Almost all browsers now use the URL bar as a dual-purpose search bar. If what you type there looks like a URL, then the browser will request that website. If you don’t enter a URL however, and just type a search query, then a modern browser will automatically submit that query to your preferred search engine.
While Google is the most popular search engine, many people may not want to have it set as their default search engine due to privacy concerns, or just because they don’t like it. Thankfully you can change which search engine your queries are sent to.
To change your default search engine in the Brave browser, you’ll need to access the in-app settings. To do so, tap the triple-dot icon in the bottom-right, then select settings from the pop-up menu.
The subsection in the settings list is “Search engine” and is located right at the top. Here you actually have two options “Standard tab” and “Incognito tab”. With these two settings, you can configure one default search engine for a normal tab and a different one for an incognito tab. To configure one of these settings, just tap on the setting title.
The search engines available for you to choose between are Google, Bing, DuckDuckGO, DuckDuckGO Lite, Qwant, and StartPage.
Everyone should be familiar with Google and Microsoft’s competing Bing service. DuckDuckGo is a competing search engine that doesn’t filter search results based on perceived preferences from your activity.
DuckDuckGO Lite is a lightweight version of the DuckDuckGO search engine that is ideal for use on slower internet connections. Qwant and StartPage are both privacy-focused search engines that don’t track your activity or filter your search results.
Susan says
How can I add the search bar that Google keeps removing?