How to Change Your Browser's Default Search Engine

Steps

Firefox

1. 1
   Find the search query URL for your desired search engine. The easiest way to find this is to visit your favorite search engine and make a search. Copy the URL address, remove the unnecessary bits (that aren't related to your search), so that the query will be the last thing added to the address (don't include the search terms, these are appended by Firefox). Copy this address.
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   • For Google, http://www.google.com/search?q=
   • For Yahoo!, http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=
   • For Bing, http://www.bing.com/search?q=
   • For Ask.com, http://www.ask.com/web?q=
2. 2
   Navigate to Firefox's preferences editor. To do this, type "about:config" into the address bar and hit Enter. You will be warned about the cautions of editing Firefox settings manually. Continue by pressing "I'll be careful, I promise".
   
3. 3
   Search for "keyword.URL" in the search area. A single result should appear with this name.
   
4. 4
   Right click on the result. Then, click Modify. Paste your new address in the dialog that is shown, so that it replaces the previous one. Then, click OK. Your default search engine has changed, you can test it by typing something in the address bar and pressing Enter.
   
5. 5
   If you want to change the default search in the search engine textbox on the right, search for "browser.search.defaultenginename" in the search area. Change this to the search engine you want exactly as shown in the search menu (click the icon next to the search box to see the menu).

Google Chrome

1. 1
   Navigate to Google Chrome's Settings. You can access this by clicking the Wrench icon in the top right of the browser, then clicking "Options" in the menu.
   
2. 2
   Locate the Search section. From this area, you can quickly choose from a list of common search engines. To use any of these, you can just select it from the drop down box. To add a different search engine, continue with the steps.
   
3. 3
   Click "Manage Search Engines". You'll be presented with more search engines, those standard default search options and also more detected ones by Google Chrome. You should be able to find any you would like to use here, but if not, scroll down until you see the textbox for adding another search engine.
   
4. 4
   Fill in the form data. This includes the name of the search engine, the search URL, and a keyword. The search engine will then be added. Just click "Make default" while hovering over it to make it your default search engine.
   

Internet Explorer

1. 1
   Click the arrow right next to the search icon in the address bar. It will show a drop-down with icons in it. Click "Add". Internet Explorer will take you to its search engine gallery.
   
2. 2
   Choose a search engine from the gallery. To see more, just move your mouse to the right of the screen. Click on one you like.
   
3. 3
   Install the search engine addon. There is a "click to install" link on the page. After clicking it, you'll be presented with a dialog box prompting for confirmation to add the search engine. If you want this to be your default search engine, tick the "Make this my default search provider" box. Click Add. The search engine should now be changed.