Change your Safari search engine in Settings

Open Settings on your Mac or iPhone, then navigate to Safari. Look for the Search Engine option — on Mac it appears in the main Safari settings panel, and on iPhone it's under the General tab. Tap or click the current search engine name to see a dropdown menu of alternatives: Google, Yahoo, Bing, DuckDuckGo, and Ecosia are the standard options.

Select whichever search engine you prefer. The change takes effect immediately. Any new search you perform in the Safari address bar will now use your chosen engine instead of the default.

If you want different search engines for different purposes — say, DuckDuckGo for privacy and Google for image searches — Safari doesn't support multiple defaults. You'll need to manually type the search engine's web address or use a third-party browser that offers this feature.

Key Takeaways

  • Safari's search engine setting is in the Safari section of your device's Settings app, not within Safari itself.
  • You can choose from Google, Yahoo, Bing, DuckDuckGo, or Ecosia, and the change applies to all searches in the address bar.
  • The process is identical on Mac and iPhone, though the menu location differs slightly between the two.
  • Safari does not support setting different default search engines for different types of searches or tabs.

Where to find the setting on Mac

Click the Apple menu, then System Settings (or System Preferences on older macOS versions). In the sidebar, scroll down and select Safari. In the main panel, find the Search Engine dropdown near the top. Click it to reveal your options.

After you select a new engine, close System Settings. The next time you search from Safari's address bar, it will use your new default. You can return to this same location anytime you want to switch to a different search engine.

Where to find the setting on iPhone and iPad

Open Settings, then scroll down and tap Safari. Under the General section, tap Search Engine. A list of available engines appears — select the one you want. The change is saved automatically when you tap it.

You can change this setting at any time. If you switch iPhones or restore from a backup, your search engine preference will transfer to the new device. The setting syncs across your Apple devices if you use iCloud sync for Safari settings.

What each search engine offers

Google is Safari's default and returns results based on your search history and location. Yahoo uses Bing's search technology but adds its own ranking system. Bing emphasizes visual results and rewards you with points for searches if you use Microsoft Rewards. DuckDuckGo does not track your searches or use your browsing history to rank results. Ecosia is a search engine that plants trees with its advertising revenue.

The practical difference for most searches is small — all five engines return similar results for common queries. The choice usually comes down to privacy (DuckDuckGo), tracking rewards (Bing), or values alignment (Ecosia). If you're unsure, Google and Bing are the most widely used and return results fastest for typical searches.

Changing search engines for a single search

You don't have to change your default to use a different search engine once. In Safari, type your search term in the address bar, then before you press Enter, look at the suggestions that appear below. Some of these suggestions come from your default search engine, but you can also manually navigate to any search engine's website and search there instead.

For example, if your default is Google but you want to search DuckDuckGo, type duckduckgo.com in the address bar, then search from their homepage. This is slower than changing your default, but it works if you only occasionally need a different engine for specific searches.

If your preferred search engine doesn't appear in the list

Safari limits you to the five built-in options. If you want to use a search engine that isn't listed — such as Startpage, Qwant, or a specialized search tool — you have two choices: use a different browser like Chrome or Firefox that may support more engines, or bookmark the search engine's website and search from there manually.

Some third-party browsers allow you to add custom search engines by entering the search URL directly, giving you more flexibility than Safari provides. This approach takes more steps but works if a particular search engine is important to your workflow.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will changing my search engine affect my bookmarks or browsing history?

No. Your bookmarks, history, and all other Safari data remain unchanged. Only new searches from the address bar will use your new default search engine.

Can I use a different search engine on my iPhone than on my Mac?

Yes. Each device has its own Settings app, so you can set Google on your Mac and DuckDuckGo on your iPhone. The settings don't sync across devices unless you manually change them.

What happens if I change my search engine and then change it back?

You can switch between search engines as often as you want. There's no penalty or waiting period — just open Settings, select Safari, and pick a different engine from the dropdown.

Does Safari remember which search engine I used before?

No. Safari only remembers your current default. If you switch to a different engine and then switch back, Safari doesn't know you used the first one previously.

Can I set different search engines for private browsing and regular browsing?

No. Safari uses the same default search engine for both private and regular browsing. The setting applies to all searches in the address bar, regardless of browsing mode.