Johnny Winter
Read Time: 6 mins
Search EngineOS XGoogle ChromeSafari
Apple's Mac computers ship with the Safari web browser which, by default, uses Google for its search. In this tutorial, I'll show you how to change the default search engine.
For the purpose of this tutorial, I am using:
- OS X 10.11.2 El Capitan
- Safari 9.0.2
- Chrome47.0.2526.111 (64-bit)
If you are using an earlier version of OS X, not all search engine options will be available to you in Safari.
Google Search Engine Dominance
According to Google, itself, Google now handles in excess of 40,000 search queries per second, on average. That's more than 3.5 billion search queries per day and more than 1.2 trillion per year, worldwide.
I know, because I googled it.
Google is the undisputed leader in internet search and has come a long way since its beginnings as a project at Stanford University in 1996.
There was a time, in 1995, that internet search was a largely hit and miss affair. More often than not, miss. In the search for information, one would check AltaVista, Infoseek, Lycos, Yahoo and Ask Jeeves. It was necessary to check all, as all indexed in different ways and with varying degrees of success.
Since that time, Google has dominated through innovation of search engine algorithms to ensure that relevant and popular content is returned in search results.
Google isn't really a search engine company; it's much more than that. Taking its search engine in isolation, it's still not a search engine company, it's actually in the business of selling advertising. It does this by placing adverts alongside relevant content.
Searching, using Google, is free. Free in the sense that it does not cost money to search—though Infoseek did attempt to charge for search in the mid-1990s—but it's not free, there is a cost.
It's the old internet maxim of if you're not paying then you are the product that applies here. Google provides its services at no financial cost in exchange for collecting data about you.
Google collects data in order to serve carefully targeted ads. Advertisers know that their ads are carefully targeted and bid (money) against their competitors to have their ads displayed to you.
Google collects a lot of information.
Tutorial Aims
In this tutorial, I'll show you how to:
- Change the default search engine in Safari
- Change the default search engine in Chrome
- Define a custom search engine inChrome
1. Changing the Search Engine in Safari
Whether it's Google's dominance and data collection that you wish to move away from, or whether you just fancy experimenting with other search engines, I'll show you how to change the default search engines in Safari and Chrome, the main browsers on OS X.
1. Launch Safari
Safariallows you to choose from one of four search engines. It defaults toGoogle.
To change the default search engine, launchSafariby clicking on the compass icon on the task bar.
2. Check Which Search Engine Safari is Using
Launch Safari and conduct a search to see which search engine is being used. In the example, above, Safari is using the Google search engine.
Safari defaults to Google.
3. Select Preferences
Go to Safari > Preferences to open the preferences pane for the web browser.
4. Select Search Preferences
On the preference pane, select the Search icon to display the search preferences for Safari.
5. Change the Search Engine
Safari defaults to Google for search. It is possible to select from the following search engines:
- Yahoo
- Bing
- DuckDuckGo
Use the drop down menu to select the preferred search engine.
Click the red traffic light to close the preference pane.
6. Launch Safari
Open a Safari web browser window and conduct a search to see the result of the default search engine change.
In the example, above, you will see that the default search engine has been changed, from Google, to DuckDuckGo.
2. Changing the Search Engine in Chrome
1. Launch Chrome
Chromeallows you to choose from one of four search engines. It defaults toGoogle. Furthermore,Chromeallows you to define custom search engines.
To change the default search engine, launchChromeby clicking on the compass icon on the task bar.
2. Check Which Search Engine Chrome is Using
LaunchChromeand conduct a search to see which search engine is being used. In the example, above,Chromeis using theGooglesearch engine.
Chromedefaults toGoogle.
3. Select Preferences
Go toChrome > Preferencesto open the preferences pane for the web browser.
4. Select Search Preferences
Chrome opens up the Settings page in a new browser tab. Find theSearchsection, on the webpage, to see the search preferences forChrome.
5. Change the Search Engine
Safari defaults to Google for search. It is possible to select from the following search engines:
- Bing
- Yahoo
- Ask Jeeves
Use the drop down menu to select the preferred search engine.
You can close the settings webpage if you wish.
6. Launch Chrome
Open aChromeweb browser window and conduct a search to see the result of the default search engine change.
In the example, above, you will see that the default search engine has been changed, fromGoogle, toBing.
3. Setting a Custom Search Engine in Chrome
An advantage of Chrome over Safari is the ability to define custom search engines and set them as the default.
Safari only allows from the choice of four with no ability to customise the search engine of choice.
1. Customise the Search Settings
Open the Settings page in Chrome by navigating to Chrome > Preferences or by clicking the menu icon on the top right of the web browser.
Look down the page until you see theSearch Enginessection.
Click on the Manage search engines... button to open the search engine settings.
