How to change the default search engine in Safari on Mac: Settings steps for macOS Tahoe

Where Safari keeps the search engine setting

Safari keeps the search engine in its Settings window, not in the menus you might check first. Open Safari > Settings, then click Search. That pane holds every search option Apple lists for Safari on Mac. You won't find the engine under File, Edit, or View.

The Search pane has seven controls. Apple lists them as Search engine, Private Browsing search engine, Include search engine suggestions, Include Safari Suggestions, Enable Quick Website Search, Preload Top Hit in the background, and Show Start Page. Only the first two choose which engine answers your searches. The others control suggestions, quick website search, preloading, and the start page. Leave them alone until you know what they do.

Does the process change between macOS versions?

Apple's Safari User Guide lists macOS Tahoe 26 and macOS 27 Golden Gate in its version selector. I found no page saying the steps changed for either one. The steps here match Apple's Search pages. Older menu labels, such as Preferences, were not verified, so check the label if yours looks different.

Set the regular and private engines separately

Safari treats regular browsing and Private Browsing as two settings. Apple says both are set separately. The Search engine menu covers regular windows. The Private Browsing search engine menu covers private windows. Changing one leaves the other unchanged.

Here is a worked example. Say you want Google for everyday searches and DuckDuckGo for private windows. Set Search engine to Google, then set Private Browsing search engine to DuckDuckGo. Open a private window, search for a term, and check the address of the results page. It should match the engine you picked for private browsing.

Use the Smart Search field instead

Apple describes a second method in its Smart Search guide. Smart Search is the address bar at the top of the Safari window. Delete all the text in that field. Then click the magnifying glass on its left. Choose a search engine from the list that appears.

This method is quick, but Apple's steps do not say whether it changes the same regular setting as the Search pane. After you use it, open Safari > Settings > Search and check the Search engine menu. If the two disagree, trust what the Search pane shows. That is the setting Apple documents in full.

Which search engines Safari offers

A March 2023 MacRumors article lists five engines for Safari: Bing, Google, Yahoo, DuckDuckGo, and Ecosia. Apple's guide does not name them. Treat that list as a snapshot, and check the menu on your own Mac. The list can change between releases, and I could not confirm the current one from Apple.

Google is the most used engine by a wide margin. StatCounter's October 2026 worldwide data puts Google at 91.05%. Bing has 4.8%, Yahoo 1.18%, and DuckDuckGo 0.64%. These numbers show where search traffic lands, which is a useful signal when you pick a default.

The chart measures search referral traffic. It does not count how many searches people run. Treat it as a picture of where search traffic comes from, not a record of your own habits.

Why the engine seems to change back

The most common complaint is that Safari keeps going to Yahoo or Bing after you set Google. One Apple Community thread describes Safari opening Yahoo even though the preferences showed Google. Posters in that thread suggested a Malwarebytes scan, quarantining what it finds, and removing extensions the user did not recognize. Apple does not endorse these fixes.

The cause is not confirmed in the threads I checked. Extensions are the first suspect. Work through the list below in order, and set the engine again after each step so you know which change helped.

1. Review your extensions and remove any you don't recognize.
2. Turn off all extensions, then open Settings > Search and check the engine.
3. Run a malware scan with a scanner you trust, and quarantine anything it finds.
4. Restart the Mac, set the engine again, and run a test search.

Safari is a browser, not a search engine

Mixing up the search engine and the default browser is common. Moderators in one Apple Community thread said Safari is a browser, not a search engine, so it cannot be set as the search engine. They pointed to a different place for the default browser. The Search pane only covers the search engine.

Why the default engine carries weight

The default engine carries real money. MacTrast reported in May 2026 that Google pays Apple somewhere around $20 billion per year to be Safari's default search engine. The article did not say which year that figure covers. Engadget reported that a judge placed a one-year limit on Google's default search contracts.

These deals do not change the steps on this page. You still pick from the list on your own Mac, and you can change the choice any time you like.

Mistakes that stop the change from sticking

• Changing the regular engine, then testing only in a regular window.
• Assuming the Smart Search field and the Search pane always show the same engine.
• Turning on Include search engine suggestions without knowing it can send your terms to the engine.
• Confusing the default browser with the default search engine.
• Ignoring an unknown extension that keeps resetting the engine.

Most of these take less than a minute to fix once you spot them. Check the Search pane first, then test in both kinds of window. That order catches most problems early.

Privacy settings that sit next to the engine

The Search pane has an option called Include search engine suggestions. With it on, Safari asks the search engine for suggestions as you type. MacRumors warns that this can record the terms you search for. Turn it off if that matters to you. You lose live suggestions in return.

Include Safari Suggestions is a separate option in the same pane. The names are close, so read both labels before you change them. To clear data Safari has already stored, see how to clear browsing history in Safari.

Check that the new engine works

Test in both kinds of window. Press ⌘L to select Smart Search, type a term you know, and press Return. Look at the address of the results page. It should match the engine you picked for that window type.

Pick a term with one clear answer, like a city name or a product. Two or three searches are enough to be sure. If the old engine appears after a restart, go back to the troubleshooting notes on this page and work down them.

When the menu won't change or the engine is missing

Apple's pages do not describe a custom search engine option. If the engine you want is missing from the menu, I found no way to add it in Safari. Pick the closest option from the list. Check the engine's own help pages for any way to use it with Safari.

If the menu won't change at all, the Mac may be managed. A work or school Mac can lock settings through a profile. I did not verify how managed profiles affect the Search pane. Ask whoever runs the Mac before you try workarounds.

What to do next

Once the engine is set, you're done. If private windows should behave differently, read how to turn on private browsing in Safari. If you share this Mac, clear your history first using the steps for clearing browsing history.