As the world of technology changes rapidly, internet users’ search engine preferences are also diversifying. One of the recent developments that attracts attention is the use of the ChatGPT search engine developed by OpenAI as an alternative to Google. The rich and personalized results that ChatGPT offers lead many users to set this search engine as their default. So, how to make ChatGPT the default search engine instead of Google? In this guide, we will take a step-by-step look at how you can set ChatGPT as the default search engine in popular browsers.
First of all, it is worth remembering that this feature is only active for ChatGPT Plus subscribers. Web search for free accounts is not yet available. If you are a ChatGPT Plus subscriber, here are the details on how you can replace Google with ChatGPT in Chrome, Edge and other browsers.
How to replace Google with ChatGPT in Chrome browser?
It’s pretty easy to make ChatGPT the default search engine for Google Chrome users. OpenAI offers users a practical solution by developing a special browser extension for this process. When you install this extension, ChatGPT is automatically set as your browser’s default search engine. So, how can you do this? Here are the steps:
- Download the ChatGPT search engine extension for Chrome.
- Install the extension.
- Enable the extension and set it as the default search engine.
Additionally, if you don’t want to replace Google entirely, you can add ChatGPT to Chrome’s shortcut search options. So, you can search directly from ChatGPT by typing a shortcut in your browser’s address bar. For example, by typing “@chatgpt” and then entering your search term, you can search with ChatGPT without having to go to Google. To do this, you can follow these steps:
- Go to Chrome settings.
- Select the “Search Engine” section.
- Click on “Manage search engines and site searches”.
- Click the “Add” button under “Site search”.
- Type “ChatGPT” as the name.
- Set the shortcut to “@chatgpt” or any other command you prefer.
- Type and add “https://chatgpt.com/?q=%s” in the URL section.
Once you have completed this process, you can do a quick search on ChatGPT by typing, for example, “@chatgpt today’s weather”. Thus, making calls with ChatGPT becomes very practical.
How to use ChatGPT instead of Google in Microsoft Edge?
Since Microsoft Edge is also Chromium-based, the ChatGPT extension can be used in this browser as well. However, due to Microsoft’s insistence on keeping the Bing search engine as the default, you may encounter some obstacles in making ChatGPT the default search engine. You are likely to receive a warning message when you want to install the ChatGPT extension. Once you accept this message and change the settings, you can start using ChatGPT as the default search engine.
If you don’t want to change the default engine, it’s possible to create search engine shortcuts in Edge, just like in Chrome. Using this method, you can add ChatGPT and easily search from the address bar. To do this:
- Go to Edge settings.
- Click on the “Privacy, Search and Services” tab.
- Go to “Address bar and search”.
- Select “Manage search engines”.
- Enter the required information to add ChatGPT.
With these steps, you can make quick and easy calls using ChatGPT via Microsoft Edge.
How to use ChatGPT in other browsers?
Setting ChatGPT as the default search engine in popular browsers such as Safari and Firefox offers more limited opportunities. Safari only allows the use of certain search engines by default, and ChatGPT is not currently on this list. Therefore, direct use of ChatGPT is not possible for Safari users.
The situation is no different for Firefox users. To set ChatGPT as the default search engine in Firefox, OpenAI needs to develop a browser extension. However, this extension is not yet available. However, Firefox users can expect a ChatGPT extension to be released in the future.
Although it is possible for the ChatGPT extension to work in browsers such as Vivaldi, the default search engine did not change in the tests. However, Vivaldi users can choose this engine by adding ChatGPT to the list of search engines. For this, the option to add a search engine can be used from the settings.
Despite all these options, using ChatGPT as the default search engine poses different challenges in different browsers. While the ChatGPT extension provides convenience especially for Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge users, it must be said that this process is not currently possible in browsers such as Safari and Firefox. Considering the rich and detailed search results that ChatGPT offers, it is anticipated that this transition may be beneficial for many users.