Local-only, search-first browser. No telemetry. No cloud. No trace.
Unified address bar: type a URL or a search query and press Enter. Real search results (DuckDuckGo, SearXNG, or your own). Bookmarks and history stay on your machine. One-click clear storage.
- Unified bar — URL or search; nothing is sent until you press Enter (no suggestions, no preload).
- Privacy — Telemetry/tracking blocked; DNT on; tracking params (utm_*, fbclid, gclid) stripped; optional ad blocker, GPC, resist fingerprinting.
- Local only — Bookmarks, history, config in a local folder. Clear storage wipes cache/cookies in one click. No account, no sync.
- Optional — Tor/proxy, DNS-over-HTTPS, HTTPS-only mode, block third-party cookies, clear cookies on exit.
- Per-tab isolation — Tabs don’t share cookies/storage by default.
- Python 3.8+
- PyQt6 and PyQt6-WebEngine (Chromium engine)
Optional: PyQt6-Svg for SVG logo rendering; otherwise PNG or embedded fallback is used.
cd "Private Search Browser"
pip install -r requirements.txtOr with pip from the project directory:
pip install .python local_browser.pyOn Windows you can double-click run_browser.bat (runs with pythonw if available).
On first launch you’ll see a welcome page. Use the address bar to search or enter a URL, then click Continue to start page. Your data (bookmarks, history, config) is stored under .local_browser/ next to the script (or in the path set by LOCAL_BROWSER_DATA).
After first run, edit .local_browser/config.json to change:
- search_engine_url — e.g.
https://html.duckduckgo.com/html/?q={q}or a SearXNG instance. - home_page —
"local"(start page) or a URL. - proxy — Optional SOCKS5/HTTP proxy (e.g. Tor:
socks5://127.0.0.1:9050).
Toolbar and Settings menu offer: ad blocker, HTTPS-only, GPC, resist fingerprinting, DNS-over-HTTPS, clear cookies on exit, and more.
Place logo.png or logo.svg in the same folder as local_browser.py to use your own icon. Otherwise the built-in PHANTOM logo is used (splash, new-tab page, window icon). No remote load.
MIT. See LICENSE.