How to make Google Chrome search using google.com rather than google.com.hk?

I don't know how Google determines my location; it automatically switches to use google.com.hk. Both google.cn and google.com.hk are inaccessible to me in China, so I want to ensure I always use google.com as the default search site.

I've set the Google language to English, but it doesn't seem to work.

I've also added a custom search rule in Chrome: http://www.google.com/?q=%s as default - however, this will open the google.com starting page whose search input box is filled with the keywords, but is waiting to be clicked to show the search result.

Xiè Jìléi

Posted 2011-06-07T07:29:14.000

Reputation: 14 766

1@ChrisF - Google Chrome is NOT a web app. It's a web browser. This is is therefore not off topic. Even if you do not use Chrome yourself, I'm surprised you don't know this. – NickG – 2015-06-08T12:32:37.577

@NickG - My comment was from four years ago and wasn't to say that the question was off topic, though my close vote from 2 years ago was. I realise you can't specifically flag to reopen. – ChrisF – 2015-06-08T12:36:38.930

@NickG - Except the question is about configuring the Google Search which is a web application, and would not be on topic at Superuser. As for the reason I voted to keep this closed, it already has an accepted answer, and the other answers are valid also. This question being open after all this time would just allow duplicate answers from low reputation user but also because i think its not on topic (IMO). – Ramhound – 2015-06-08T12:58:32.403

1Could you open this question please? – Royi – 2015-07-06T15:34:02.987

https://www.google.com/search?q=%s&gws_rd=cr&fg=1 – OlivierBlanvillain – 2015-08-23T10:29:25.833

See http://webapps.stackexchange.com/questions/4667/how-can-i-access-google-com-outside-the-us and related questions on the Web Applications site

– ChrisF – 2011-06-07T08:07:27.163

Answers

Change the default search engine base URL from google.com.hk to google.com in Chrome's Settings (available from Chrome Menu → Settings → Manage Search Engines). Alternatively you could type chrome://settings/searchEngines in the omnibar to reach that destination.

Sathyajith Bhat

Posted 2011-06-07T07:29:14.000

Reputation: 58 436

This won't do, it needs something beyond. In previous version after using google.com few time a bar would ask if you'd like to switch to google.com. If you accepted it stayed. How can we make the same effect? – Royi – 2015-07-06T15:30:30.120

@MatthewDolman, not true: I replaced the baseURL like XièJìléi and Jaime Cham suggested, and I got the terms suggest (I'm in China).

– Cœur – 2016-02-14T06:51:38.963

3In the preference page, the default google search engine URL is: {google:baseURL}search?{google:RLZ}{google:acceptedSuggestion}{google:originalQueryForSuggestion}sourceid=chrome&ie={inputEncoding}&q=%s, unfortunately simple replace won't work here. – Xiè Jìléi – 2011-06-07T09:04:02.177

6Got it! I should replace {google:baseURL} to http://www.google.com/. – Xiè Jìléi – 2011-06-07T09:06:21.393

6If you do this you will lose the ability for chrome to suggest terms visiting /ncr once fixes the problem permanently (or until you clear cookies) – Matthew Dolman – 2012-10-04T00:08:13.517

5{google:baseURL}... is not editable. – AlikElzin-kilaka – 2013-06-15T21:30:12.203

1@kilaka Just delete the uneditable one and make a new one. – timetofly – 2013-06-28T15:35:00.507

@user371699 - No need to delete anything. Just add a new one and make it the default. – AlikElzin-kilaka – 2013-06-29T06:59:44.077

3I did that, but it keeps using the same regional search engine. – Alan Coromano – 2013-09-01T11:52:02.360

First do as in the other answer and go to the Search Engines editor. The quickest way is to Right-click on the Search Bar.

You cannot, however edit the default "google.com.xx" entry since the URL part is grayed out. It looks like this:

{google:baseURL}search?{google:RLZ}{google:acceptedSuggestion}{google:originalQueryForSuggestion}{google:searchFieldtrialParameter}{google:instantFieldTrialGroupParameter}sourceid=chrome&ie={inputEncoding}&q=%s

What you can do is to create a new entry below, call it "My Google" or something, give it any keyword, and enter as the URL string the same string, substituting the {google:baseURL} part with google.com or whichever domain of Google you want.

www.google.com/search?{google:RLZ}{google:acceptedSuggestion}{google:originalQueryForSuggestion}{google:searchFieldtrialParameter}{google:instantFieldTrialGroupParameter}sourceid=chrome&ie={inputEncoding}&q=%s

Then mouse over it, and hit "Make Default".

(Google changes this every so often on Chrome, so you probably want to grab the latest on the original/built-in search entry, and just update the google:baseURL part).

Jaime Cham

Posted 2011-06-07T07:29:14.000

Reputation: 251

Using this custom address has one issue. Search suggestion (auto-complete) does not work. – Damn Vegetables – 2018-04-30T15:03:00.550

Click on the following link to disable Google country specific redirection. Do NOT click the link if you don't want it disabled, as you will have to delete your Google cookies to re-enable it.

http://www.google.com/ncr

paradroid

Posted 2011-06-07T07:29:14.000

Reputation: 20 970

2It won't last beyond using the tab opened by clicking. – Royi – 2015-07-06T15:33:09.660

@Drazick Sounds like you have cookies disabled or you are using incognito mode. – paradroid – 2015-07-06T16:28:58.117

does this work for the search? From the phrasing of the question I think this is the built in search bar in Chrome, rather than the google page. – tombull89 – 2011-06-07T07:52:15.297

8this is actually the correct answer. The two ones mentioning changing the google base url are bad as you lose the chrome suggest phrase feature. – Matthew Dolman – 2012-10-04T00:07:28.353

I know it is an old thread, but this worked for me:

Go to the search engines editor. Click on 'manage search engines'. Mark the Google entry and change the address to google.com. Then right-click the grayed-out entry and select 'inspect element'. Now the developer tools window will open at the bottom, and the line for this feature will be marked. The last word in the line should read 'disabled'. Double-click this word, which will mark it. Now you can delete it and press enter. This should enable you to enter the greyed-out field in the Google entry above. You will now be able to replace (copy from here and paste there) the contents with

https://www.google.com/search?{google:RLZ}{google:acceptedSuggestion}{google:originalQ‌ueryForSuggestion}sourceid=chrome&ie={inputEncoding}&q=%s

(Change 'https' to 'http', if you don't want the secure protocol.)

Finally press ENTER, and it should be fixed. You should now be able to search on google.com - it worked for me, and maybe it will work for you as well...

John

Posted 2011-06-07T07:29:14.000

Reputation: 51

Ingenious. I hope google doesn't get whiff of this "exploit" - it get's you around group policy stuff and everything! – Marc – 2016-02-02T12:19:50.613

I had the same problem here in Bangkok. Being from the USA I want my search results to display in English and I had my HTC One X set to English and I tried the www.google.com/ncr which worked for everything but the omnibox search results which displayed results in part English and part Thai.

I fixed it by going down to the bottom of the search results page and clicked on Settings (which was displayed in Thai so I had to translate) and there I changed all the language settings to English (the list was also in Thai so I had to translate). After saving the changes future pages were displayed in English.

The omnibox still shows www.google.co.th/search... but the search results display in English.

This will not help those that need the search to be in .com but does help others like myself.

Les

Posted 2011-06-07T07:29:14.000

Reputation: 11