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How to Set Google as Your Default Search Engine on Microsoft Edge

Microsoft Edge ships with Bing as its default search engine — which means every search you type into the address bar goes through Microsoft's own search service. If you'd rather have those searches routed through Google, changing that setting takes less than a minute. But the exact steps, and a few wrinkles worth knowing about, vary depending on your Edge version, your operating system, and whether you're working on a managed or personal device.

Why Edge Uses Bing by Default

Edge is Microsoft's browser, and Bing is Microsoft's search engine. Keeping Bing as the default is a business decision baked into the browser's out-of-box configuration. There's nothing technically wrong with it — it's simply not the preference most users carry over from Chrome or Firefox.

Switching to Google doesn't affect your browsing speed, your bookmarks, or your saved passwords. It only changes where your address bar queries get sent.

How to Change the Default Search Engine in Edge (Desktop)

These steps apply to the Chromium-based version of Edge — the version Microsoft has shipped since January 2020, which runs on Windows 10, Windows 11, and macOS.

  1. Open Microsoft Edge
  2. Click the three-dot menu (⋯) in the top-right corner
  3. Select Settings
  4. In the left sidebar, click Privacy, search, and services
  5. Scroll down to the Services section and click Address bar and search
  6. Next to Search engine used in the address bar, open the dropdown menu
  7. Select Google

If Google doesn't appear in the dropdown, you'll need to add it manually:

  1. On the same Address bar and search page, click Manage search engines
  2. Click Add
  3. Fill in the fields:
    • Search engine: Google
    • Keyword: google.com
    • URL:https://www.google.com/search?q=%s
  4. Click Add, then return to the dropdown and select Google

Once selected, every query typed directly into the address bar will route through Google's search results. 🔍

How to Set Google as Default on Edge for Mobile

The process differs slightly between Android and iOS/iPadOS.

Edge on Android

  1. Open Edge and tap the three-dot menu at the bottom of the screen
  2. Go to Settings
  3. Tap General
  4. Tap Select a search engine
  5. Choose Google

Edge on iPhone or iPad

  1. Open Edge and tap the three-dot menu
  2. Go to Settings
  3. Tap Search engine
  4. Select Google

The mobile versions of Edge offer a shorter list of built-in search engines and don't always support custom search engine URLs — a meaningful limitation if your workflow involves anything beyond the standard options.

Variables That Affect How This Setting Behaves

Changing the default search engine sounds straightforward, but a few factors can complicate or override what you configure:

Managed devices and group policies If your Edge browser is managed by an employer, school, or IT department, the search engine setting may be locked by group policy. In that case, the dropdown appears grayed out and can't be changed without administrator access. This is common on corporate laptops and school-issued devices.

Edge profiles Edge supports multiple user profiles, and search engine preferences are stored per profile. If you switch between a work profile and a personal profile, each one maintains its own search engine setting. Changing it in one profile doesn't carry over to the others.

Edge version The legacy version of Edge (available on Windows 10 before the 2020 update) had a different settings layout and fewer options for managing search engines. The Chromium-based Edge — identifiable by its teal-and-blue wave icon — is what these steps apply to. If your Edge looks significantly different from what's described here, checking your version number under Settings > About Microsoft Edge will clarify which build you're running.

New Tab page searches Setting Google as the address bar search engine does not automatically change the search box embedded on Edge's New Tab page. That widget is controlled by a separate setting — also in Settings > New tab page — and defaults to Bing independently. Users who primarily search from the New Tab page rather than the address bar sometimes miss this distinction.

What Stays the Same After Switching

  • Your homepage doesn't change unless you explicitly update it
  • Cortana integration in Windows (where applicable) remains separate from Edge's search engine setting
  • Your browsing history, saved passwords, and extensions are unaffected
  • The Edge sidebar and Shopping features continue to use Microsoft's own services regardless of your default search engine

When the Setting Reverts or Doesn't Stick

Some users report that Edge occasionally resets the search engine to Bing after a major browser update. This tends to happen more frequently on Windows installations where Bing is also integrated at the operating system level. Rechecking the setting after significant Edge updates is a practical habit.

On Windows 11 in particular, Microsoft has embedded Bing into the Taskbar search and Start menu search — those are OS-level features that operate independently of Edge's search engine setting. Changing Edge's default won't affect what Taskbar search uses. 🖥️

The Part That Varies by Setup

The steps above are the same for most users on personal devices running standard Edge builds. Where things diverge is in the device context — whether you have admin rights, how many profiles you actively use, which surface you search from most often (address bar vs. New Tab page vs. Taskbar), and whether your device falls under any organizational management.

Those details determine not just whether the change will stick, but which combination of settings actually needs adjusting to match how you search day to day.