enforce SafeSearch with Duckduckgo:

1. Using the Standard SafeSearch enforcement techniques
2. Forcing the use of Duckduckgo's dedicated Safesearch subdomain

How to Test if Duckduckgo SafeSearch is Locked on

Use these techniques to test if Duckduckgo SafeSearch is enforced properly on computers and smartphones as you're implementing our suggestions.

1) Avoiding DNS Caching issues when testing

When testing, open the browser's incognito/private browsing window (if it is available). This helps you clear the DNS cache so that you can see changes more quickly. You can also restart your browser.

2) Checking Safe Search status

Unlike other Search Engines with the ability to lock on SafeSearch, Duckduckgo will still allow you to toggle between Safe search settings in their interface even if it is locked on:

Unfortunately, the "source of truth" for testing if SafeSearch enforcement is working is to check the search results for your search query.

Using DNS-Based SafeSearch Enforcement

A universal way to enforce Safe Search on Duckduckgo on all types of devices is using a DNS Filtering service that specializes in blocking adult content  since they are likely to support enforcing SafeSearch. Here are the general steps for configuring this service:

1). Enable SafeSearch

Duckduckgo is classified in the Search Engines DNS category. You can use this approach to comprehensively apply Safe Search to Duckduckgo as well as other supported browsers.

For example, using the Tech Lockdown  Content Policy , we'll create a new SafeSearch rule and adjust the schedule so that it's always on:

We've selected the Search Engines category in this rule, but you could also specify duckduckgo.com or the Duckduckgo application.

2). Connect devices to the DNS Policy

You can connect your home router or configure specific devices to point to this DNS Content Policy .

Tech Lockdown provides two types of ways to connect to DNS filtering:

1. Configuring the DNS settings on the device to point to the filter
2. Using an app, which adds a VPN connection that points to the filter

To ensure that DNS SafeSearch enforcement continues to work, you have to protect that  connection so that it is not intentionally or accidentally bypassed. Tech Lockdown members get access to several powerful bypass prevention tools. For example, our VPN enforcer for iOS .

Enforcing the Duckduckgo SafeSearch subdomain

Duckduckgo provides a dedicated web address that can be used to browse with Safe Search locked-on: safe.duckduckgo.com .

One way to enforce safe search is to block the normal duckduckgo website, but allow the safe search subdomain. Here are our recommended steps:

1). Setting your browser's address bar to use the SafeSearch domain

In order for this to work properly, you need to adjust your browser to use Duckduckgo's Safe Search address before you block the non-safesearch subdomain.

Here are some general steps on how to do this.

Finding the Address bar and search in Microsoft Edge browser

You should see a list of popular search engines and the corresponding URL:

Name: Safe Duckduckgo

Shortcut: safe.duckduckgo.com

URL with query: https://safe.duckduckgo.com/?q=%s

Now the browser bar should use the safesearch subdomain whenever you type a query.

2). Change your home page or new tab page to the subdomain

For example, with Microsoft edge, you can set the Home button to go to safe.duckduckgo.com when pressed:

You can also set the new tab page to open safe.duckduckgo.com.

3). Block the duckduckgo domain

Next, you need to restrict access to duckduckgo.com so that safe.duckduckgo.com has to be used.

You can use our recommended website blocking techniques to do this, but our recommended approach is to also do this with the Tech Lockdown DNS Content Policy :

The end result should look like this in this order:

This will force using the safesearch subdomain that Duckduckgo provides and block access to the one where safe search can be customized.

Restricting access to other Search Engines

Now that Safe Search is enforced with Duckduckgo, you might want to restrict access to other Search Engines other than Duckduckgo which don't have a Safe Search feature.

Check out our comprehensive SafeSearch guide for more details on how to selectively approve search engines, such as Duckduckgo, while restricting access to all others.

Frequently Asked Questions

I can still toggle SafeSearch settings in Duckduckgo after attempting to enforce them

Through our testing, we noticed that even if SafeSearch is locked on with Duckduckgo, their web interface appear to allow you to toggle the SafeSearch settings. However, we noticed that the Search Engines results still use the strict search mode and toggling the settings in the interface doesn't change anything.

As a result, the Duckduckgo SafeSearch interface doesn't seem to show the locked status. The search behavior is the "source of truth" for if SafeSearch is locked on and enforced.

Enforcing Safe Search on other search engines

It's common for people to use more than one Search Engine, or to want to have some peace of mind that other Search Engines are using a Safe Search feature if they support it. If you used the DNS-based SafeSearch enforcement technique we mentioned in this guide, all supported search engines with a Safe Search feature will also enforce Safe Search since they are within the Search Engines category you created your rule with.

Check out our  comprehensive SafeSearch guide  for other enforcement ideas.