Rick’s Tech Tips Newsletter
When it was first released, Microsoft’s Edge web browser used Bing as its default search engine, and there was no way to change it.
Well, Edge still comes with Bing set as the default search engine, but you can now switch it to Google or one of several other popular search engines.
If you like using Edge but would prefer to search with something other than Bing, you can follow the steps below to change the default search engine to the one you like best. Just follow the steps that match the device you are using.
Edge (desktop version):
1 – Launch the Edge browser.
2 – Click on the Settings & More icon in the upper-right corner of the window. (Note: This icon looks like three horizontal dots.)
3 – Click Settings.
4 – In the left-hand column, click Privacy, search and services.
5 – Scroll all the way to the bottom and click Address bar and search.
6 – Change the “Search engine used in the address bar” setting to the search engine you want Edge to use when you type a search query into Edge’s address bar (I recommend choosing the same search engine you plan to set as the default search engine).
7 – Click Manage search engines and then select the search engine you want to set as the default.
8 – Click the X in the top-right corner of the window to close the browser.
Edge (mobile app):
1 – Open the Edge mobile app.
2 – Tap the three horizontal lines icon in the lower-right corner of the screen.
3 – Tap Settings.
4 – Tap General.
5 – Tap Select search engine.
6 – Select your preferred search engine from the list.
7 – Close the Edge app.
That’s all there is to it. The next time you launch the Edge browser your searches will take place using the search engine you set as the new default.