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

Replacing Bing with Your Preferred Search Engine

When you purchase a new Windows PC, Microsoft Edge is pre-installed as the default web browser. Edge is actually an excellent, highly capable piece of software built on the exact same underlying technology as Google Chrome.

However, because Microsoft aggressively promotes its own services, the address bar at the top of the browser is hardcoded to use Microsoft Bing. If you type a question directly into the address bar and press Enter, you will be taken to Bing’s search results.

For many users who are accustomed to Google’s highly refined search algorithms and ecosystem, this is a major frustration. Fortunately, you do not need to download a completely different browser to solve this. You can easily reprogram Microsoft Edge to use Google (or DuckDuckGo, or Yahoo) every time you search.

How to Change the Address Bar Search Engine

Microsoft deliberately buries this setting deep within the advanced menus, making it slightly difficult to find for the average user. Here is exactly where to look.

1. Open the Microsoft Edge browser.
2. Look in the extreme top right corner of the window for the three horizontal dots (…). Click them.
3. From the dropdown menu, select Settings (it is usually near the very bottom, next to a gear icon).
4. A settings menu will open in a new tab. In the left-hand sidebar, click on Privacy, search, and services.
5. Scroll all the way down to the absolute bottom of this page. Under the “Services” section, click on the option labelled Address bar and search.
6. Look for a dropdown menu titled Search engine used in the address bar. It will currently say “Bing (Recommended, default)”.
7. Click the dropdown menu and change it to Google.

From this moment on, anything you type into the top address bar will automatically be routed through Google instead of Bing.

How to Fix the “New Tab” Search Box

There is a catch to the method above. While it fixes the address bar, you will notice that if you open a completely blank New Tab, there is a giant search box sitting right in the middle of the screen. Even after you change the setting above, that specific box will still obstinately force your searches through Bing.

You need to change one additional setting to fix this.

1. Go back to that exact same menu: Settings > Privacy, search, and services > Address bar and search.
2. Directly underneath the setting you just changed, you will see an option labelled Search on new tabs uses search box or address bar.
3. Click the dropdown menu and change it from “Search box (Recommended)” to Address bar.

This is a clever workaround. Now, if you open a new tab and click on the giant search box in the middle of the screen, Edge will immediately jump your cursor up into the top address bar, which is securely locked into using Google.

What If Google Isn’t in the List?

Occasionally, when you click the dropdown menu to change the search engine, Google simply is not listed as an option.

Microsoft Edge populates that list based on websites you have already visited. If you just bought the computer five minutes ago and have never actually visited Google.com, Edge doesn’t know it exists yet.

To fix this:

1. Open a new tab and type google.com into the address bar. Press Enter to load the page.
2. Once the Google homepage has fully loaded, close the tab.
3. Go back into the Edge Settings menu following the steps above. You will now magically see Google listed as an option in the dropdown menu.