Hey everyone,
Tired of your default search engine snooping around even when you’re in private browsing mode? Good news! Safari on iOS 17 and macOS Sonoma lets you set a different search engine specifically for private browsing. This way, you get more control over your privacy. Let’s see how it’s done.
While the core idea is the same on both iPhone and Mac, the steps to get it set up are a bit different for each.
Changing private search on iPhone
- First, jump into your Settings app on your iPhone.
- Next, scroll down a bit and tap on Safari to get into its settings.
- Now, in the Search area, tap Private Search Engine.
- By default, Safari uses the same search engine for normal and private. To fix this, pick your preferred engine from the list. You’ll see options like Google, Yahoo, Bing, DuckDuckGo, and Ecosia. Tap your choice to make it stick.
Changing private search on Mac
- Start by opening the Safari browser on your Mac.
- Then, in the menu bar at the top-left, click Safari and then select Settings from the dropdown menu.
- In the settings window, click on the Search tab to view the available options.
- You will see a dropdown next to Private Browsing search engine, which will likely be set to Default. Click on it.
- Choose your preferred search engine for private browsing from the dropdown menu. You can select from Google, Yahoo, Bing, DuckDuckGo, or Ecosia.
That’s it! Setting a different search engine for private browsing allows you to have more control over your search privacy and tailor your browsing experience the way you like it.