How to Set Google as the Default Search Engine in Microsoft Edge

To make Google the default search engine in Microsoft Edge, type edge://settings/search in the address bar, press Enter, and set Search engine used in the address bar to Google. The change takes effect right away, so the next search you type in the address bar goes to Google. If Google isn’t in the list, you can add it yourself in about a minute.

These steps are for the current Microsoft Edge desktop browser on Windows 11, Windows 10, and Mac. Windows 10 reached end of support on October 14, 2025, but Edge still uses the same settings there. The setting changes only where Edge sends searches you type in the address bar. It doesn’t change your default browser or the search box on the Windows taskbar.

Before You Start

• Each Edge profile has its own setting. If you use more than one profile, such as Work and Personal, check the profile picture in the top-right corner and repeat the steps in each profile.
• Work and school PCs may be locked. If you see Managed by your organization near the setting, or the menu is grayed out, your IT department controls the search engine, and you won’t be able to change it yourself.
• Update Edge first if the menus look different. Microsoft moves settings between versions. Here is how to update Microsoft Edge.

Method 1: Change the Search Engine With a Shortcut

This is the fastest route because it jumps straight to the right settings page, even if Microsoft moves the menus around.

1. Open Microsoft Edge.
2. Click the address bar at the top of the window, type edge://settings/search, and press Enter. The Address bar and search settings page opens.
3. Find Search engine used in the address bar and click the menu next to it.
4. Select Google. Edge saves the change automatically. There’s no Save button.

To check that it worked, click the address bar, type a few words such as weather tomorrow, and press Enter. The results page should open on google.com. The same engine also handles the Search the web option that appears when you select text on a page and right-click it.

Method 2: Change It Through the Settings Menu

If you’d rather click through the menus, here’s the path Microsoft lists in its guide to changing Edge’s search engine:

1. Click the three-dot Settings and more button in the top-right corner of Edge, then click Settings.
2. Click Privacy and services in the left pane (called Privacy, search, and services in some versions). If you don’t see the left pane, make the window wider or click the menu button next to Settings.
3. Scroll all the way down to the Services section and click Address bar. In some versions it is under Search and connected services and called Address bar and search.
4. Open the Search engine used in the address bar menu and choose Google.

What to Do If Google Isn’t in the List

Edge normally lists Bing, Google, Yahoo!, and DuckDuckGo, and some regions show other engines too. Some users report that Google disappears from the menu after an update, a profile reset, or a cleanup tool. Try these fixes in order.

Fix 1: Run a Google search first

1. Go to google.com in Edge.
2. Search for anything using the box on the Google page.
3. Go back to edge://settings/search and open the Search engine used in the address bar menu again. Google should now appear.

Edge adds a search engine to the list after you search with it, as long as the site supports a standard called OpenSearch. Google does.

Fix 2: Add Google manually

1. Open edge://settings/search and click Manage search engines.
2. Click Add. A small form with three boxes opens.

3. Type Google in the Search engine box and google.com in the Shortcut box. In the box labeled URL with %s in place of query, type https://www.google.com/search?q=%s exactly, then click Add or Save, depending on your version. The %s tells Edge where to put the words you search for, so a single typo in that address breaks your searches.

4. Find Google in the list, click the three-dot button next to it, and select Make default.

5. Type a test search in the address bar. The results page should open on google.com.

If you made a mistake, the same three-dot button next to the entry has options to edit or remove it.

Use Google on the New Tab Page, Too

The search box in the middle of Edge’s new tab page uses Bing even after you change the address bar setting. To send those searches to Google as well:

1. Open edge://settings/search.
2. Find Search on new tabs uses search box or address bar.
3. Change it to Address bar.

Now, when you start typing on a new tab, your cursor jumps to the address bar, which uses Google.

To also clear the site tiles on that page, read about removing frequently visited sites in Edge.

To keep your most-used sites one click away on every page, you can also show the favorites bar in Microsoft Edge.

Switching search engines doesn’t carry over a SafeSearch setting, because each engine keeps its own. To change filtering, here is how to turn SafeSearch off. Keep in mind that only Bing searches earn Microsoft Rewards points, so switching to Google gives those up.

Make Google Your Homepage or Startup Page

The search engine setting doesn’t change which page Edge opens. If you also want Edge to open on google.com, type edge://settings/startHomeNTP in the address bar and press Enter. Under When Edge starts, choose Open these pages, click Add a new page, enter https://www.google.com, and click Add. For the Home button setting and fixes if Edge ignores it, read about making Google your homepage in Edge.

Prefer to start on Yahoo instead? Here is how to make Yahoo your homepage in Edge, Chrome, and Firefox. The same setting can also reopen your tabs from the previous session instead of a single page.

How to Switch Back to Bing

Open edge://settings/search and choose Bing from the Search engine used in the address bar menu. If you also changed the new tab setting, set Search on new tabs uses search box or address bar back to Search box. Bing does add a few Edge-specific extras, such as answers about Windows and work or school results when you’re signed in with an organization account.

Troubleshooting

• Edge keeps switching back to Bing. An extension may be changing your search settings. Open edge://extensions, turn off any extension you don’t recognize, and set Google again. If it still changes, run a full scan with Windows Security.
• Searches go to an engine you never picked. Open Manage search engines and remove any entry you don’t recognize. Unwanted software sometimes adds its own search provider.
• Google returns an error after you added it manually. Compare the address you typed with https://www.google.com/search?q=%s. If it doesn’t match, edit the entry from its three-dot button, or remove the entry and add it again.
• The menu is grayed out. An organization policy controls the setting. Microsoft’s DefaultSearchProviderEnabled policy page says users can’t change or override a search policy when an administrator sets one, so ask your IT department. On a personal PC that shows Managed by your organization, type edge://policy in the address bar to see which policies are set, because some installed software adds browser policies.
• Searches from the new tab page still use Bing. Change the new tab setting described above.
• Only one profile uses Google. Switch to your other profile and repeat the steps there.
• Nothing changes after you pick Google. Close every Edge window and open it again. Here is how to restart Microsoft Edge if it keeps running in the background.

To review what’s installed, follow the steps to install and remove extensions in Microsoft Edge.

Frequently Asked Questions