With default settings, Windows 10 uses the Bing search engine when you do a web search from the Start/taskbar search box. Web search results are automatically opened in the Edge browser, even if you have set a different program as your default web browser.
Even though the Start/taskbar search is primarily used to launch installed programs and does not search the web, some users quickly search the web.
Search Deflator
Search Deflator is a free program developed to set your search engine as the default Start/taskbar search engine in Windows 10. The program also allows you to configure Start/taskbar search to use a custom web browser instead of Edge to display search results.
According to the developer, Search Deflator automatically redirects searches done from the Start/taskbar search box to the search engine and web browser you want to use.
Here’s how to use Search Deflator to set a custom search engine and web browser as default for Start/taskbar search.
How to use Google instead of Bing when using the search on Windows 10
To use Google and Chrome for Start menu searches, use the following steps:
- DownloadSearch Deflector from GitHub. (Click the latest SearchDeflector-Installer.exe download link.)
- Double-click the file to begin the installation.
- If you get a Windows protection warning on your computer, click the More info link, then click the Run button anyway.
- Continue with the installation string “next,” “next,” “next,” “next,” “install,”.
- Type2 in “Selection” prompts to use Google Chrome as the default browser to display search results and press Enter.
- TypeY and press Enter to confirm
- Type7 in “Selection” prompts to use Google as the default search engine for Windows 10 to search and press Enter.
- Type Y and press Enter to confirm.
- PressEnterto closes the setup.
- Clickthe Finish button.
Once you’ve completed the steps, every time you perform a search using the Start menu, Google Chrome will open and display the results using Google’s search engine.
The only caveat using Search Deflator is that search results in the Start menu will continue to show using Bing.
If you want to revert the changes, uninstall the tool from Settings > Apps > Apps & features, select Search Deflator, and click the Uninstall button.