Complete the boxes under Other search engines to define a new search engine.
In my example, I wish to configure the DuckDuckGo search engine. In the lefthand box I enter the name of the search engine. In the middle box I enter the search engine domain. In the righthand box I enter the search URL.
To first ascertain the search URL, visit DuckDuckGo in a web browser and enter a search term. In my example, I entered envato as the search term. I copied the URL from the address bar and pasted it into the righthand box in the Chrome search engine settings.
The URL that I copied is:https://duckduckgo.com/?q=envato&ia=about
There is a small change that is required to ensure that the custom search engine will function as expected. In this example, remove the search term envato and replace it with %s.
The search term will look like:https://duckduckgo.com/?q=%s&ia=about
2. Make the Search Engine the Default
Hover over the URL search term, towards the right, to reveal a blue Make Default box and click this to make the custom search engine the default for Chrome to use.
3. Launch Chrome and Test the Search Function
Go to a new page tab and enter a search term. Now, when Chrome searches, it will use the custom search engine that you have defined. In the example, above, Chrome is using DuckDuckGo as the default search engine.
Conclusion
In this tutorial, I have shown you how to change the default search engine in both Safari and Chrome. Safari only allows a choice of four pre-defined search engines.
Chrome allows a choice of four pre-defined search engines and I have, further, shown you how to define other search engines.
Johnny Winter
Editor and author
A regular contributor to Envato Tuts+, Johnny has been online since 1995 aiming to use the internet for the creation and sharing of knowledge for the greater good. Via setting up mailing-lists, forums and e-commerce businesses, Johnny has been an accidental podcaster and is now Editor of the Computer Skills, 3D & Motion Graphics and Music & Audio sections of Envato Tuts+
FAQs
How do I change my default search engine on a Mac? ›
Open the Settings app. Scroll down and tap Safari. Tap Search Engine and select Google.
How do I change my default web browser to my search engines? ›- On your computer, open Chrome.
- At the top right, click More. Settings.
- Click Search engine.
- Next to "Search engine used in the address bar," click the Down arrow .
- Select a new default search engine.
Safari is Apple's own web browser for Mac OS X (version 10.2 and later).
How do I change my search engine from Ask to Chrome on Mac? ›File. And you see you get on search ask calm but I don't want to use this search engine I want to
How do I replace Safari with Google on Mac? ›Launch System Preferences from your Mac's Dock, from the Applications folder, or from the Apple menu bar ( -> System Preferences...). Select General, the first icon in the preference panel. Click the dropdown menu next to "Default web browser" and select your choice from the list of installed browsers.
What is Apple's default search engine? ›It's no secret Apple and Google have a considerable monetary agreement that ensures Google's position as the default search engine on Apple devices.
How do I change my search engine back to Google? ›- Click the Tools icon at the far right of the browser window.
- Select Internet options.
- In the General tab, find the Search section and click Settings.
- Select Google.
- Click Set as default and click Close.
- Open the Chrome app .
- In the top right, tap More. Settings.
- Under "Basics," tap Search engine. Google.
- Update Google to version 99.0. ...
- Click Manage Search Engines.
- Click the button with three dots next to the search engine you want to remove from Google Chrome.
- Select Delete.
- Repeat the steps with all the other services you want to remove.
- Safari. MSRP: Free. Best Prices Today: $0 at Apple. ...
- Google Chrome. MSRP: Free. Best Prices Today: $0 at Google. ...
- Edge Chromium. MSRP: Free. Best Prices Today: $0 at Microsoft. ...
- Firefox. MSRP: Free. ...
- Opera. MSRP: Free. ...
- Brave. MSRP: Free. ...
- Vivaldi. MSRP: Free. ...
- Avast Secure Browser. MSRP: $0.
What is the best browser to use on a Mac? ›
- Firefox. Download Browser. ...
- Opera. Download Browser. ...
- Brave. Download Browser. ...
- Edge. Download Browser. ...
- Vivaldi. Download Browser. ...
- Maxthon. Download Browser. ...
- Avast. Download Browser. ...
- Puffin. Download Browser.
The default browser in macOS, Apple Safari, uses Google as its default search engine, but it's easy to change it to another search engine. Open Safari.
How do I get rid of DuckDuckGo on my Mac? ›Please go to 3 Bar Menu (far right) Click then Options then Search Change Default search Engine to what you want to use. Move down to the list and Click Go Duck Go (who's results are from Google) and then Click Remove at bottom.
How do I get rid of the default search engine in Chrome? ›- Right-click the URL address bar to open a list of options and click “Edit search engines” to open the dialog box. ...
- Mouse over the search engine labeled (Default) and click the “X” button beside this entry to delete.
- On your iPhone or iPad, open the Safari app.
- Go to www.google.com.
