How to Add Search Engines to Internet Explorer 11

What to Know

• In Internet Explorer 11, select the Search drop-down arrow on the navigation bar. Choose Add to go to the Internet Explorer Gallery.
• Choose Add beneath the search engine you want to use and select Add again to confirm.
• Enable the new search engine by selecting the Search drop-down arrow and choosing the search engine's icon.

This article explains how to add search engines to Internet Explorer 11. It also explains how to activate existing search engines already installed in IE11. This information applies to Internet Explorer 11 for Windows 10, Windows 8.1, and Windows 7.

How to Add a New Internet Explorer Search Engine

Internet Explorer 11 comes with Microsoft Bing as the default search engine. However, IE is compatible with other search engines, including Google, YouTube, Yahoo, Wikipedia, and eBay. Add additional search engines to Internet Explorer by selecting from a list in the Internet Explorer Gallery.

If the search engine you want to use isn't already installed in Internet Explorer 11, follow these steps to add it to the browser:

1. Select the Search drop-down arrow on the navigation bar.

   

2. Select Add.

   

3. Find the search engine you want to use from the Internet Explorer Gallery.

4. Select Add below the search engine you want to use.

   

5. Select Add again on the confirmation prompt.

   You can also enable or disable the option to use search suggestions from that search engine.

   

6. Enable the new search engine by selecting the Search drop-down arrow and choosing the search engine's icon. The active one has a blue square around it.

You must follow these steps from Internet Explorer, not from Chrome, Opera, Firefox, or any other browser.

How to Activate an Installed Search Engine in IE11

Before you add a different search engine to Internet Explorer 11, check to see which search engines are alreadyinstalled. You might have the one you want.

1. Select the Search drop-down arrow on the right side of the navigation bar.

   

2. View the list of search engines that appears at the bottom of the drop-down menu.

   

3. Select the icon for a search engine to make it the active or default search engine.