Look for the Default Search Engine section with a drop-down. There should be a Search button with a magnifying glass icon on the left side of the screen. Then click the Options link located next to a gear symbol to open the Settings menu. Look for Firefox’s menu button, resembling three horizontal lines, in the top right corner. Then select the search engine you want to use. Mobile users: Open the Google Chrome app and tap the three dots next to the address bar, then Settings.įind the Search engine under the Basics section. Selecting the search engine used in the address bar.Īlternatively, you can click Manage search engines, then click the vertical three dots next to the one you want and select Make default. Click it and pick the search engine you like. You should see a drop-down menu to the right of the Search engine used in the address bar option. Open the Settings page, then look to the left for a quick link to the Search engine tab, or scroll until you find it. Click it, then near the bottom, find the Settings button. With Google Chrome open, first look for the row of triple dots in the top right corner of your screen. If you notice this happen, especially if it reoccurs even after you manually undo it, your browser may be infected with malware. One common tactic of malware is to change your default search engine. If you’re unsure where to start or where to find the proper settings, these tips will walk you through every step. Whatever browser you may be using, regardless of whether you’re on a computer or a mobile device, changing the default search engine shouldn’t be hard. How to Change the Default Search Engine (All Browsers) Or it all may simply come down to personal preference. For instance, if you use your device primarily for research, you could make Wikipedia your go-to quick search tool. You may also not want to use a dedicated search engine but a smaller website’s search function. They may also dislike breaking from standards, considering that almost every major browser uses Google, the most popular search engine. On the other hand, Edge users may prefer Google over Bing. This search engine is now a default choice on many privacy-focused browsers (e.g. If that’s you, you may not even want to search with it accidentally.Īlternatives like DuckDuckGo, a search provider dedicated to protecting your anonymity, maybe a better alternative if you have privacy concerns. But it’s no big secret that Google is tracking you, and some users are uncomfortable with the invasion of privacy. There is one big reason you might want to switch it up: Google tends to be the go-to default for most browsers. Want to change the default search engine on your browser? ✅ It has never been easier ⬇️ Click to Tweet Why Change Your Browser’s Default Search Engine? Many browsers come preloaded with a list of other search engines to choose from, or you can add your own. While Google is the popular default choice for most browsers, you can pick the one you prefer. Wondering what the default search engine even is? Here’s the complete list for all major browsers covered by this guide: You can always visit your search engine of choice by typing its web address into the address bar, but there’s no reason to go through all that trouble when you can set it as the default search engine, then access it right in the address bar. But if the default search engine is a site you’re not fond of, you may want to change it. It’s a lot faster than manually visiting a site like Google and then typing your query since you can skip an entire step. The default search engine is listed in the address bar. When you attempt to search the address bar, it will automatically redirect you to the site preferred by your browser. Check out our video guide to changing the default search engine:ĭid you know that your browser’s address bar isn’t just for visiting websites? You can also use it to search the web automatically.Įvery web browser has its own default search provider.