Selecting Bing search in Chrome changes New Tab Page
If you set Bing as the default search provider in Google Chrome Canary, a custom New Tab Page is automatically enabled in the browser as well.
Google has introduced a change to its Chrome Canary browser recently that modifies the browser's new tab page if you set Bing as the default search provider in the browser.
The change will irritate at least some users of that particular version, considering that the New Tab Page is not listing popular websites that had been opened previously anymore or options to display other information usually found on it.
Instead, you get a custom made Bing homepage for Google Chrome that you can use to search on Bing, and to use other features that the search engine makes available.
So how does it work?
Note that you need to run Google Chrome Canary for this. If you don't, download it from here if you are interested to see how this works. There is one alternative, open this page on Bing instead: https://www.bing.com/chrome/newtab
It loads the same page with the exception of the bookmarks bar at the top which it does not display for obvious reasons.
- Load chrome://settings/ in the browser's address bar or click on the Hamburger icon at the top right and select the Settings entry from there.
- Locate Search near the top and switch the search engine to Bing.
- Open a new tab page afterwards.
Instead of just changing the default search engine to Bing, which you can use by simply entering text into Chrome's address bar, it is also changing the New Tab page of the browser.
There does not seem to be an option right now to disable that behavior. The only option you have natively is to switch to another search provider to avoid it.
You can alternatively install a browser extension that manipulates the New Tab page. Here is a short selection of potential candidates:
- New Tab Redirect enables you to use any url as the new tab page.
- Modern New Tab Page looks like a basic Windows 8 Metro version.
- Empty New Tab Page displays an empty page.
You find additional New Tab extensions in the Chrome Web Store.
Considering that the feature landed in Canary, it is possible that Google will add an option to Chrome later on to disable the new tab page or use the default one instead while using Bing as the default browser search engine.
What's your take on this?
Hey Martin, this is unrelated to the aricle, but have you noticed that Chrome now requires you to login to your google account in order to install addons???
No I do not see this, not for all extensions? Maybe some only?
Hmm…weird, now it’s working again.
Yesterday I couldn’t install Adblock Plus (or any other addon) on my home computer and work computer. It required login. But now it’s fine.
Just wan’t to say that I like your blog… I usually don’t comment. But I read very often.
Thank you for the post.
This new behavior is frustrating as I relied extensively on the old new tab process. Any suggestions to allow a display mimicking the old?
Is there any advantage of using Bing Search over DuckDuckGoog or IxQuick etc?
Each search engine offers advantages, but if you are concerned about privacy, you should stay away from the big ones especially Google and Bing.
New strategy from Google, annoy the f*** out of Bing users to make them switch to Google search engine. Jk.
I’m kinda surprise Chrome supports additional feature for other search engines.
I keep my new tabs on about:blank
I did this after I realized that in multiple years of using the tab tiles that come with firefox I never actually clicked them.