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How to replace Google with ChatGPT — try these 5 easy steps

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Make ChatGPT your default search engine

ChatGPT Search on iPhone
(Image credit: Future)

Let's face it. Traditional search engines can feel like a game of link-hopping, where you're constantly clicking through websites to piece together the information you need.

That's where ChatGPT's search capabilities come in, offering a more conversational and comprehensive way to find what you're looking for.

ChatGPT excels at providing detailed explanations and pulling together information from multiple sources into coherent answers.

With the ChatGPT Search extension, you can transform your Chrome browser to harness this AI for everyday searches.

Instead of bouncing between tabs and skimming articles, you get thorough responses right away.

Whether you're diving into complex topics or just trying to understand something a bit better. Here's how to do it.

What is ChatGPT search?

(Image: © Shutterstock)

ChatGPT Search is a tool that integrates OpenAI's language model into your browser, providing direct answers instead of a list of links. Unlike traditional search engines, it uses information from multiple sources.

Available as a Chrome extension, it requires a ChatGPT Plus subscription and presents an alternative way to navigate and interpret online information.

1. Install the extension

(Image: © Future)

Visit this page and click Download Chrome Extension.

2. Add to chrome

(Image: © Future)

Next, click Add to Desktop. If you're installing the ChatGPT Search extension on mobile, you'll need to sign into chrome and enable sync. Then confirm in the pop-up window.

3. Pin the extension

(Image: © Future)

Click the puzzle-piece icon in Chrome's top-right corner and pin ChatGPT Search by clicking the pin icon until it turns blue.

4. Enable the service

(Image: © Future)

Ensure you have a ChatGPT Plus account to use the service. Then select the blue globe icon to activate ChatGPT Search.

5. Start searching

(Image: © Future)

Type your queries directly into Chrome's address bar. ChatGPT Search will automatically provide AI-powered results.

Now that you've learned how to try ChatGPT Search, why not check out our other AI articles? ChatGPT can help you craft the perfect cover letter to make you stand out and even write a better resume. And if you're new to ChatGPT's reasoning model o3-mini, here are 5 prompts to try first.

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Kaycee Hill
Kaycee Hill
How-to Editor

Kaycee is Tom's Guide's How-To Editor, known for tutorials that skip the fluff and get straight to what works. She writes across AI, homes, phones, and everything in between — because life doesn't stick to categories and neither should good advice. With years of experience in tech and content creation, she's built her reputation on turning complicated subjects into straightforward solutions. Kaycee is also an award-winning poet and co-editor at Fox and Star Books. Her debut collection is published by Bloodaxe, with a second book in the works.

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