7 Ways To Remove Yahoo Search Engine From Chrome

Chrome and the Google search engine are both powered by the same company, Google. So, as you might expect, Google is Chrome’s default search engine.

However, due to the presence of potentially unwanted programs (PUPs) on your computer, your Chrome browser may automatically switch to other search engines like Yahoo, DuckDuckGo, and a few others. Changing the settings every time this happens can be time consuming and annoying.

So here we are going to look at seven fixes that will help you fix this problem.

1. Changing the search engine from Chrome settings

Chrome allows users to use different search engines. The list includes Bing, DuckDuckGo, Ecosia, Secure Search, and Yahoo. First, check which search engine your browser uses by default. You can change Chrome’s default search engine, if it’s Yahoo, and send it back to Google. Here’s how:

1. Go to Chrome settings.

2. Navigate to the Search engine on the left sidebar.

3. To select Google in the drop-down menu of the Search engine used in the address bar.

4. Click on Manage search engines.

5. Press the three vertical points right next to Google.

6. Hit Default.

By switching the default search engine to Chrome, this fix works temporarily. However, it can automatically revert to its previous state after a few days. So to make this change foolproof you will need to implement some other fixes.

RELATED: Search Engines That Tipped Over Before Google Even Existed

2. Remove Yahoo search engine from Chrome

In Chrome, you can remove Yahoo from the list of available default search engines to further minimize the risk that your browser defaults to Yahoo. Here’s how:

1. Open Chrome settings.

2. In the left sidebar, navigate to Search engine.

3. Click on Manage search engines.

4. Press the three vertical points right next to Yahoo.

5. Hit Remove from the list.

Additionally, you can remove all other search engines except Chrome from the list if they become default engines. With this fix, you can expect Yahoo to stay out of your web browser for several days.

3. Configure Google to open on startup in your browser

While not a perfect solution, it can help you search the Google search engine quickly, even if your default search engine is Yahoo. You can do this by setting Google to open automatically on startup. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Go to Chrome settings.

2. Navigate to the When the engine starts section in the left sidebar.

3. Change the Open a New Tab page setting on Open a specific page or a set of pages.

4. now add in the field below and press Enter.

This fix will only work when you start the browser. Each new tab will open in your default search engine. Therefore, this fix is ​​also limited. Let’s move on to a more complex but permanent solution.

4. Disable all extensions and programs powered by Yahoo

Obsolete extensions, which the developer does not manage correctly, can be infected. Using such extensions may result in a redirect to the Yahoo search engine while browsing Chrome.

While reviews from active users can help us identify shady extensions, filtering them out can be difficult. So, to make things easier, first of all uninstall all the extensions that are powered by Yahoo.

RELATED: Shady Google Chrome Extensions You Should Uninstall ASAP

If the problem persists, disable the rest of the extensions for a minute to confirm if this is an extension causing the problem. If extensions are not the cause, uninstall any search-related programs provided by Yahoo from your system.

Go to Control Panel and navigate to Programs and Features to uninstall such programs. Then type Yahoo in the search bar and press Enter. Right click on Search the web (Yahoo) and press Uninstall.

Depending on the type of device you have, this program may be called something else. Search provided by Yahoo is another popular name under which this type of program is available. It is however backed by Yahoo.

5. Run the security check in Windows and Chrome

If none of the above fixes worked, it’s time to scan your computer for browser hijackers or bogus files that need to be removed. Just use the Microsoft Windows scanner to get rid of potentially dangerous hidden files. The process is as follows:

1. In the Windows search bar, type Windows Security.

2. In the left sidebar, select Protection against viruses and threats.

3. Click on Quick scan.

It will take some time for Microsoft to automatically scan your system for any potential threats, depending on the size of the data you have on your system. The scanner will detect threats and tell you their severity. You can then choose to delete them. You just have to press Take Action and the threat will be removed.

If the problem persists or if you are not using a Windows device, you can also run Chrome’s internal PC cleaner to identify programs that may be interfering with your browser performance. Here’s how to perform the cleanup:

1. Go to Settings.

2. Navigate to the System by tapping Advanced on the left sidebar.

3. Press on Clean the computer and press Find.

6. Delete all temporary files

Another important but often overlooked solution that works most of the time is to delete all temporary files. These files have no other purpose than to take up space on your computer. It is therefore safe to delete them entirely.

To delete these temporary files, open the Run command by pressing Win + R. Type % temp% and hit Okay.

This will take you to the temporary files folder. hurry CTRL + A and delete them all. To prevent them from coming back, you should also empty your trash once.

7. Reset Chrome and clear the cache

Google Chrome may be misconfigured, which redirects you to the Yahoo search engine. Cached data can also be the cause of the problem. If none of the above fixes worked, you can reset Chrome to its default settings and clear its cache. Here’s how to clear the cache:

1. hurry CTRL + H.

2. Press on Clear browsing data in the left sidebar.

3. Check the boxes of the Cached images and files and Cookies and other site data.

4. Hit Erase data.

To restore Chrome, open Chrome settings. Navigate to the Advanced in the left sidebar, then tap Reset and clean. Press the first option, Restore settings to their original defaults and hit Reset options.

Remove Yahoo as your default search engine

The above fixes allow Chrome to continue to use Google as the default search engine. If you have the same problem again after a few days, reinstall it once.

You can also consider switching to another browser like Firefox if the problem persists. While it doesn’t have the edge over Chrome, it uses less memory while processing, is more private, and offers better customization. So, give it a try!

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