How to Change Search Engines on a Mac

You don't have to stick with the default on any browser

In This Article

Jump to a Section

When you enter a phrase in a web browser's address bar or search box, the term is submitted to the browser's default search engine. The search engine might be Google, Bing, Yahoo, or one of several others, depending on the configuration of the browser you use on your Mac. It's easy to change the default to another search engine.

This article's information addresses changing the default search engine in Safari, Chrome, Firefox, and Opera on a Mac.

How to Change the Search Engine in Safari for Mac

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.

  1. Open Safari.

  2. Select the Safari menu, located in the upper-left corner of the screen.

  3. Select Preferences from the drop-down menu.

    Preferences location in the Safari menu on macOS.
  4. In the Safari Preferences interface, select Search, located in the row of icons along the top of the window.

    Safari for macOS Search Preferences
  5. Select the Search engine drop-down menu and select one of the following options: Google, Yahoo, Bing, or DuckDuckGo.

    Safari for macOS Search Engine options.
  6. Select the red and black X in the upper-left corner of the Preferences interface to complete the process and return to your browsing session.

How to Change the Search Engine in Chrome for Mac

The default search engine in the Google Chrome browser is also Google. Follow these steps to change it to a different service.

  1. Open Google Chrome.

  2. Select the Chrome main menu (three vertical dots) in the upper-right corner.

    

    The menu location on Google Chrome web browser for macOS.
  3. When the drop-down menu appears, select Settings.

    The Settings option show in Chrome for macOS menu options.
  4. In the Chrome Settings interface, scroll down until you locate the Search engine section.

    Chrome for macOS Search Engine settings
  5. Select the Search engine used in the address bar drop-down menu and select Google, Yahoo!, Bing, DuckDuckGo, or Ecosia.

    Select an alternative Search Engine in Chrome
  6. If you want to add options to this list, select Manage search engines.

  7. In the Other search engines section, select Add.

    Select Add to add a new search engine
  8. The Add search engine dialog appears, overlaying the main browser window. Enter the search engine name, its URL, and a keyword, if you like.

    Enter the name of the search engine you wish to add
  9. Select Add to complete the process. The newly added search engine is listed under Other Search Engines.

    New search engine added to Chrome

How to Change the Search Engine in Firefox for Mac

The Mozilla Firefox browser also uses Google as its default search engine, a preference that can be updated quickly.

  1. Open Firefox.

  2. Select the Firefox menu, located in the upper-left corner of the screen.

  3. When the drop-down menu appears, select Preferences.

    Location of Preferences on Firefox for macOS main menu.

    Alternatively, enter about:preferences into the Firefox address bar.

  4. In the Firefox Preferences interface, select Search, located in the left menu pane.

    How to get to Firefox Search Engine preferences.

    Add more search engines to Firefox by selecting Find more search engines at the bottom of the Search Preferences screen.

  5. Under Default Search Engine, select the drop-down menu and then choose Google, Bing, Amazon.com, DuckDuckGo, eBay, or Wikipedia.

    Choose your default search engine in Firefox

How to Change the Search Engine in Opera for Mac

Opera for macOS also uses Google as its default search engine. Here's how to change it:

  1. Open Opera.

  2. Select the Opera menu, located in the upper-left corner of the screen.

  3. When the drop-down menu appears, select Preferences.

  4. In the Opera Settings interface, scroll down to the Search engine section.

  5. Select the Set which search engine is used drop-down menu and choose from Google Search, Yahoo!, DuckDuckGo, Amazon, Bing, or Wikipedia.

    Opera Search Engine options on macOS.
  6. To add new options to this list, select Manage search engines.

  7. Scroll down to the Other search engines section and select Add.

    Where to add search engines to Opera on Mac.
  8. Enter the search engine name along with its corresponding query URL and optional keyword value, if desired.

    Opera Add Search Engine interface
  9. Select Add to complete the process.

Was this page helpful?