- To sign out, tap your profile image on the top right. Sign out. ...
- To remove an account, make sure you're signed out. Tap Sign in. ...
- Choose the account you want to remove, then select Done.
...
Download Chrome for iPhones and iPads.
- On your iPhone or iPad, open the Chrome app .
- Tap More Settings .
- Tap Default browser.
- Tap Open Chrome settings. Default browser app.
- Set Chrome as your Default browser app.
- Go to Settings and scroll down until you find the browser app or the email app.
- Tap the app, then tap Default Browser App or Default Mail App.
- Select a web browser or email app to set it as the default. A checkmark appears to confirm it's the default.
Safari uses Google as its default search engine out of the box, but it's not the only option. You can choose other search engines like Bing, Yahoo, or DuckDuckGo if you prefer them.
What browser does Safari use? ›Safari is a graphical web browser developed by Apple. It is primarily based on open-source software, and mainly WebKit. It succeeded Netscape Navigator, Cyberdog and Internet Explorer for Mac as the default web browser for Macintosh computers.
How do I change my iPhone browser engine? ›How to Change Safari Default Search Engine on iPhone & iPad - YouTube
Why did my search engine change? ›
Search engine changes can signal that malware may have infected your browser. Such malware is better known as a browser hijacker. It modifies your browser settings without your permission.
Is Google a browser or a search engine? ›Google is an example of a Web Browser or Search Engine? Ans. Google is an example of a Search Engine. Whereas, Google Chrome is a Web Browser.
How do I change from Microsoft edge to Google? ›- Open Microsoft Edge.
- At the top right, click. Settings.
- On the left, click Privacy and Services. If you don't find this, first click the Menu. at the top left.
- Scroll to the bottom and click Address bar.
- In the “Search engine used in the address bar” drop-down, select Google.
Select the Start button, and then type Default apps. In the search results, select Default apps. Under Web browser, select the browser currently listed, and then select Microsoft Edge or another browser.
Where is the setting of the Web search? ›Change your search settings
On your Android phone or tablet, go to google.com. Settings. Choose your search settings. At the bottom, click Save.
Safari is developed, maintained, and supported by Apple, and on the other hand, Google Chrome is being developed, maintained, and supported by Google. Safari uses the LLVM JIT engine for Just in time javascript compiling and on the other hand Google chrome uses the V8 javascript engine for javascript execution.
How do I disable search engines? ›To Remove a Search Engine
Scroll down below the One-click search engines section and click on the search engine you want to remove and highlight it. Then, click the remove button in the bottom right corner of that section.
Step 1: Reset Chrome
Open Chrome -> click on three dots on top right hand side and go into settings -> at bottom click on Show Advance Settings -> The last option is Reset, click on Reset Settings button. This option will delete, the whole history, save passwords, auto fills, cookies and all other settings of Chrome.
Go to the Data & Privacy section of your Google Account. Scroll to "Your data & privacy options." Delete your Google Account. Follow the instructions to delete your account.
Which browser is fastest on Mac? ›- Opera – An older name, Opera is one of the best browsers for Mac in 2022 as it is fast and smooth. ...
- Brave Browser: A new and emerging browser for Mac, Brave is secure, private and fast. ...
- Google Chrome: ...
- Mozilla Firefox – ...
- Microsoft Edge. ...
- Maxthon. ...
- Camino. ...
- Omni Web.
Which browser is safest for Mac? ›
If you're on a Mac and want to keep your data safe, Brave is a much better option than Chrome. If you don't want to switch to Brave, you'd be better off sticking with Safari.
Is it better to use Safari or Chrome on Mac? ›In fact, Safari beats Chrome on the Mac because it's more energy-efficient, better at protecting your privacy, and it seamlessly works with the Apple ecosystem.
What is the fastest browser for Mac 2022? ›Back in March 2022, Chrome unseated Safari as the fastest browser on macOS, and since then, Google's browser has only been getting better.
Should I use Firefox or Safari on my Mac? ›In the end, it just boils down to what you value in your browser. If you're integrated with the Apple ecosystem, Safari is still a great choice. But if you value having the latest and greatest privacy protections and being able to work across multiple operating systems, we think Firefox is your best bet.
How do I download Chrome for Mac without Safari? ›...
Install Chrome offline
- On a computer connected to the Internet, download the alternate Chrome installer.
- Move the file to the computer where you want to install Chrome.
- Open the file, and follow the onscreen instructions to install.
Google certainly does the job for most Safari users. It became one of the first search engines in the early days of the internet, and it's only gotten better. But there are reasons why you might want to consider a different option. DuckDuckGo does a better job of protecting your privacy.
