Changing the Default Search Engine In Edge
You want to adapt your technology to your needs, not the other way around–and that includes changing your default search engine in Microsoft Edge to meet your specific needs, rather than allowing Edge to dictate the search engine you use automatically. Prefer Google to Bing? Want to take your search to Yahoo! instead? You should have the option to customize your technology preferences to your specific needs and preferences.
The good news is, you can.
Ready to change your default search engine in Edge? Follow these simple steps.
1. Click on the three dots in the upper right corner of the screen.
These three dots should open a menu that offers information about your extension, your history, your past downloads, and more.
2. Select the “Settings” option.
This option should appear near the bottom of the list.
3. Open the “Privacy, Search, and Services” menu.
This option will give you a look at your basic overall privacy options, including whether you want to clear your browsing data and what type of tracking you want to allow while you browse.
4. Scroll down to the “Address Bar and Search” option.
It should appear near the bottom of the screen, below the rest of your privacy and security options.
5. Select your preferred search engine from the list.
You can choose from Google, Bing, Yahoo!, and DuckDuckGo: the most popular search engines on the internet. Microsoft Edge automatically defaults to Bing search, but in the settings menu, you can select the option that best fits your overall browsing needs.
This quick series will allow you to easily change your default search engine to your preference, whether you want to change from Bing to Google on Microsoft Edge or you’ve changed to Google in the past and want to change back to Bing. Need to change from Bing to Yahoo! or DuckDuckGo on Microsoft Edge? The same series will allow you to accomplish your goals.
How to Choose the Best Search Engine for Your Needs
Some people are indifferent about which search engine they use as long as it returns the information they want. Others prefer a specific search engine, often because it’s the one they’ve used most frequently in the past and prefer to use in the future. Microsoft Edge automatically uses Bing as its search engine provider, but does that make it the best option? Consider these questions when determining what you need from your search engine.
1. What type of content do you most often want to search for?
Many search engines, including both Google and Bing, allow you to search for a variety of types of content with a simple click on a tab or option within your greater search. They make it easy to find images, videos, or shopping results for your query, or to check out the latest news information on a specific topic. If you know that you perform those types of searches on a regular basis, you need to choose a search engine that will make those searches as simple as possible.
2. How important do you consider privacy regarding your searches?
By this point, most people know that Google collects a lot of information about its searchers. In some cases, that offers a distinct advantage: Google can offer personalized search results, including offering its recommendations and top search results based on the sites you’re most likely to visit, based on past browsing behaviors and previous searches. On the other hand, sometimes, you may not want to share that much information about your activities. Search engines like DuckDuckGo do not collect personal information and provide a higher degree of privacy regarding your content, which some people may find preferable. Carefully consider what data you’re willing for your search engine to collect, including whether that data collection will impact your future searches.
3. What type of interface and features are you used to using, or do you prefer to use?
Chances are, you’ve conducted many internet searches over the course of your career. Most search engines have fairly basic functionality that’s easy to use and manipulate. Over time, you have likely learned how to customize your searches based on the specific information you most want to search for, whether you want to narrow your search by more authoritative websites or you want to exclude certain keywords from your searches. Consider how in-depth your search customizations need to be and how complicated your preferred search engine makes adding or changing those functions and features. You want your search interface to be easy and intuitive while offering the customizations you need to find exactly the information you’re searching for. Google, Yahoo!, and Bing all offer considerable configurations that will allow you to customize your search. You may, however, want to choose the one that you find the most intuitive to make it easier to conduct all of your searches.
4. Do you want to use the same search interface across all of your devices?
Google search, for example, can provide the same customized results on all of your devices, regardless of which one you’re actually using to search–and chances are, your mobile device defaults to Google. Many users may prefer to use the same search engine across devices. If you’re using Microsoft Edge, with its Bing default, you may need to change your default search settings to allow you to use the same search engine on both your mobile device and your desktop.
Choosing a search engine is often a hotly debated, important decision. You want to use the right search engine for your needs–and Microsoft Edge does allow you to configure your search engine based on your specific preferences, rather than being stuck with the default when you type a search into the search bar. Do you need more help configuring your Microsoft software or platforms to work according to your needs? We can help! Contact us today to learn how we can help your business make the most out of all of your Microsoft solutions.
