While a community-packaged "portable" version exists on third-party platforms like GitHub , it still carries the same core system requirement of Windows 10 due to its dependence on the Microsoft Edge WebView2 runtime. Privacy on Windows 8.1: Your Best Alternatives
For users on Windows 8.1 who want a portable privacy-focused browser: duckduckgo browser download for windows 81 portable
DuckDuckGo released their full desktop browser (based on Chromium) relatively recently. Because Windows 8.1 reached its "End of Life" in January 2023, many modern browsers—including the official DuckDuckGo browser—have ceased support for it. The official DuckDuckGo Private Browser for Windows is
The official DuckDuckGo Private Browser for Windows is currently designed for modern versions of the operating system and does not officially support Windows 8.1 the original developers.
Portable apps run from a USB drive without installation. DuckDuckGo has never released a portable version of any software. Legitimate portable browsers (e.g., Firefox Portable, Chromium Portable) are maintained by third parties like PortableApps.com, the original developers.