Microsoft will force Bing as the default search engine in Chrome for Office 365 ProPlus customers

Bing (Image credit: Windows Central)

What you need to know

Office 365 ProPlus users will have Bing become their default search engine in Chrome soon.
Microsoft will forcibly install the Microsoft Search in Bing extension on any system with Office 365 ProPlus that doesn't have Bing set as the default search engine.
People on Reddit and GitHub expressed frustration with what they call browser hijacking by Microsoft.

Office 365 ProPlus customers will soon have the Microsoft Search in Bing extension forcibly installed in the Chrome browser (via ZDNet). The extension will be installed beginning with Office 365 ProPlus version 2002, which is set to start rolling out in February. The extension will roll out first to Australia, Canada, France, Germany, India, the United Kingdom, and the United States, but other countries will receive it over time. A Microsoft document outlines the upcoming change and further explains Microsoft Search in Bing.

The extension allows people to access enterprise search powered by Microsoft Search, including viewing SharePoint suites, OneDrive content, and Microsoft Teams and Yammer conversations. The extension also makes Bing the default search engine for the browser you install the extension on.

While the features provided by Microsoft Search in Bing may be nice in some cases, many people expressed frustration online over the forced switch. A Reddit thread included hundreds of comments on the topic, many of which are negative. People on GitHub expressed similar frustrations. A common phrase people use in these threads is browser hijacking, claiming that Microsoft is trying to force people to use its services by hijacking Google Chrome.

People's main concern seems to be the forced nature of the switch. There are ways to exclude the extension from being installed with either the Office Deployment Tool or a Group Policy, but these aren't the same as making it a simple option. ZDNet points out that you can uninstall the extension after its forced installation.

Sean Endicott is a news writer and apps editor for Windows Central with 11+ years of experience. A Nottingham Trent journalism graduate, Sean has covered the industry’s arc from the Lumia era to the launch of Windows 11 and generative AI. Having started at Thrifter, he uses his expertise in price tracking to help readers find genuine hardware value.

Beyond tech news, Sean is a UK sports media pioneer. In 2017, he became one of the first to stream via smartphone and is an expert in AP Capture systems. A tech-forward coach, he was named 2024 BAFA Youth Coach of the Year. He is focused on using technology—from AI to Clipchamp—to gain a practical edge.