Setting Google as your default search engine

Your default search engine is the one that runs a search whenever you type a question into your browser's address bar — the box at the very top where you normally type website addresses. Most browsers come set to Bing or another search engine by default, but you can change this to Google in a few clicks. The steps differ slightly depending on which browser you use, but the process takes less than a minute on any of them.

The reason to do this is simple: if Google is your default, you get Google results without having to visit google.com first. You save a step every time you search. If you use a different search engine by habit but want Google as your fallback, changing the default makes sense.

Key Takeaways

  • Your default search engine runs whenever you type a question into your browser's address bar, so changing it means faster access to your preferred search results.
  • Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge all let you change the default in their settings menu, and the process takes under a minute.
  • You can still use other search engines anytime by visiting their websites directly, even after changing your default.
  • If you share a device with other people, changing the default affects only your own user account, not theirs.

How to change your default in Chrome

Open Chrome and click the three vertical dots in the top right corner. Select Settings from the menu that appears. On the left side, click Search engine. You will see a list of search engines under "Search engines used in the address bar." Find Google in that list and click the three dots next to it, then select Make default.

If Google is not in the list, you can add it. Scroll down to the section labeled "Other search engines" and click Add. Type "Google" as the search engine name, then type "google.com" as the URL. Chrome will automatically detect Google and add it to your list. Once it appears, follow the same steps above to make it your default.

How to change your default in Firefox

Open Firefox and click the hamburger menu — the three horizontal lines in the top right corner. Select Settings. On the left side, click Search. Under "Default Search Engine," you will see a dropdown menu showing your current default. Click it and select Google from the list.

Firefox includes Google by default, so you should see it in the dropdown immediately. If for some reason it does not appear, scroll down to "One-Click Search Engines" and look for Google there. You can also manually add Google by typing its URL into the search bar at the top of the Settings page.

How to change your default in Safari

Open Safari and click Safari in the menu bar at the very top of your screen. Select Settings (or Preferences on older versions). Click the Search tab. Under "Search engine," click the dropdown menu and select Google.

Safari comes with Google as one of the built-in options, so it will always be available in the dropdown. Once you select it, the change takes effect immediately. You do not need to close and reopen Safari for it to work.

How to change your default in Microsoft Edge

Open Edge and click the three dots in the top right corner. Select Settings. On the left side, click Privacy, search, and services. Scroll down to "Search engine" and click the dropdown menu. Select Google from the list.

Edge includes Google as a default option, so you should see it immediately. If you want to confirm the change worked, try typing a question into the address bar — you should now see Google results instead of Bing results.

What happens after you change your default

Once you set Google as your default, typing into your browser's address bar will search Google automatically. You can still visit other search engines anytime by going to their websites directly — changing your default does not block or remove other search engines. You can also still use your browser's search box (if it has a separate one) to search with a different engine if you want.

If you share your device with other people and each person has their own user account, changing your default affects only your account. Other users will see their own defaults unchanged. If you all use the same account, the change will apply to everyone who logs in as that user.

Changing your default on mobile devices

Mobile browsers work slightly differently. On iPhone, Safari does not let you change the default search engine in the app itself — you have to change it in your phone's Settings. Go to Settings > Safari > Search Engine and select Google.

On Android, the process depends on which browser you use. In Chrome, tap the three dots in the bottom right, go to Settings > Search engine, and select Google. In Firefox, tap the menu button, select Settings > Search, and choose Google from the dropdown. Other browsers have similar menus — look for "Search engine" or "Search settings" in the main settings area.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will changing my default search engine affect my search history?

No. Your search history is separate from your default search engine. Changing the default does not delete old searches or change where they are stored. If you want to clear your search history, you can do that separately in your browser settings.

Can I use Google for some searches and a different engine for others?

Yes. You can set Google as your default and still visit other search engines by typing their web address directly. Some browsers also let you right-click in the address bar to choose a different search engine for a single search without changing your default.

What if Google does not appear in my search engine list?

This is rare, but if it happens, you can add Google manually. In most browsers, there is an "Add search engine" or "Add" button in the search settings. Type "Google" as the name and "google.com" as the URL, and your browser will add it to the list.

Does changing my default search engine affect my privacy?

Changing your default does not change your privacy settings. Google, Bing, and other search engines all collect some data about your searches. If privacy is a concern, look into your browser's privacy settings and consider using a privacy-focused search engine like DuckDuckGo as your default instead.