Prevent Bing Search Installation in Microsoft 365: A Step-by-Step Guide

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Microsoft has implemented an update within its Office 365 ProPlus suite that introduces a change to the default search experience for users utilizing the Chrome browser. This update installs an extension specifically designed to modify Chrome’s default search engine to Bing. While this move is intended to promote Microsoft Search within enterprise environments, it can be perceived as intrusive by some administrators and users who prefer alternative search providers. Fortunately, Microsoft provides methods for managing this installation through its endpoint management tools, offering IT professionals the control needed to prevent, manage, or remove the Bing Search integration.

Understanding Microsoft Search in Bing is key to comprehending Microsoft’s motivation behind this integration. At its core, Microsoft Search in Bing is an enterprise search solution tailored for organizations using Office 365. It allows users to search not only the public internet but also internal company data sources directly from the Bing search bar. This includes content stored in SharePoint, files in Microsoft OneDrive for Business, emails and calendar items from Exchange, and even information about colleagues from organizational profiles.

The system leverages the power of Microsoft Graph, a developer API that connects various Microsoft 365 services and data. By integrating these data sources, Microsoft Search in Bing aims to provide highly relevant, contextual search results for work-related queries. Users can efficiently find documents, locate information about projects, discover colleagues, find office locations, and access shared resources alongside standard web search results, all within a single interface. This unified search experience is designed to boost productivity within the enterprise ecosystem by making internal information more discoverable.

Despite the potential benefits for enterprise users, automatically changing the default search engine has generated discussion. Microsoft is rolling out this feature in phases, meaning not all users or organizations will encounter it immediately. However, subsequent installations or updates of Microsoft 365 ProPlus are likely to include it. It’s worth noting that the extension will generally not install if Bing is already configured as the default search engine in Chrome, which might offer a temporary workaround for some administrators. For those who wish to avoid this change, or manage it post-installation, several options are available, primarily focusing on administrative control and user-level adjustments.

The methods to manage or prevent the installation of Microsoft Bing Search within Microsoft 365 environments range from proactive configuration before deployment to reactive removal after it has occurred. The strategy chosen will often depend on the organization’s size, its existing IT management infrastructure, and the level of control administrators wish to exert. Enterprises leveraging robust management tools like Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager or Microsoft Intune have the most granular control over the deployment process, enabling them to prevent the extension installation entirely. For individual users or smaller setups without centralized management, post-installation options like changing settings or uninstalling the component directly are available.

Here are the principal ways to handle the Microsoft Bing Search installation:

1. Exclude from Installation during Deployment: This is the recommended proactive approach for IT administrators managing Office 365 ProPlus deployments across multiple machines.
2. Temporarily Switch to Bing (Workaround): A less scalable method, potentially useful in specific, limited scenarios before an update rolls out.
3. Change Default Search Engine (Post-Installation): Allows keeping the Microsoft Search functionality while directing standard web searches to a different engine.
4. Remove the Extension Completely (Post-Installation): A permanent removal of the extension and its associated components.

Let’s delve deeper into each of these methods, starting with the most effective approach for preventing the installation in a managed environment.

1. Exclude from Installation via Deployment Tools¶

For organizations using centralized deployment and management tools, preventing the Bing Search extension from being installed alongside Office 365 ProPlus updates is the most efficient and scalable solution. Microsoft provides administrators with the necessary controls within the standard deployment frameworks. This primarily involves configuring the Office deployment process to specifically exclude the Bing Search component. The tools typically used for this include the Office Deployment Tool (ODT), Group Policy, or unified endpoint management platforms like Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager (formerly SCCM) and Microsoft Intune.

The Office Deployment Tool (ODT) is a command-line utility that allows administrators to customize Office deployments. It uses a configuration file, typically in XML format, to define which Office applications and components should be installed or excluded. To prevent the Bing Search extension, administrators modify their configuration.xml file to add an exclusion rule for this specific feature. This exclusion is often specified using a Product ID or ExcludeApp element within the configuration XML. By including this exclusion in the XML used for deploying or updating Office 365 ProPlus, the Bing Search extension will simply not be installed on the target machines.

Group Policy is another powerful tool for managing settings across Windows domains. Microsoft provides Administrative Templates (.admx files) for Microsoft 365 Apps, which include granular settings for various features. Administrators can import these templates into their Group Policy infrastructure and configure policies related to Microsoft Search in Bing installation for Chrome. Within the Group Policy Management Console (GPMC), administrators can navigate through the administrative templates to find the specific policy setting that controls the installation of this extension and configure it to “Disabled” or an equivalent setting that prevents its deployment. These policies can be linked to specific Organizational Units (OUs) containing the target computers or users.

Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager and Microsoft Intune represent modern management solutions that offer comprehensive endpoint control. These platforms often wrap the capabilities of ODT and Group Policy within a more centralized and graphical interface. When deploying Microsoft 365 Apps using Configuration Manager or Intune, administrators configure the deployment package or application settings. Within the configuration options for the Office deployment, there is typically a specific toggle or setting related to the Microsoft Search in Bing extension for Chrome. By ensuring this option is disabled or unchecked during the setup of the deployment task or configuration profile, administrators can easily prevent the extension from being included in the installation or update package pushed to user machines. This method is highly recommended for large enterprise environments due to its scalability and centralized control.

Regardless of the specific tool used (ODT, Group Policy, ConfigMgr, or Intune), the principle is the same: configure the Office deployment process before the installation or update occurs to explicitly tell the installer not to include the Microsoft Search in Bing extension for Chrome. This proactive approach is the most effective way to avoid the issue altogether across an organization’s devices. IT documentation provided by Microsoft details the specific configuration options and syntax required for each tool, allowing administrators to implement this exclusion precisely.

