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Change Search Engine in Opera on the Computer

Need to change the default search engine in the Opera browser? Learn how to switch to a different search engine on your computer.

Opera browser allows changing the search engine used in the address bar.

You can choose from the preset list of search engines like Google, Yahoo, Bing, DuckDuckGo, Amazon, and Wikipedia.

The browser also allows to manage existing search engines, or add a custom search engine from the settings page.

In this guide, we have shared the steps to change the default search engine in the Opera browser on a computer.

Changing Search Engine in Opera on a Computer

Opera allows you to choose from the preset, well-known search engine or add a custom one. Here are the steps to change the search engine used in the address bar:

  1. Launch the Opera browser on your computer.
  2. Click on Opera opera logo for the menu list.
  3. Choose Settings from the list.
    Opera browser settings menu on Windows computer
  4. Scroll down to the Search engine section.
  5. Click on the drop-down menu under the Search engine used in the address bar.
    Choose new default search engine in Opera computerIt will display a list of search engines like Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo, Yahoo!, Amazon, and Wikipedia.
  6. Choose the desired Search Engine to set as the new default.

Add a custom search engine or set the new default search engine from the Manage search engines tab.

  1. Select the Manage Search Engines tab.
  2. Click on the More vertical 3dots icon option against your preferred search engine,
  3. Choose the Make default option.
    Make a search engine default from Opera Manage Search Engine tab

Within the Manage search engines window, you can click the Add command to enter a custom search engine with a query string. This will make the custom search engine used in the address bar.

The custom search engine is influential in setting up an organizational or internal search engine.

Add Custom Search Engine in Opera Computer

Hence, you can easily change the search engine in the Opera computer browser and explore the engine’s features of your choice. Adding a custom search engine opera browser is easy and practical.

Bottom Line

The Opera browser offers a customization option to change the default search engine used in the address bar and the speed dial page.

You can choose the search engine from the available list or configure a new custom search engine per your requirements.

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Kushal Azza

Kushal Azza

Kushal Azza is a Google Certified IT Professional, Digital Content Creator, and Go-To Digital Marketer with Engineering Degree. He has over a decade of experience solving tech problems, troubleshooting, and innovating digital solutions. Follow him on Twitter and LinkedIn.

2 comments and feedback

  1. To add the Brave search engine I need to enter the URL and a “query string”. Would someone explain what a query string is and how I determine it? Thanks

    1. If you search for “browserhow” on Brave search, the search URL will turn into https://search.brave.com/search?q=browserhow&source=web. If you want to turn it into a query string, you should replace the ‘browserhow’ with ‘%s’ in the URL string. Hence, the query string for Brave search will be https://search.brave.com/search?q=%s&source=web. I hope this explains.

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