It will install the ‘Microsoft Search in Bing’ Chrome extension upon installation of Office 365 ProPlus.
Microsoft is making Bing the default search engine in Chrome — for business users, that is. The tech giant has announced that when enterprise customers install Office 365 ProPlus Version 2002 or update the suite in February, they’ll find that the “Microsoft Search in Bing” extension will also be installed for the Chrome browser. Microsoft says that making Bing the default search engine will allow users “to access relevant workplace information directly from the browser address bar.”
As ZDNet notes, a lot of people aren’t happy about the change. And Microsoft seems to have expected the negative feedback, because its announcement includes instructions on how to exclude the extension from the installation or the upgrade. The tech giant also clarified that users stop can using Bing as the default search engine by toggling it off or by completely uninstalling it from devices. Those whose companies use Office 365 ProPlus may want to take note in case they’d rather search via Google like always.
For now, Microsoft will only forcibly install the extension for customers in certain regions, namely Australia, Canada, France, Germany, India, the UK and the US. However, the company may add other locations over time.
