Why is Bing taking over Firefox?

Why is Bing taking over Firefox?

Q I hope you can help me get rid of Bing, because it’s overriding Firefox. I’ve looked for a solution online, but they all involve using Windows Security or Windows Defender. When I try, my Bitdefender program takes over and eventually tells me my system is all clear. However, Bing stubbornly remains, presumably hiding somewhere behind Windows. Can you suggest a solution?

Mike Tuttle

A We think you might be a little confused about what’s happening here. That’s hardly surprising, because the world of computing is littered with jargon, as well as competing tools, services and brands.

Let’s start with Firefox, which is the web browser you’re using to explore the internet. Like other modern web browsers, Firefox lets you choose which search provider (or ‘search engine’) you use. You’re probably expecting results from Google but, for whatever reason, Firefox is using Microsoft’s Bing search engine to perform your searches. Bing is the default search engine in Microsoft’s own Edge web browser, while Firefox uses Google by default.

There are two main possibilities here. The first is that your Firefox web browser has been ‘hijacked’ so that all your search terms are sent to the Bing search engine (and in the process earning advertising commissions for whichever nefarious outfit was responsible).

Using security software to scan your PC is the correct way to deal with this. Windows Security is the antivirus software that’s built into Windows 10 and 11, and Windows Defender is part of it – although officiallyit’s now called Microsoft Defender, just to add to the confusion. However, as you have Bitdefender installed, this takes over the antivirus duties on your PC. That’s normal.

If your PC was infected with a browser hijacker, we’d expect Bitdefender to find it, but it hasn’t found anything. If you want to be sure, try running the free Malwarebytes AdwCleaner tool, which specifically targets hijackers. Get it from www.malwarebytes.com/adwcleaner.

However, we don’t think your Firefox browser has been hijacked. A more likely explanation is that it has somehow been set to use Bing to search the web. Perhaps you changed this option by accident while exploring the settings. To fix it, click the menu button (three lines, top right) and choose Settings. Now, on the left, click Search and then, on the right, look below the Default Search Engine heading (see screenshot). It will probably be set to Bing. Click to open the dropdown menu and choose Google, or whichever search engine you prefer.

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