Add a search engine

Open Settings → Search → Default search engine and pick the provider you want. Searches entered in the address bar are sent to that provider. Its own privacy policy applies.

If your build offers Add search engine, enter a descriptive name and the provider’s valid search URL with a search-term placeholder as requested by the app. Some websites can also offer a discoverable search engine. Test a harmless query before relying on it.

Remote search suggestions can send typed terms before you press Search. Review address-bar suggestion switches if that tradeoff matters to you. History and bookmark suggestions can come from local data.

If a custom engine does not work, check that its URL is HTTPS, supports the required query parameter and is reachable on your network. Remove unused engines from Search settings.

A custom engine needs a search URL that accepts a query term in the format the app requests. Copy it from the provider’s own instructions; do not paste a one-time search-results URL with your private query already embedded.

A provider receives the searches you submit and may log an IP address, account identifier or cookies. Search suggestions can also send partial typed queries if enabled. Read the provider policy independently from Nirvana’s notice.