How to remove Yahoo search engine from Chrome

Google is the default search engine in the Chrome web browser because both are products of Google. However, malware or potentially unwanted programs (PUPs) can automatically switch the default search engine from Google to Yahoo.

Here's how to remove Yahoo search engine and avoid the hassle of having to change it back over and over again.

Set your preferred search engine as default

Chrome allows users to use a variety of search engines, with default options including Bing, DuckDuckGo, Yandex, and Yahoo. First, check which search engine your browser is using as its default. If it is Yahoo, you can change Chrome's default search engine to Google.

1. Click the three vertical dots in the upper right corner and select Settings .
2. Navigate to the Search Engine tab from the left sidebar.
3. Click Manage Search Engines and Site Search .
4. If Yahoo is set as the default, tap the three vertical dots next to Google and click Make Default .

Switching your default search engine to Google will temporarily fix the problem. However, it may automatically revert back to its previous state after a few days. So, to make this change ineffective, you will have to delete Yahoo and other search engines.

Remove Yahoo search engine from Chrome

In Chrome, you can remove Yahoo from your search engine list to reduce the chance that your browser will default to Yahoo again.

1. Click the three vertical dots in the upper right corner and select Settings .
2. From the left sidebar, navigate to Search Engine .
3. Click Manage Search Engines and Site Search .
4. Click on the three vertical dots right next to Yahoo.
5. Press Delete .

Additionally, you can remove all other search engines, except Chrome, from the list if they become the default option. Then your browser cannot default to Yahoo again.

Identify and remove PUP programs

If your Google search engine is replaced by Yahoo, you should remove any potentially unwanted programs (PUPs) that may be causing the problem, especially those related to Yahoo.

To do this, type Control Panel in Windows Search , open the Control Panel app , and go to Programs and Features . Here, look for any suspicious programs that might be related to Yahoo, right-click each one, and select Uninstall .

Run a security check on your computer

If none of the previous fixes worked, it's time to scan your computer for hijacked browsers or malicious files that need to be removed. Run a Microsoft Defender virus scan to remove hidden, potentially harmful files.

Microsoft Defender will detect threats and notify you of their severity. If any malware or threats are found, remove them immediately. Depending on the amount of data on your system, the scan may take some time.

If you encounter this issue on macOS, check your MacBook for malware and remove any you find.

None of the fixes worked? Reinstall Chrome!

As a last resort, you can try reinstalling Chrome. First, uninstall Chrome and its related files before reinstalling.

Windows users can refer to this article on how to uninstall a program in Windows , while macOS users can refer to this guide on how to uninstall a program on a Mac .

After uninstalling Chrome using these instructions, delete any remaining files to make sure there's no leftover data. Then, install a fresh copy of Chrome.