Microsoft launches tool to set Bing as default search engine

Microsoft has released a specialized tool called ‘Microsoft Recommended Search Settings’ designed to encourage users to set Bing as their default search engine across various web browsers. The application, which is approximately 22 MB in size, is hosted on Microsoft’s official servers but is not currently available in the Microsoft Store.

Upon running the program, users are presented with a welcome screen where the option to set Bing as the default is pre-selected. The tool facilitates the installation of extensions to change settings in Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Brave. Once configured, the application often directs users to the Microsoft Rewards page.

In browsers like Google Chrome, the process triggers a notification regarding the new ‘Microsoft Bing Homepage & Search’ extension. This can lead to a competitive interface where Chrome prompts the user to revert to Google Search, while Microsoft provides warnings that reversing the change may disable certain Bing features, such as daily wallpapers.