Making search private on Mac takes under a minute. The default engine on Safari was chosen for you, often because someone paid for the spot. Here is how to replace it with one that does not track you.

Step by step on Safari

  1. Open Safari, then click Safari in the menu bar and choose Settings.
  2. Click the Search tab.
  3. Pick your private search engine from the list.
  4. If it is not shown, use it through a bookmark or its own page instead.
good to know
Safari on Mac and iPhone keep their search engine settings separate, so set both if you use both.

What to set it to

For the switch to actually mean something, point the default at an engine that keeps no account and stores no history. Bare is built for exactly this: your query passes through our server only to fetch results, so the index sees our network rather than your address, and nothing is kept once the page loads. Set it once, and every search from Safari on your Mac is private by default.

If you change your mind

There is no risk. Safari lets you switch back through the same menu in seconds, and nothing about your bookmarks or history is affected. Try a private default for a week, most people never switch back.