diff --git a/home-preload.js b/home-preload.js
index 7d0202f..aa3b2c9 100644
--- a/home-preload.js
+++ b/home-preload.js
@@ -10,6 +10,10 @@ contextBridge.exposeInMainWorld("home", {
   setCards: (cards) => ipcRenderer.invoke("home-cards-set", cards),
   resetCards: () => ipcRenderer.invoke("home-cards-reset"),
   navigate: (url) => ipcRenderer.invoke("navigate", url),
+  // Current default search engine — used to populate the search box
+  // placeholder with the actual engine name (e.g. "Search the web with
+  // Startpage") instead of hardcoding DuckDuckGo.
+  getEngines: () => ipcRenderer.invoke("search-engines"),
   // Main pushes an updated list here after a successful remote refresh
   // (only when the user has not customised locally). home.html re-renders.
   onCards: (cb) => ipcRenderer.on("home-cards", (_e, list) => cb(list)),
diff --git a/home.html b/home.html
index e4f86ea..6b7aba4 100644
--- a/home.html
+++ b/home.html
@@ -118,7 +118,7 @@
     <h1>Theseus <span class="g">Navigator</span></h1>
     <p class="tag">A browser that follows the thread. Names that live on the Bitcoin Cash chain.</p>
     <form id="searchForm">
-      <input id="q" name="q" placeholder="Search the web (DuckDuckGo)" autofocus spellcheck="false">
+      <input id="q" name="q" placeholder="Search the web" autofocus spellcheck="false">
       <button type="submit">Search</button>
     </form>
     <p class="hint">Tip: type a <b>.bch</b> name in the address bar above to open a decentralized site.</p>
@@ -165,8 +165,23 @@
     e.preventDefault();
     const q = $("q").value.trim(); if (!q) return;
     if (window.home && window.home.navigate) window.home.navigate(q);
-    else window.location.href = "https://duckduckgo.com/?q=" + encodeURIComponent(q);
+    // Fallback if the preload didn't bind (shouldn't happen). Startpage
+    // over DuckDuckGo since that's Theseus's own default engine now.
+    else window.location.href = "https://www.startpage.com/do/search?q=" + encodeURIComponent(q);
   });
+  // Populate placeholder with the user's current default engine name so
+  // "Search the web with <engine>" reflects reality. Silently no-ops if
+  // the preload or IPC isn't available (dev-open of home.html in a plain
+  // Chromium tab). Also refreshes on onEngines events would be nice but
+  // main only broadcasts `engines` to chrome — home only queries at load,
+  // which is fine because switching engines is a settings action that
+  // usually implies a reload of the tab shortly after.
+  if (window.home && window.home.getEngines) {
+    window.home.getEngines().then((r) => {
+      const name = r && r.engines && r.engines.find((x) => x.id === r.current)?.name;
+      if (name) $("q").placeholder = "Search the web with " + name;
+    }).catch(() => {});
+  }
   function badgeClass(b) {
     // Normalize badge label into a CSS class (spaces + case → dashes / lower).
     if (!b) return "b-default";