What is the best alternative to Safari? ›There are more than 100 alternatives to Safari for a variety of platforms, including Windows, Linux, Android, Mac and Android Tablet. The best alternative is Mozilla Firefox, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like Safari are Brave, Google Chrome, Tor Browser and Vivaldi.
Is DuckDuckGo a Chinese company? ›DuckDuckGo is an American company
which is an American origin company. The CEO and also the founder of DuckDuckGo.com is Gabriel Weinberg.
The key difference: DuckDuckGo does not store IP addresses or user information. Billed as the search engine that doesn't track you, DuckDuckGo processes around 1.5 billion searches every month. Google, for contrast, processes around 3.5 billion searches per day. It's hardly a fair fight, but DuckDuckGo is growing.
Is DuckDuckGo owned by Google? ›DuckDuckGo (DDG) is privately owned. Indeed as reported by Crunchbase, it received over $170 million in funding from several investors, comprising Union Square Ventures (led by Fred Wilson). DuckDuckGo's business model proposes itself as an alternative to Google's business model.
What is the URL for Chrome settings? ›
chrome://settings — Access Chrome Settings
Simply type “chrome://settings” into the address bar and click Enter. In fact, you don't have to type it all. Simply type chrome into the address bar and your browser would display auto-complete suggestions.
If your search engine keeps changing to Yahoo, it may be due to the browser hijacker virus. Hackers use the Yahoo search redirect virus to earn revenue generated by clicks on Yahoo. To get rid of the Yahoo virus, reset your browser settings for Chrome, Safari, or Firefox.
How do I remove unwanted search engine from my Mac? ›Click Search, and then select your preferred your search engine under Default Search Engine and One-Click Search Engines. Remove suspicious search engines under One-Click Search Engines. Tick the box of the search engine, and then click the (⋮) icon. After that, click the Remove button to remove the search engine.
Is Safari safer than Google? ›Is Safari Safer Than Google Chrome? Safari and Chrome are both secure, and Safari actually uses Google's Safe Browsing database. They are pretty much neck and neck when it comes to privacy and security, but if you're concerned about your online privacy, we'd advise using a VPN.
Is Gmail and Apple ID the same? ›Your Apple ID account is separate from your Gmail account, even if you are using your Gmail email address as your Apple ID email.
What search engine does Mac use? ›The default browser in macOS, Apple Safari, uses Google as its default search engine, but it's easy to change it to another search engine. Open Safari. Select the Safari menu, located in the upper-left corner of the screen. Select Preferences from the drop-down menu.
How do I make Google my default browser in Safari? ›On your Mac, choose Apple menu > System Preferences, then click General. Click the “Default web browser” pop-up menu and choose Safari.
Why is my Mac using search Marquis? ›Why does Search Marquis keep popping up? Search Marquis might appear when you browse if your Mac is infected with the searchmarquis.com browser hijacker. You can uninstall it using TotalAV or resetting your browser settings to stop these pop-ups.
What is the safest web browser for Mac? ›If you're on a Mac and want to keep your data safe, Brave is a much better option than Chrome. If you don't want to switch to Brave, you'd be better off sticking with Safari.
What is the fastest browser for Mac? ›- Google Chrome. Price: Free. OS: macOS, Windows, Linux, Android, iOS. ...
- Opera. Price: Free. OS: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS. ...
- Brave. Price: Free. ...
- Safari. Price: Free. ...
- Mozilla Firefox. Price: Free. ...
- Vivaldi. Price: Free. ...
- Edge Chromium. Price: Free. ...
- Avast Secure Browser. Price: Free.
Is Safari or Chrome better? ›
In fact, Safari beats Chrome on the Mac because it's more energy-efficient, better at protecting your privacy, and it seamlessly works with the Apple ecosystem. Here are all the reasons why you should avoid using Google Chrome on your Mac.
How do I switch from Safari to Firefox on Mac? ›Change the Default Browser via System Preferences
Open the Apple menu and select System Preferences. Select the General category. Open the dropdown menu next to Default web browser and pick your preferred browser—for example, Google Chrome.
...
List of Top 12 Best Search Engines in The World
- Google. ...
- Bing. ...
- Yahoo. ...
- Baidu. ...
- AOL. ...
- Ask.com. ...
- Excite. ...
- DuckDuckGo.
What kind of virus is Search Marquis? Search Marquis is a Mac-specific browser hijacker — it can redirect your browser, insert suggested results into your search bar, steal your browsing information, and force your browser to automatically open Bing.com as its homepage.
How do I manually remove Marquis from Mac? ›Go to the Safari menu > Preferences. Choose the Extensions tab. Hunt for an extension associated with Search Marquis, select it, and press Uninstall.
How do I remove search Marquis from Mac? ›Launch your Safari Browser, open the Preferences section from the menu tab and switch to the Extension tab. Now, search for the Search Marquis extension and click on uninstall.