5 Minute HelpDesk – How Do I Change My Default Search Engine

All web-browsers have a default search engine. Example – Google Chrome uses Google Search Engine, while Microsoft Edge uses Bing. But if you don’t like the search engine used by your browser, you can easily change it. Our IT helpdesk from Perth shows you how to change your default Search Engine for various browsers.

How to change the default search engine in Google Chrome

1. Open the Google browser.

2. At the top right-hand corner, click on Customize and control Google Chrome (the three dots).

3. Select Settings from the dropdown menu.

4. From the options on the left side of the screen, select Search Engine.

5. Under the Search Engine section, go to ‘Search Engine used in the address bar’. Click on the down arrow and select the search engine of your choice from the dropdown list.

6. If you don’t see the search engine you want in the list, go to the ‘Manage Search Engine’ option and click on the side arrow.

7.  Under the ‘Default Search Engines’, click on ‘Add’ button.

8. You will get a form to fill in the details for the search engine you want to add.
In the Search engine field, fill in the name of the search engine.
In the keyword field, fill in the shortcut name that you will use for the search engine.
In the URL with %s in place of query field, fill in the Search Engine’s Results page’s web address. You can do that using the following steps.

Go to the search engine that you need to add. Do a search query.

Let us say you search for Perth IT helpdesk in Google. The search results page address will be

https://www.google.com/search?q=Perth+IT+helpdesk

Replace the search term with %s.

https://www.google.com/search?q=%s. Use this text in the field.

Your newly added search engine will be displayed under the Other Search Engines section. To set the new search engine as default, go to Manage Search Engines. Under the Other Search Engine, click on the three dots against the newly added entry. From the list displayed, click on the ‘Make default’ option.

How to change the default search engine in Mozilla Firefox

1. Open the Firefox browser.
2. Click on the three lines at the top right corner of the window.
3. From the dropdown menu, click on ‘Options’.

4. In the next screen, click on ‘Search’ from the options on the left side.
5. Go to the Default Search Engine section. Click on the down arrow beside the default engine. Select the search engine of your choice from the dropdown menu.

6. To add a new search engine not currently in the list – Click on Find more search engines under the One-click Search Engines.

7. In the next screen, click on the engine that you want to add. Click on Add to Firefox.

How to change the default search engine in Microsoft Edge

1. Open Microsoft Edge browser.
2. Click on the three dots at the top right-hand corner of the window. Select Settings from the dropdown menu.

3. Click on Privacy, search and services on the left side of the window.
4. Scroll down the screen to the Address bar and search section and click on the arrow.

5. In the next screen, click on the down arrow against the Search Engine used in the address bar section. Select the search engine you want from the dropdown menu.

6. To add a new search engine not currently in the list, go to Manage Search Engines. In the next screen click on ‘Add’.

7. Fill in the form and click on ‘Add’. It will be added to the list.

8. Click on the three dots against the engine name and click on ‘Make default’.

How to change the default search engine in Opera

1. Open Opera browser.
2. On the upper left corner of the screen, click on the Opera logo.
3. Click on Settings from the dropdown menu.

4. In the next screen, scroll down to the Search Engine section. Select the search engine from the dropdown list against the Search engine used in the address bar option.

5. To add a new search engine, go to the Manage search engines tab and click on the arrow.
6. In the next screen, go to Other search engines and click on ‘Add’.
7. Fill in the form, as explained in the Google Chrome section and click on Add.

8. The new search engine will appear under Other Search Engines. Click on the three dots against the search engine and click on Make default.

How to change the default search engine in Safari

1. Open Safari browser.
2. Go to Safari menu on the left-hand top corner of the window.

3. Select Preferences.
4. In the Preferences window, go to ‘Search’ tab. Click on the arrow next to Search Engine.

5. From the dropdown menu, select your preferred search engine.

These are quick steps to change your default search engine in the above browsers. Do you need help with other browsers? Is your browser still not changing search engines? Contact us or email at helpdesk@computingaustralia.group for 24/7 IT helpdesk support

Jargon Buster

Web Browser – A software application to access information on the internet. Some examples Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Firefox, Opera.
Search Engine – A web-based tool through which users can search internet content. Some examples are Google, Bing.