Step-by-Step Guide: Switching Your Browser's Default Search Provider in Chrome

Step-by-Step Guide: Switching Your Browser’s Default Search Provider in Chrome

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Key Takeaways

Chrome allows changing the default search engine on all platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iPhone, and iPad.
Just open Chrome, go to Settings, choose Search Engine, and select from the drop-down menu.

Google makes the Chrome browser, but that doesn’t mean you have to use Google as your search engine if you use Chrome. It’s very easy to use Bing, DuckDuckGo, Yahoo, and any number of other search engines, and it’s easy to do. We’ll show you how on the desktop and mobile devices.

Chrome, on all platforms—including Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iPhone, and iPad—can change the default search engine. This determines which search engine is used when you type in the address box. Google obviously wants you to use their search engine in Chrome, but you don’t have to do that.

Desktop or Laptop Computer

First, open the Google Chrome web browser on your Windows PC , Mac , or Linux computer. Click the three-dot menu icon in the top-right corner of the window and select “Settings” from the menu.

Select “Search Engine” from the sidebar, then choose one of the search engines from the drop-down menu.

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From this same area, you can edit the search engines by clicking “Manage Search Engines and Site Search.” Here, you can edit and remove the provided search engines and create your own custom site searches .

iPhone, iPad, or Android

Open the Google Chrome app on your iPhone , iPad , or Android device, then tap the three-dot menu icon in the top or bottom right corner to find the “Settings” menu.

Android / iPhone

From the Settings, go to “Search Engine” and choose one of the search engines from the list.