2. Temporarily Switch to Bing¶

This method is less a blocking strategy and more of a situational workaround based on how Microsoft determines whether to install the extension. The Bing Search extension is designed not to install if Bing is already the default search engine in Chrome. Therefore, an IT administrator, in a controlled scenario or on a limited number of machines, could potentially temporarily set Bing as the default search engine in Chrome just before an Office 365 ProPlus update is scheduled to run. Once the update is complete and the Bing Search extension has been skipped, the administrator can then revert the default search engine back to the user’s preferred choice.

This approach is cumbersome and impractical for large deployments or automated updates, as it requires timely manual intervention or scripting to change browser settings across numerous machines before the update window. It also relies on the specific logic of the installer (that it checks for Bing being the default before installation). While it might work in isolated cases, it is not a recommended long-term or enterprise-wide solution compared to the configuration management methods. It’s primarily noted as a theoretical loophole based on the installation condition.

3. Change Default Search Engine (Post-Installation)¶

If the Microsoft Bing Search extension has already been installed, either because the proactive exclusion wasn’t configured or for individual users without administrative deployments, it is still possible to manage its impact. One option is to keep the extension installed (perhaps because the enterprise search features of Microsoft Search are still desired for work-related queries) but prevent it from changing the default search engine for general web searches. This allows users to perform standard searches using Google, DuckDuckGo, or another preferred engine while potentially retaining access to the integrated Microsoft Search experience for internal searches if the extension’s interface provides that option separately.

Changing the default search engine in Chrome is a user-level setting and straightforward process. Users can open Google Chrome, go to the browser’s settings (usually found by clicking the three vertical dots in the top-right corner and selecting “Settings”), navigate to the “Search engine” section, and choose their desired search engine from the dropdown list. They can also manage search engines, adding or removing options as needed. Once a different default search engine is selected, most web searches initiated from the address bar or new tabs will use that engine instead of Bing. A restart of the browser might be required for the change to take full effect. This method is suitable for individual users who want to regain control over their standard web searches without necessarily uninstalling the entire Bing Search component, which might have enterprise utility.

4. Remove the Extension Completely (Post-Installation)¶

For users or organizations that do not see value in the Microsoft Search in Bing integration and want to remove it entirely after it has been installed, there are direct methods for uninstallation. Unlike simply changing the default search engine in Chrome settings, removing the extension permanently removes the installed software component from the computer. According to Microsoft’s documentation, once removed via this method, the extension should not be reinstalled by subsequent Office 365 ProPlus updates. This is the cleanest approach if the goal is complete removal.

There are two primary ways to uninstall the Microsoft Bing Search component, both requiring local administrator privileges on the affected machine:

Method A: Using Control Panel or Windows Settings (GUI)

This is the standard graphical interface method for uninstalling programs on Windows.
1. Open the Control Panel. You can do this by searching for “Control Panel” in the Windows search bar and clicking the result.
2. In Control Panel, navigate to Programs and then click on Programs and Features.
3. Alternatively, on Windows 10 or 11, you can go to Settings, click on Apps, and then select Apps & features.
4. In the list of installed programs, locate the entry titled “DefaultPackPC” or a similar name associated with Microsoft Search or Bing extensions. The exact name might vary slightly depending on the specific update.
5. Click on the identified program entry.
6. Click the “Uninstall” button (or right-click and select “Uninstall”).
7. Follow any on-screen prompts to complete the uninstallation process. This will remove the Bing Search extension software from the computer.

Method B: Using Command Prompt (CLI)

The command-line method is particularly useful for administrators needing to uninstall the component from multiple machines, as it can be scripted and deployed remotely.
1. Open Command Prompt with administrator privileges. Search for “cmd” in the Windows search bar, right-click on “Command Prompt,” and select “Run as administrator.”
2. If prompted by User Account Control (UAC), click “Yes” to allow the program to make changes.
3. In the elevated Command Prompt window, type the following command exactly as shown and press the Enter key:

```bash
"C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft\DefaultPackMSI\MainBootStrap.exe" uninstallAll
```

4. This command executes the uninstallation utility (MainBootStrap.exe) located within the installation directory of the component, instructing it to uninstall all associated packages.
5. Allow the command to run. There might not be a visible progress bar, but the process runs in the background. Once the command prompt returns to a blinking cursor, the uninstallation is usually complete.

For deploying this uninstallation across an organization, administrators can create a simple batch file (.bat) containing this command. This batch file can then be distributed and executed on target machines using standard software deployment tools such as Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager, Microsoft Intune, Group Policy startup/shutdown scripts, or third-party remote management and monitoring (RMM) software. Automating this process ensures consistent removal across the network without requiring manual intervention on each computer. It’s crucial to ensure the script runs with sufficient permissions (administrator rights) for the uninstallation to succeed.

In conclusion, while Microsoft’s decision to bundle the Bing Search extension and default it to install with Office 365 ProPlus updates has drawn criticism from some corners of the IT community, particularly regarding user choice and potential perception of bundled software, they have simultaneously provided the necessary tools for administrators to manage this feature. Enterprises have robust options to prevent the installation proactively through their existing deployment infrastructure (ODT, Group Policy, ConfigMgr, Intune). For instances where the extension is installed, administrators and users alike have methods to either redirect default web searches or remove the component entirely. Understanding these options empowers IT professionals to maintain control over the software deployed within their organizations and tailor the user experience to meet specific needs and preferences, ensuring that the utility of Microsoft 365 features aligns with organizational policy and user expectations.

We hope this comprehensive guide helps you effectively manage the Microsoft Bing Search installation in your environment. Have you encountered this update? How did you choose to handle it? Share your experiences and questions in the comments below!