Google becomes your default search engine through your browser settings, not through Google itself
You change your default search engine in the browser you use — Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge — not on Google's website. When you set Google as default, any search you type into the address bar or a blank search box goes to Google instead of Bing, Yahoo, or whatever your browser came with. The steps differ slightly by browser, but the process takes under a minute on any of them.
Your browser remembers this choice and applies it every time you search, unless you change it again later. If you use multiple browsers on the same computer, you need to set the default in each one separately — changing it in Chrome does not change it in Firefox.
Key Takeaways
- Default search engine settings live in your browser preferences, not in a Google account or Google's website.
- Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge all have different menu paths to reach search settings, but all take fewer than 60 seconds to change.
- Setting Google as default only affects searches you type into the address bar or search box — it does not change which search results you see when you click a search link elsewhere.
- You can change your default search engine back at any time, and doing so does not delete your search history.
How to set Google as default in Chrome
Open Chrome and click the three vertical dots in the top right corner. Select Settings from the menu. On the left side, click Search engine. Under "Search engine used in the address bar," you will see a dropdown menu showing your current default — it might say Google, Bing, Yahoo, or something else. Click that dropdown and select Google.
Chrome saves this change when ready. The next time you type a search into the address bar at the top of the browser, it will use Google. You do not need to restart Chrome or do anything else.
How to set Google as default in Firefox
Open Firefox and click the hamburger menu (three horizontal lines) in the top right. Select Settings. On the left, click Search. Under "Default Search Engine," you will see a dropdown showing your current default. Click it and select Google.
Firefox applies the change right away. If you want to see which search engines are available in the search bar dropdown (the small box next to the address bar), scroll down to "One-Click Search Engines" — you can add or remove options there, but that is separate from setting your default.
How to set Google as default in Safari
Open Safari and click Safari in the top menu bar (on Mac) or the gear icon (on iPhone or iPad). Select Preferences or Settings. Click the Search tab. Under "Search engine," click the dropdown and select Google.
On iPhone and iPad, the path is slightly different: go to Settings (the system settings, not Safari settings), scroll down and tap Safari, then tap Search Engine and choose Google. The change takes effect when ready on all your Apple devices if you use iCloud to sync settings.
How to set Google as default in Microsoft Edge
Open Edge and click the three dots in the top right. Select Settings. On the left, click Privacy, search, and services. Scroll down to "Search engine" and click the dropdown showing your current default. Select Google.
Edge saves the change right away. If you have synced your Edge settings across devices using your Microsoft account, the default search engine will update on those devices too, though it may take a few minutes.
What happens when you change your default search engine
Changing your default search engine does not erase your search history — your past searches stay in your browser's history and in your Google account (if you are signed in to Google). It only changes where new searches go. If you search using Google's website directly at google.com, that search is recorded in your Google account regardless of what your default is set to.
Changing your default also does not affect search results you get by clicking a link on another website. If you click a search result link from a news site or social media, you go to that site's search results, not your default search engine. Your default only applies to searches you type into your browser's address bar or search box.
If Google is not showing up in the dropdown menu
Google should always appear in the default search engine dropdown in any major browser. If it does not, your browser may have been customized by your workplace or school, or by software you installed. Try restarting your browser first — sometimes settings take a moment to load fully.
If Google still does not appear after restarting, check whether you are using a work or school account that has restrictions. Contact your IT department or network administrator, as they may have locked the search engine setting. On a personal device, you can also try uninstalling and reinstalling the browser, though this is rarely necessary.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does setting Google as default change my search history?
No. Your search history stays the same whether you change your default or not. Changing the default only affects where new searches go — it does not delete or move old searches. If you want to clear your search history, you need to do that separately in your browser settings or in your Google account.
Will changing my default search engine affect my Google account?
No. Your Google account and your browser's default search engine are separate. You can sign out of Google, change your default to Bing, and your Google account will still exist with all your data intact. Signing into Google does not change your default search engine, and changing your default does not sign you out.
Can I set different default search engines on different browsers?
Yes. You can set Google as default in Chrome and Bing as default in Firefox on the same computer. Each browser has its own settings and remembers its own default independently. Changing the default in one browser does not affect the others.
What if I want to use Google for some searches but a different search engine for others?
You can keep your default as Google and manually visit other search engines when you want to use them. Most browsers also let you add multiple search engines to your search bar dropdown — you can click the dropdown and pick a different engine for that one search without changing your default.
Does my phone use the same default search engine as my computer?
No, unless you have synced your browser settings. On iPhone, Safari has its own default setting in the system Settings app. On Android, Chrome's default may sync if you are signed into your Google account, but Firefox and other browsers have separate settings. Check each browser's settings on your phone to see what the current default is.