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How to change the search engine in Safari on an iPhone

By Updated 12 November 20263 min read

Device: iPhone 17e · Software: iOS 27.0.1 · Checked October 2026

Real screenshot · iPhone 17e, iOS 27.0.1

In short

Open Settings, tap Apps, then Safari, then Search Engine, and tap the one you want: Google, Yahoo, Bing, DuckDuckGo or Ecosia. Searches typed into the Safari address bar then go to that search engine.

Well, you would expect this choice to live inside Safari, and that is exactly where it is not. Safari sends what you type into the address bar to Google unless you choose otherwise. The setting is in the Settings app; on our iPhone it took four taps. The list of search engines shown here is the one an iPhone set to the United States offers; in other regions it can differ.

5 of 5 steps show a real screenshot from our iPhone 17e.

Steps

0 of 5 steps
  1. 1

    Open Settings and tap Apps

    Scroll down the main Settings list to Apps.

    On our iPhone Apps was near the bottom of the list, just above Developer.

    iPhone screen: Open Settings and tap Apps
  2. 2

    Tap Safari

    The apps are in alphabetical order, so Safari is under S. The letters at the right edge jump there.

    iPhone screen: Tap Safari
  3. 3

    Tap Search Engine

    It is the first row of the Search section and shows the current choice at the right.

    iPhone screen: Tap Search Engine
  4. 4

    Tap the search engine you want

    On our iPhone the choices were Google, Yahoo, Bing, DuckDuckGo and Ecosia. In the picture we picked DuckDuckGo.

    The tick moves to your choice. There is nothing to save: go back or close Settings.

    iPhone screen: Tap the search engine you want
  5. 5

    Check Also Use in Private Browsing

    Back on the Safari page, the Search Engine row now shows your choice: ours read DuckDuckGo. Also Use in Private Browsing is just below it.

    On our iPhone it was switched on, so private tabs use the same search engine.

    iPhone screen: Check Also Use in Private Browsing

If you do not see this option

  • Apple's guide shows a different route? Apple's iOS 27 User Guide says Settings, Search, Search Engine. On our iPhone 17e with iOS 27.0.1, Search Engine was on the Safari page, as in the pictures, and the same page had a Search row under Allow Safari to Access. Sources: Change your default search engine on iPhone, Find settings on iPhone
  • Safari is not in the main Settings list? It is inside Apps. On our iPhone Safari was in the S section, between Remote and Shortcuts; you can also type its name in the Search Apps field at the bottom.
  • Cannot find Search Engine on the Safari page? Look in the Search section, below Default Browser App. It is the first row there.
  • A different list of search engines? The choices depend on the region the iPhone is set to. Ours, set to the United States, showed Google, Yahoo, Bing, DuckDuckGo and Ecosia; in other regions Apple offers other engines. Source: Change your default search engine on iPhone

If this does not work

  • Searches still go to the old search engine? Go back to the Safari page and check the Search Engine row shows your choice. If it still shows the old one, tap Search Engine and pick yours again. On our iPhone, after we tapped DuckDuckGo, the row read DuckDuckGo.
  • Private tabs use a different search engine? Check that Also Use in Private Browsing is switched on, just below Search Engine on the Safari page.

Good to know

The same page has Search Engine Suggestions and Safari Suggestions. They decide whether suggestions appear while you type, so if the list under the address bar keeps trying to finish your sentences, that is where to look.

If you would rather swap Safari for another browser altogether, not only the search engine: how to change the default browser and other default apps on an iPhone.

For browsing the web privately: how to use Private Browsing in Safari on an iPhone.

Watch these steps

Video thumbnail: How to change the search engine in Safari on an iPhoneWatch on YouTubeThe same steps, recorded on our iPhone 17e · opens YouTube

About this guide

Device
iPhone
Shown on
iOS 27.0.1 (iPhone 17e)
App
Settings
Path
Settings › Apps › Safari › Search Engine
Real screenshots
5 of 5 steps
Checked
October 2026
Sources
2 official, linked below

The screenshots are our own, taken on an iPhone 17e running iOS 27.0.1, in dark mode.

What changed: every screenshot is now our own iPhone 17e on iOS 27.0.1, dark mode, and the wording is checked against those screens.

Sources

Links checked October 2026. Menus and features can change with updates.

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