To change the search engine on Windows 11, change it in your web browser. In Microsoft Edge, go to Settings > Privacy, search, and services > Search and connected services > Address bar and search, and pick a new option under Search engine used in the address bar. Edge uses Bing by default, and you can switch to Google, DuckDuckGo or another engine in about a minute.
Windows itself doesn’t have one system-wide search engine setting. Each browser keeps its own, so the steps below follow Microsoft’s Edge guide, Google’s Chrome Help and Mozilla’s Firefox guide. The search box on the taskbar is a separate case, covered further down using Microsoft’s documentation.
How to change the search engine in Microsoft Edge
- Open Edge and select Settings and more (the three dots, …) in the top-right corner.
- Select Settings.
- Select Privacy, search, and services.
- Select Search and connected services, then Address bar and search.
- Open the Search engine used in the address bar menu and choose the one you want.
Result: searches you type in the Edge address bar now go to your chosen engine.
Don’t see your search engine in the list? Microsoft says to do one search from the Edge address bar using that site first; it will then appear as an option. Edge can use any site that supports OpenSearch. For a Google-only walkthrough, see how to make Google the default in Edge. To open Google when Edge starts as well, see how to make Google your homepage in Microsoft Edge.
How to change the search engine in Google Chrome
- Open Chrome and select More (the three dots, â‹®) in the top-right corner.
- Select Settings.
- Select Search engine.
- Next to Search engine, select Change.
- Pick your new default search engine.
Result: Chrome’s address bar searches with the engine you picked. That engine also supplies the search suggestions shown as you type, which you can limit by turning off predictions in the Chrome address bar.
To add one that isn’t listed, go to Search engine > Manage search engines and site search, select Add next to Site search, then use More > Make default. Google notes that if you use Chrome at work or school, your administrator may choose the default for you.
How to change the search engine in Firefox
- Open the Firefox menu and select Settings.
- Select Search.
- Use the drop-down menu under Default Search Engine to choose the one you want.
Result: Firefox uses your choice for address bar searches. Mozilla says you can add more engines with the Find more search engines link at the bottom of the Search page.
What about the Windows taskbar search?
The search box on the Windows 11 taskbar can show web results too. According to Microsoft’s developer documentation, Windows Search uses the Web Search from Microsoft Bing app for those results by default. In the European Economic Area only, you can install apps that act as a different web search provider for Windows Search, enable or disable them in Settings, and remove them from Settings > Apps > Installed apps.
Outside the EEA, changing your browser’s search engine doesn’t change taskbar web results. If the taskbar search box gets in your way, see how to move or hide the search bar in Windows 11.
Change your default browser too
If you switched search engines because you prefer another browser, you can make it the default. Microsoft’s steps: open Settings > Apps > Default apps, select the browser under Set defaults for applications, then select Set default. See Change your default browser in Windows or our guide to changing default apps in Windows 11.
Result: links you open from other apps launch in that browser, which then uses its own search engine setting.
Frequently asked questions
Why did my search engine change back to Bing?
A work or school administrator may control the setting, or an extension may have changed it. Check the browser’s search settings again and remove extensions you don’t recognize.
Does changing the search engine delete my search history?
No. Your browser history stays put. To clear it, see how to clear your search history in Microsoft Edge.
Matthew Burleigh has been writing tech tutorials since 2008. His writing has appeared on dozens of different websites and been read hundreds of millions of times.
After receiving his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science he spent several years working in IT management for small businesses. However, he now works full time writing content online and creating websites.
His main writing topics include iPhones, Microsoft Office, Google Apps, Android, and Photoshop, but he has also written about many other tech topics as well.