The DuckDuckGo browser can now sync bookmarks, passwords, and Email Protection preferences between devices. But, unlike Chrome and other competitors, DuckDuckGo’s device syncing doesn’t require an account.
Device syncing is a standard feature of most modern web browsers. Its omission from DuckDuckGo has always been a sore spot for users—after all, DuckDuckGo bills itself as an “easy button” for internet privacy. However, there are some implicit privacy concerns when storing passwords and other sensitive data in the cloud. Connecting this information to an identifiable user account may also be problematic, and at the very least, it would draw comparisons between DuckDuckGo and Google.
So, the new DuckDuckGo Sync & Backup feature takes an entirely new approach to device syncing. Your passwords, bookmarks, and Email Protection settings are still stored locally on-device. DuckDuckGo has found a way to privately sync this data between multiple devices through the use of QR codes and text codes.
Newly generated passwords or bookmarks are automatically synced with all of your connected devices. And, in the event that you need to remove a connected device from DuckDuckGo, you can do so from your browser settings.
Synced data in DuckDuckGo is protected by end-to-end encryption. As a result, anyone who tries to intercept the data (including DuckDuckGo) should not be able to decrypt it. But end-to-end encryption isn’t exclusive to DuckDuckGo. Other browsers, including Chrome, also protect passwords with end-to-end encryption.
Of course, there are some obvious downsides to DuckDuckGo Sync & Backup. The feature is far less convenient than traditional browser syncing methods, and if you lose your devices, you may lose your passwords and bookmarks. Everything is hinged on a unique recovery code, which you need to save as a PDF in a secure location.
Note that the DuckDuckGo desktop browser is only about a year old. Sync & Backup was teased during the launch ofDuckDuckGo on Windows; it’s just taken a while for the feature to take shape.
If you want to sync DuckDuckGo passwords and bookmarks between devices, simply open the browser, enter Settings and go to “Sync & Backup.” The browser will guide you through the syncing process. If this feature isn’t available to you, try updating DuckDuckGo.
