How to change the default search engine in Microsoft Edge
Not everyone will like using Bing in Microsoft Edge. Here’s how you can change the default search engine.
- Launch Microsoft Edge
- Go to the search engine you want to set as default
- Head into Edge settings via the ellipses on the top right corner
- Scroll to the very bottom (or the side in newer versions of Windows 10) and click Advanced Settings
- In newer versions of Edge in Windows 10, click on Change Search Provider and then Add your new search engine
- In older versions of Windows 10, scroll to Search in the address bar with and then select Add New
Applies to
Search engines are a very personal affair, everyone tends to have very strong opinions about which one they prefer, or which one they think is best. Microsoft of course, tends to stick with Bing because, well, the company owns Bing, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that all of its services are powered by Bing. Cortana and Apple’s Siri are also powered by Bing, Yahoo is powered by Bing and Microsoft’s latest Edge browser is powered by Bing too.
While there isn’t much one can do about Cortana, Siri, and Yahoo defaulting to Bing, the situation is different on Microsoft Edge, and this guide will walk you through changing your default search engine on the new browser.
Step 1: Launch Microsoft Edge. Its familiar ‘E’ icon should be right there on your taskbar.
Step 2: Navigate to the search engine you want to set as your default*. E.g. Type ‘Google.com’ in the URL bar and wait for the page to fully load.
Step 3: Click/tap the ellipses on the top-right corner to open the drop-down menu, and click ‘settings’
Step 4: Scroll to the very bottom of the settings menu and click the ‘View advanced settings’ button.
Step 5: Scroll down to ‘Search in the address bar with’, and select ‘Add new’ from its selection field.
Step 6: In this case, Google.com should now appear under the ‘Choose one’ list, which you can then add or directly add and set as default, and that’s it!
By typing a search query in the Edge address bar, the browser should now use your new default search engine. For whatever reason, you can even opt to set Wikipedia or Twitter as your default search engines.
*The search engine must be compatible with the OpenSearch standard for it to function as the default search engine in Microsoft Edge.
Microsoft’s Edge browser has been getting a lot of attention since the company announced it as its successor to the infamous Internet Explorer. In recent benchmarks, the browser has outperformed Chrome and Safari in numerous tests that were designed by the competition. And with unique features like Cortana integration, annotation capabilities, and upcoming Firefox and Chrome extension support, Microsoft Edge may just be a force to be reckoned with.
Further reading: Bing, Google, Microsoft, Microsoft Edge, Windows 10
