How to Change Search Engines on a Mac

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

Updated on January 19, 2021

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.

Open Safari.
Select the Safari menu, located in the upper-left corner of the screen.
Select Preferences from the drop-down menu.
In the Safari Preferences interface, select Search, located in the row of icons along the top of the window.
Select the Search engine drop-down menu and select one of the following options: Google, Yahoo, Bing, or DuckDuckGo.
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.

Open Google Chrome.
Select the Chrome main menu (three vertical dots) in the upper-right corner.
When the drop-down menu appears, select Settings.
In the Chrome Settings interface, scroll down until you locate the Search engine section.
Select the Search engine used in the address bar drop-down menu and select Google, Yahoo!, Bing, DuckDuckGo, or Ecosia.
If you want to add options to this list, select Manage search engines.
In the Other search engines section, select Add.
The Add search engine dialog appears, overlaying the main browser window. Enter the search engine name, its URL, and a keyword, if you like.
Select Add to complete the process. The newly added search engine is listed under Other Search Engines.

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.

Open Firefox.
Select the Firefox menu, located in the upper-left corner of the screen.
When the drop-down menu appears, select Preferences.

Alternatively, enter about:preferences into the Firefox address bar.
In the Firefox Preferences interface, select Search, located in the left menu pane.

Add more search engines to Firefox by selecting Find more search engines at the bottom of the Search Preferences screen.
Under Default Search Engine, select the drop-down menu and then choose Google, Bing, Amazon.com, DuckDuckGo, eBay, or Wikipedia.

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:

Open Opera.
Select the Opera menu, located in the upper-left corner of the screen.
When the drop-down menu appears, select Preferences.
In the Opera Settings interface, scroll down to the Search engine section.
Select the Set which search engine is used drop-down menu and choose from Google Search, Yahoo!, DuckDuckGo, Amazon, Bing, or Wikipedia.
To add new options to this list, select Manage search engines.
Scroll down to the Other search engines section and select Add.
Enter the search engine name along with its corresponding query URL and optional keyword value, if desired.
Select Add to complete the process.