Registry Guide for Windows Registry Guide for Windows
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Registry tweaks, tricks & hacks to optimize, enhance and secure Microsoft Windows.

Change the Internet Explorer Search Engine (All Windows)
Category: Home > Software > Internet Explorer > Search Features

Normally when you type 'go keyword' in the Internet Explorer address bar IE will search the web using a Microsoft selected search engine. By modifying this key you can select which search engine to use.

Open your registry and find the key below.

Modify the value of default to equal the URL for the search engine you want to use, substituting '%s' to represent the keywords.

For example, to use AltaVista the value would be:
http://www.altavista.com/cgi-bin/query?q=%s

And to use Yahoo! the value would be:
http://search.yahoo.com/bin/search?p=%s

Note: This tweak only works on Internet Explorer 4.0.

Registry Editor Example
|NameTypeData|
|(Default)REG_SZ"http://www.altavista.com/cgi-bin/query?q=%s"|
-
|HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\SearchUrl|
-

Settings:
User Key: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\SearchUrl]
Name: (Default)
Type: REG_SZ (String Value)

Disclaimer: Modifying the registry can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. We cannot guarantee that problems resulting from modifications to the registry can be solved. Use the information provided at your own risk.

Last Modified: April 4, 2002

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