{"id":27075,"date":"2023-01-02T18:10:22","date_gmt":"2023-01-02T18:10:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2023\/01\/02\/5-duckduckgo-features-you-should-be-using\/"},"modified":"2023-01-02T18:10:22","modified_gmt":"2023-01-02T18:10:22","slug":"5-duckduckgo-features-you-should-be-using","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2023\/01\/02\/5-duckduckgo-features-you-should-be-using\/","title":{"rendered":"5 DuckDuckGo Features You Should Be Using"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\"Smartphone
sdx15\/Shutterstock.com<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

DuckDuckGo<\/a>\u00a0is primarily known for its focus on privacy. But the search engine (and now browser) offers several helpful features, many of which aren\u2019t even available on Google or Bing. So if you are new to DuckDuckGo, here are five features to improve your search experience.<\/p>\n

Bangs<\/h2>\n
\"DuckDuckGo
DuckDuckGo<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Bangs are undoubtedly the most practical feature offered by DuckDuckGo. They are shortcuts to the site search of specific websites and services. Simply put, you don\u2019t need to leave DuckDuckGo to search a particular website. Instead, just use its bang and get redirected to the search results page on that website for your query. Notably, for some bangs, such as \u201c!w\u201d for Wikipedia, you\u2019ll likely be redirected to the specific Wikipedia entry on your search rather than a search page. So bangs can be efficient and time savers.<\/p>\n

To use a bang<\/a>, type it next to your query in the DuckDuckGo search box and submit. For example, you can search How-To Geek\u2019s website for Windows 11 articles with:<\/p>\n

!howtogeek windows 11<\/pre>\n
It\u2019s important to note that all bangs have the exclamation mark in front of them. It helps the search engine identify that you are using a bang. Otherwise, it\u2019ll just be counted as a part of the search keyword.<\/p>\n
There are over 13,500 bangs<\/a> as of December 2022, and you can find one for pretty much all popular websites. DuckDuckGo also allows anyone to suggest a new bang or submit an edit to an existing bang.<\/p>\n
If you want website or service-specific results right in DuckDuckGo, though, you can always use the \u201csite:\u201d search operator<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Instant Answers<\/h2>\n
\"DuckDuckGo<\/p>\n
Apart from giving you a list of relevant web pages for your search, DuckDuckGo can also offer direct answers to your queries. The site uses over 100 sources, so Instant Answers are available for a variety of queries.<\/p>\n
Simple things like calculations<\/a>, a calendar<\/a>, a stopwatch<\/a>, what rhymes with a word<\/a>, or factual information<\/a> are obviously available. But you can also use this feature to generate passwords<\/a>, solve anagrams<\/a>, shorten<\/a> or expand links<\/a>, or change the case of a bunch of text<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Additionally, Instant Answers can tell you whether a website is down<\/a>, offer loan calculations<\/a>, generate QR codes<\/a>, and recommend alternatives to software and services<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Duck.com Email Protection<\/h2>\n
\"\"<\/p>\n
DuckDuckGo\u2019s email protection feature<\/a> can help you keep the embedded trackers in emails at bay. To use it, you need the official DuckDuckGo app or its extension<\/a> in your browser. Once you\u2019ve installed either, you can sign up for an @duck.com forwarding address<\/a> that receives the emails on your behalf, strips the trackers, and then forwards them to a mailbox of your choosing.<\/p>\n
Another exciting part of the email protection feature is the ability to create random aliases\u00a0to share with potentially spammy, untrustworthy, or random websites. (It\u2019s similar to\u00a0Apple\u2019s Hide My Email<\/a>.)\u00a0Emails sent to these aliases are also stripped of the trackers and then forwarded to your primary email. You can share different aliases with different websites and deactivate them individually if you start receiving spam.<\/p>\n
Moreover, you can even use your duck.com address to reply to emails in cases where you don\u2019t want the recipient to know your personal email address. In typical DuckDuckGo fashion, privacy is at the heart of email protection, so DuckDuckGo says<\/a> none of your emails are ever stored by the company. Only your aliases and the primary email ID are kept.<\/p>\n
App Tracking Protection for Android<\/h2>\n
\"DuckDuckGo
DuckDuckGo<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
App tracking protection is another DuckDuckGo feature that can improve your privacy. Exclusive to Android, it can curb the constant spying done by third-party trackers<\/a> in the apps on your phone. Most of these trackers are from advertising companies like Google and Taboola, social media firms like Facebook and Twitter, and analytics firms like Adobe. And these companies gather details like precise location, email address, phone number, time zone, and device fingerprint to build a profile with which they can target you with creepily relevant ads. Unfortunately, some of this information can also end up in the hands of data brokers.<\/p>\n
To use app tracking protection, install DuckDuckGo for Android<\/a> on your phone if you don\u2019t already have it. And then, go to Settings in the app and enable the feature. You\u2019ll find it in the \u201cMore from DuckDuckGo\u201d section. The feature will ask you to set up a VPN connection<\/a> to monitor data traffic from your apps (none of this data is sent to DuckDuckGo servers, though). Once the feature is active, you\u2019ll be able to see how many trackers were blocked, including from which companies and in which apps.<\/p>\n
Note:<\/strong> As of this writing in December 2022, app tracking protection is still in beta but available to all Android users.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Cheatsheets<\/h2>\n
\"DuckDuckGo<\/p>\n
Cheatsheets<\/a> are a somewhat lesser-known feature of DuckDuckGo, but it can be quite helpful in enhancing your productivity. It can help you find keyboard shortcuts for your favorite app and learn the basics of popular programming languages. All you have to do is type cheatsheet<\/code> next to a query for an app, language, or service, and DuckDuckGo will list common shortcuts or the basics of your search term.<\/p>\n
For example, when you search for a cheat sheet for Chrome<\/a>, DuckDuckGo offers all the common shortcuts for the web browser. On the other hand, a cheatsheet search for C++<\/a> results in the fundamentals of that programming language. You also get a link to access more information about your query right below the cheatsheet.<\/p>\n\n
Apart from all these exciting features, DuckDuckGo offers most of what you\u2019ll find on other popular search engines, such as image search, video search, news, autocomplete suggestions, maps<\/a>, safe search, and financial data. If you are concerned about privacy and want to migrate to DuckDuckGo, our guide on how to switch to DuckDuckGo<\/a> can help.<\/p>\n
RELATED:<\/strong> How to Switch to DuckDuckGo, a Private Search Engine<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n