Once you’ve set Google as the default search engine in your favorite browser, you can perform searches right there in the browser window without having to open the Google URL. For example, in most browsers, you can erase the URL or open a new tab, and then type whatever you want to search for on Google.
What Does ‘Default Search Engine’ Mean?
When a web browser is first installed, it’s pre-built with a specific search engine function so that when you do a web search, it uses that search engine versus something else. Changing the default search engine is simply picking a different website to perform searches on. For example, if Bing, Yandex, or Safari are the default search engine in your browser, you can change it to Google.
Change Chrome Search Engine to Google
Google is the default search engine in Google’s browser, but if it’s been changed to something else, you can pick a different search engine in Chrome through the Search engine option in the settings.
Change Firefox Search Engine to Google
There’s a Search area of this browser’s settings that dictate which search engine Firefox uses. This is how you set Google as the default search engine.
Change Edge Search Engine to Google
Picking a different search engine for Edge is very straightforward, if you know where to look.
Change Opera Search Engine to Google
You can change the search engine to Google in Opera from the Search engine page of the settings.
Change Safari Search Engine to Google
The Safari search engine can be changed from the top of the program, next to the URL bar. Just select the menu to the left of the search box and choose Google. However, that only changes the search engine you’re using for that specific search. Here’s how to make Google the default search engine in Safari:
Change Internet Explorer Search Engine to Google
You must add Google Search as a search engine option in Internet Explorer to use it from the browser. If you’re on a Mac, go to Safari > Preferences instead. For Mac users, go into the Search tab and open the menu next to Search engine.
An Alternative Method for IE
You can also make Google the default search engine in Internet Explorer so that you can search from the URL bar without having to manually pick the Google icon. To do that, open the settings again, but this time choose Manage add-ons. Select Search Providers on the left, Google on the right, and finally Set as default at the bottom.
Does the Search Engine Keep Changing?
If the default search engine keeps changing even after you’ve followed the correct directions above, your computer might be infected with malware. Malicious programs can make unauthorized changes to your browser settings to install a different search engine, so the best way to quit the search engine settings from changing is to delete the malware.
