How to Change Your Default Search Engine in FireFox, Google Chrome, and Internet Explorer

Editor’s Note: These instructions were updated 11/2016 to reflect changes in the search engines. 

Why would you change your default search engine? I always have to change it because my browser forces me to use the local version of Google (I am installing the browser from abroad) and thus I need to switch it to google.com.

Or, you might download a software update and miss that it changes your default search engine. Either way, it is a pretty easy fix! (You can also switch off the personalization of search results or change it to an alternative search engine.)

Change Default Search Engine in Firefox

In FireFox, you can search using both the search box and the address (URL) bar.

Change the default search engine of Firefox search bar:

To change your default search engine in Firefox, go to the browser, then click on the three lines in the upper right-hand corner of the window. A drop down menu will appear, then click on “Options”. You will see the screen shown below.

Click on “Search”, then choose your preferred browser from the “Default Search Engine” drop down menu.

From here, you can also change the results in your search bar. Firefox allows you to include results from several search engines, which may be handy for some users.

Change Default Search Engine in Google Chrome

1. Navigate to the Settings icon ( upper right-hand corner of your home screen, next to the X to close the browser) -> Click “Settings”, then look at the drop down menu next to “Search”.
2. Select your preferred search engine from the list and click “Make Default” button.

Change Default Search Engine in Edge (Formerly Internet Explorer)

If you are using Edge, your default search engine is likely to be Bing. Here’s how you can change that:

1. In Edge, navigate to www.google.com (Or whatever your search engine of choice is. Note that the search engine must use OpenSearch software to be added to Edge. Both Google and DuckDuckGo support this.)
2. Add the Google homepage as a favorite in Edge. (By clicking the star next to the search bar.)
3. Click the three dots in the upper right-hand corner > Settings > View Advanced Settings
4. Scroll down to “Change Search Engine”
5. Click on ‘Set as Default’ button

Happy searching!

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