DuckDuckGo Browser Adds Built-in YouTube Ad Blocking on iOS, Mac, Windows, and Android

DuckDuckGo has introduced built-in YouTube ad blocking in its browser, which prevents most video ads from appearing before and during playback.

This feature comes enabled by default in the latest versions of DuckDuckGo for iOS, Mac, and Windows. Android users can turn it on manually through Settings, Ad Blocking.

The system uses community-maintained filter lists from uBlock Origin, along with DuckDuckGo's own compatibility rules. This ad blocking feature is different from Duck Player, DuckDuckGo's embedded YouTube player. Both options can be used simultaneously.

What DuckDuckGo’s YouTube Ad Blocking Does

According to DuckDuckGo's announcement, their YouTube ad blocker targets pre-roll ads that appear before videos, mid-roll ads during playback, and standard skippable and unskippable video ads on the YouTube website.

DuckDuckGo states that the feature preserves the usual YouTube experience, including watch history, video position saving in playlists, and other account features that require login.

The company also mentioned that using the ad blocker might cause slightly longer buffering times, but once a video starts playing, the experience should remain smooth.

Unlike browsers that come with fully built-in ad-blocking engines, DuckDuckGo's approach relies on filter lists from uBlock Origin maintained by the community, along with additional rules developed by DuckDuckGo and regular updates to keep up with YouTube’s changing ad delivery methods.

Because YouTube often updates how it serves ads, the system may periodically stop working until the filter rules are updated, which is similar to what other browser-based YouTube ad blockers experience.

Duck Player, Setup Steps, and Platform Support

Duck Player is DuckDuckGo's embedded YouTube player that uses YouTube's strictest privacy settings to prevent tracking cookies and personalized ads. It has been available for some time and remains separate from the new ad-blocking feature.

Both features can be used toget…