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How to Make Bing Your Default Search Engine

Microsft has recently released Bing, a great new search engine that in many ways is technologically superior to Google. Bing's search process is very similar to googles, so most of us will be familiar with it, however it's search results are a lot more dynamic and give you easier access to a lot more information.

So how do you really test Bing out? The best way to test a new search engine is to switch the default search provider in your browser, this way all your search's will go through the new engine. By switching the deafult search engine you can test the new engine in real world scenarios without having to remind yourself to head over to a new URL every time.

In this guide we will show you how to make that switch in some of the top browsers. If you use a smaller, alternate browser, feel free to let us know how to switch its default engine in the comments.

Internet Explorer 7/8

  1. click the drop-down arrow in IE's search box (top right hand corner of your browser)
  2. click "Find more providers/manage providers"
  3. Find Bing in the list
  4. Click on it, and in the dialog that pops up choose "Set as Default.* Note that in IE8 you can also just right click on it in the list
If Bing doesnt show up in the list above, then you can add it directly using the following steps
  1. Head to the IE Add-ons Gallery at http://www.ieaddons.com/in/details/searchhelpers/Bing_Search/
  2. Click the "Add to Internet Explorer" button.
  3. On the pop-up that appears, check the box that reads "Make this my default search provider"
  4. Click "Add." and that's it!
Mozilla Firefox

Firefox offers a Bing add-on which adds both search and suggestions to Firefox's search box.

  1. Head over to the Firefox Add-ons Gallery https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/12205
  2. Click the "Add to Firefox" button on this page.
  3. On the pop-up box that appears, check the box "Start using it right away"
  4. clicking "Add" in order to set Bing as the default.
Google Chrome

Google Chrome doesn't (yet) support extensions so its a bit more difficult

  1. Right-click on the search bar
  2. Choose "Edit Search Engines."* Alternately, you can click the Wrench icon, then c;ick on the �"Options," then the "Manage" button on the "Basics" tab next to "Default Search."
  3. In the Search Engines window where all of Chrome's available engines are listed, click the "Add" button.
  4. Another window appears where you'll be asked to fill in Name, Keyword, and URL. Use the following info to fill out this form:Name: BingKeyword: bingURL: http://www.bing.com/search?q=%s
  5. Click "OK"
  6. Click the "Make Default" button before closing the window.
Safari

The easiest ways to change your search engine in Safari is to use the Glims plugin. Glims adds a number of features to Safari, including tabs, thumbnails, full screen, suggestions, and more.

  1. Download and install glims here http://www.machangout.com/
  2. Once installed, open the Safari Preferences
  3. Under the Glims tab, click on "Search Engines."
  4. Then, click the "Add" button to add a new search engine.
  5. In the pop-up box provided, you'll need to fill in the following info:Name: BingType: Search EngineURL: http://www.bing.com/search?q=#query#
  6. Click "Set" when you're done and close the window.
  7. Finally, select "Bing" in the browser window search box in order to make it your default engine.
Tips
  • Its easy to set your default search provider back to Google or whatever you were using before just follow the steps above and look for the name of the provider you wish to switch to.


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