Resolved Cannot get Google search in place of Bing

I've had Google Search on my Windows 7 laptop using Windows Explorer 11. But now Bing replaced it without my any action on my part.

When I hit the gear icon in IE and click manage add-ons and then Search Provider, only Bing is show in the list. When I click "Find more search providers . . . " it opens a page with lots of providers, including Google. But when I click on the icon for Google, nothing happens, and it is not added to the list.

I'm highly suspicious that this is all about Microsoft's usual way of trying to get Bing in Internet Explorer and Google off, and right now they are winning.

Also, I went to Google's own link that is supposed to make Google search engine the default ( http://www.google.com/homepage/search/sp-ie10.html ), and that does not work either.

It is like Microsoft is blocking all attempts to remove Bing and Install Google

And I need to use Internet Explorer for other reasons, so suggestions of switching my browser will not be helpful.

 

Changing Internet Explorer Default From Bing to Google

 

That was the process I followed that did not work. I just tried it again, using a direct search of "Internet Explorer Gallery" instead of the search button in the tools box. Again the option for Google to "Add to Internet Explorer" came up. But when I clicked on that box, unlike what the instructions said to expect, nothing happened . . . it did not open another page, and there was no addition of the Google Search to the Search Options within IE.

So this time I tried another search engine, Wikipedia, and like Google, clicking the box did nothing.

 

I just looked back at my computer, and apparently after abot 30 seconds, and option to add the Wikipedia accelerator came up. But when I clicked it, it did not add that. Further, I went back to Google and clicked that, and waited a minute and a half, and nothing even came up to add it.

So it is still not working.

 

I just found this discussion on the problem. I've not yet tried all the recommended solutions:

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/...e-search/d92622da-247a-4ba4-8087-3d6405aefaa9

 

I went back to that site and tried the solution that everyone in that discussion said worked for them, which was to go directly to one Microsoft Website directly and select Google there. But when I tried that, instead of a large selection, there were only two search engines listed, and Google was not one of those two.

 

Solution to not being able to add Google as search engine

I just found the solution (at least for me).

http://techdows.com/2015/05/fix-cant-add-google-as-search-provider-in-internet-explorer-11.html

As described, uninstalling the Microsoft KB3038314 "security update" allowed me to install the Google Search engine again, and make it the default.

Call me a conspiracy theorist, but I am old enough to remember when Lotus development and Microsoft were battling over the dominance of each company's respective spreadsheet, 123 and Excel. It was widely reported that when Microsoft was developing new versions of its Windows system, the slogan that Microsoft engineers used was, "Windows isn't done until Lotus won't run. "

So tell me, why should I trust Microsoft when I install what they call a "security update" that eliminates Google as my search engine, installs Bing, and won't allow me to put Google back on?

 

I have KB3038314 installed on 4/15/2015 on Win 7 Pro and can switch between Google and Bing if I want to. I have Bing disabled and only use Google. Been like that since I installed Win 7 when it first came out. Clean install on this Dell.

 

Interesting. I'm on Win7 Pro also. In the case of mine, there is no question that the removal of KB3038314 was what allowed me to get Google back. I tried several other suggestions, and none had any effect until I tried this, and immediately after, I was able to restore Google and erase Bing.

I'm not sure when exactly I lost Google, but I think it had to be within the last month. I recently installed a number of recommended updates to the computer. I cannot say one way or the other if KB3038314 was one of them. It is very likely that the update was when Google disappeared, and Bing took over.