Updated 1 week ago
Posted on
February 12, 2020

Microsoft will no longer Force Bing as Default Search Engine

Summary
Microsoft reversed its plan to automatically deploy a browser extension that would change the Chrome default search engine to Bing through Office 365 ProPlus version 2002. After widespread negative feedback, the extension will no longer ship by default. Administrators can opt in to deploy it through the Microsoft 365 admin center, and deployment will be limited to AD-joined devices only.

We all know that Microsoft’s recent plan about automatically deploying a browser plugin that changes browser’s search engine to Bing. With the new update of Office 365 ProPlus – version 2002, an extension will be added to the Google Chrome browser.

This update planned to roll out from the middle of Feb 2020. But, most customers don’t want Office 365 ProPlus to change their browser settings, and it should be disabled by default. And also, they need a way to govern this setting in unmanaged devices.

After getting more negative feedback, Microsoft has dropped its plan on the new browser plugin and made a new update on Feb 11, 2020.

Bing extension in Microsoft Search

Following changes are listed in the new update:

  • Bing browser extension will not be automatically deployed for Office 365 ProPlus.
  • Administrators can opt in to deploy browser extension through Microsoft 365 admin center.
  • In the future, Office 365 ProPlus will only deploy Bing extension in AD- joined devices if they opted in.
  • Microsoft will add a new setting to govern the deployment of browser extension in unmanaged devices.
  • Microsoft will continue to provide end-users who receive the extension with control over their search engine preference.

Due to these changes, the Microsoft Search in Bing extension won’t ship with Version 2002 of Office 365 ProPlus.

Now, I can hear your scream of joy!

About the author

O365Reports Content Team is a specialized group of domain experts across Microsoft Entra, Exchange, SharePoint, Teams, Intune, Active Directory and security. Their work focuses on administration, governance, and configuration guidance that reflects real environment conditions. This helps IT teams apply settings correctly and maintain consistent operational control.

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