How to Make Google Your Default Search Engine (2024)

Making Google the default search engine lets you use Google.com for each of your web searches. If your web browser doesn't have Google set as the default search engine, then you might be using something else—Bing, Yahoo, etc.—each time you look something up on the internet.

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.

It's also common to change the home page your browser is using. In fact, you can even change the home page to be Google or any other search engine.

How to Turn On Dark Mode on Google Search

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.

The default search engine is only relevant when you perform web searches from the browser's search bar. You can always visit the search engine URL manually to bypass the default search engine. For example, if after setting Google as the default searcher, you decide you want to use DuckDuckGo for something, just open that URL directly.

How to Make Google Your Home Page

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.

Select the three-dotted menu from the upper-right side of the browser, and choose Settings.
Select Search engine from the left side.
Select the drop-down menu next to Search engine used in the address bar, and choose Google.
See Also
How To Change Your Default Search Engine In Chrome, Edge, Firefox & Safari How to Change the Default Search Engine of Your Browser : HelloTech How How to Set a Custom Search Engine as Default in Chrome How to Change Your Default Search Engine in Chrome, Edge, Firefox & Safari

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.

Press the menu button at the top right (the stacked lines), and choose Settings.
Select Search on the left.
Under Default Search Engine, select the menu and choose Google.

Change Edge Search Engine to Google

Picking a different search engine for Edge is very straightforward, if you know where to look.

Use the three-dotted menu at the top right of the program to access Settings.
Select Privacy, search, and services from the left.
Scroll all the way to the bottom and select Address bar and search.
Select the menu next to Search engine used in the address bar, and pick Google.
See Also
How to Make Google Your Default Search Engine: All Browsers

Change Opera Search Engine to Google

You can change the search engine to Google in Opera from the Search engine page of the settings.

Select the Opera logo at the top left, and then choose Settings.
Scroll down to Search engine, and select the menu to the right to choose Google Search.

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:

Select the settings/gear icon from the upper-right side of the browser, and then select Preferences.

If you're on a Mac, go to Safari > Preferences instead.
For Windows users, open the General tab and select the menu next to Default search engine.
For Mac users, go into the Search tab and open the menu next to Search engine.
Choose Google.

Why 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.

How to Properly Scan Your Computer for Malware

Was this page helpful?

Thanks for letting us know!

Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day

Tell us why!