At times you might have noticed that your Chrome browser’s default search engine has been changed from google.com to Bing.com without your permission. It usually happens when some web extension or application got hold of your browser’s settings.
What is Bing.com?
Bing.com is a legitimate search engine from Microsoft and one of the most popular search engines globally. It is on the fifth number in the list of most searches. Also, it comes at second place in the search engine’s listing after Google.com. Though it itself is not a threat, it is widely promoted by malicious extensions or apps that get an entry on your browser and change its settings.
These web extensions or applications that illegitimately get access to your browser’s settings and alter it are known as browser hijackers. Browser Hijacker works exactly as per its name. It hijacks your browser and changes its settings to promote fake search engines and affiliated webpages. Usually, the fake search engines it supports are not capable of generating their own search results. So the search queries typed on them are redirected to legit search engines such as Bing.com or Google.com.
Why Does my Search Engine Keep Changing to Bing?
If Bing took over your browser, this is the result of malicious code sneaking into your computer or adware/ PUP infection. Bing is a legitimate search engine. Unfortunately, Microsoft’s search engine is often used by browser-hijackers and potentially unwanted programs (PUPs) as a means to serve unwanted ads or direct traffic to certain websites.
Obviously, users often panic when they notice the unusual browser behavior for the first time. The good news is that the Bing redirects are rarely a phishing attempt or a full-fledged malware attack. That is not to say unwanted Bing redirects are completely safe. They could send you to web pages that contain infectious content and malware ready to attack your device. But these are rather rare events.
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How do I Get remove of Bing as my Default Search Engine?
Uninstall recently-installed unwanted programs
- If this problem occurred shortly after you installed certain apps or programs on your machine, remove the respective programs as quickly as possible.
- Sometimes, PUPs or browser hijackers are bundled into the installation folder of other software.
- If you select the recommended installation option, PUPs and browser hijackers will install on your machine alongside the software you initially intended to install.
- Open the Control Panel → go to Programs → select Uninstall a program control panel uninstall a program
- Check the list of the programs installed on your machine and uninstall the programs you never used or don’t remember installing
- Select the respective program and then click the Uninstall button.
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Scan your computer for Malware
- If the code that changed your browser is deeply rooted into your system, you need to run an in-depth virus and malware scan.
- This process can take anywhere from one hour to two or three hours, depending on the number of files and folders your antivirus needs to scan.
- If you’re using Windows 10’s built-in antivirus, follow these steps to run an in-depth scan
- Go to Windows Security and select Virus & Thread protectionvirus threat protection windows security
- Click on Scan options and select Full scan to check all the programs and files on your hard diskwindows security full scan
- Restart your computer when the scan is over and check if you’re still being redirect to Bing.
- If you use third-party antivirus tools, go to the support page of your antivirus for detailed instructions on how to run a full system scan.
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Uninstall suspicious extensions and clear the cache
- If you suspect the Bing redirect problem occurred after you installed a particular browser extension, you can remove the respective extension.
- If you’re not sure which of your extensions is causing the problem, you can start by disabling all the extensions.
- Then, clear your browser cache and restart your computer. If you’re using Chrome, you can use this guide:
How to Clear the Cache in Google Chrome
- If you use a different browser, simply clicking on the menu should display the History option which allows you to clear the cache
- Start by enabling your extensions one by one and test if the redirect problem shows up again.
- If the redirect occurs again after enabling a certain extension, you just identified the culprit. Permanently uninstall the respective extension.
Remove Bing redirect from your browser
- The new Bing redirect settings should be visible in your browser settings. You can remove the problematic redirect instructions directly from your browser settings.
- Go to your browser’s search settings, click on Manage search engines and replace Bing with the search engine you want to use. Feel free to delete Bing from the list as well.
- remove bing search engine settings
- Next, right-click on your browser’s desktop icon and select Properties. Click on the Shortcut tab, and go to Start in and make sure the app is using the normal path to launch.
- google chrome start in path.
- If there’s a suspicious string in the path, replace it with the regular browser path
Reset or reinstall your browser
- If the problem persists, try resetting your browser to default settings. This will reset everything except for your bookmarks and passwords.
- To reset your browser, go to Settings and type reset. Click on the Reset option and confirm your choice.
- As a last resort, you can uninstall your browser and reinstall it again
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