Searching with Google in Microsoft Word: A Step-by-Step Guide

Have you ever found yourself needing to quickly look up information while working on a Microsoft Word document? Look no further! I’ll show you how to seamlessly search the web using Google, without having to leave Word.

First things first, I want you to know that performing a Google search within Microsoft Word is a breeze. By following these simple steps, you’ll save valuable time and keep your focus intact.

Step 1: Open Microsoft Word

To begin, launch Microsoft Word on your computer. Ensure you have a stable internet connection, as this is crucial for successful searches.

Step 2: Access the Web Toolbar

Now, locate the Web Toolbar, situated at the top of the Word window. If you can’t spot it, don’t fret! Simply go to the “View” menu, select “Toolbars”, and check the “Web” option.

Step 3: Enter Your Search Query

Once the Web Toolbar is visible, click on the search box. It’s time to unleash your curiosity! Type in the search term or question you want to find answers to.

Remember, just like in regular Google searches, you can use keywords, phrases, or even full questions. Anything that helps you find the information you need!

Step 4: Launch the Search

Ready for the magic to happen? Simply hit the “Enter” key on your keyboard or click the magnifying glass icon next to the search box. Almost instantaneously, the search results will appear within the Web Toolbar.

How convenient is that? You no longer have to navigate away from your Word document to seek information!

Step 5: Explore and Evaluate Results

Now that you have the search results right in front of you, take a moment to browse through them. Preview the page titles and snippets to determine which sources are most relevant to your inquiry.

If a particular result catches your eye, simply click on it to view the full web page in your default browser. Feel free to bookmark pages or take notes for future reference.

Step 6: Refine or Revise Your Search

Didn’t find what you were looking for? No problem! You have the power to refine or revise your search right from the Web Toolbar.

Experiment with different keywords or try rephrasing your question. Remember, Google is a powerful search engine that can understand various search queries, even those that aren’t perfectly worded.

Step 7: Finish and Resume Your Work

After exploring the search results and satisfying your curiosity, it’s time to close the Web Toolbar. You can do this by clicking the “X” button on the right-hand side of the toolbar.

With the search complete, you can now resume your work in Microsoft Word with renewed focus and the knowledge you gained from your search.

So, there you have it! Searching the web without leaving Microsoft Word is not only simple but also efficient. Give it a try, and harness the power of Google right at your fingertips!

Including a very useful feature, Microsoft Word 2013 lets me search the web for a selected word or phrase. Not surprisingly, the default search engine for this feature is Microsoft’s Bing. While Bing does have some unique features that can be helpful for specific types of searches, I imagine most people would prefer to use Google when searching directly from within Office. Unfortunately, Microsoft hasn’t provided a simple way for us to change Word’s search engine, like they have for Internet Explorer. However, there is still a way to change the search engine to Google by making a quick visit to the Windows registry. Here’s how you can do it.

Changing Word’s Default Search from Bing to Google

First, I need to open the Windows Registry Editor. I can do this by searching for “regedit” from the Start Screen if I’m using Windows 8. If I’m using any other version of Windows, I can press the Windows Key + R to open the Run box, and then type “regedit” into the input field. Once I have the Registry Editor open, I can use the navigation hierarchy on the left to go to the following location:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\15.0\Common\General

To change the Word search engine, we need to make two new values. First, right-click on an empty space on the right side of the window and choose New > String Value. Call the first value SearchProviderName. Then repeat the same step to create a second String Value and name it SearchProviderURI, remembering that the last letter is a capital ‘i’ and not a lowercase ‘L’.

Next, double-click on SearchProviderName and type Google into the Value Data field. Press OK to save the change. Then, open SearchProviderURI and enter the following address into its Value Data field:

http://www.google.com/search?q=

Once both changes are made to the registry, you can go back to Word and give it a try (no need to restart Word or reboot your computer). The right-click menu will now display “Search with Google” instead of “Search with Bing.” This method will open your default browser in Windows for all search queries made this way.

Change the Default Search in Word from Bing to Yahoo

As you can see from the steps above, there’s no magic to changing the default Word search engine. Just provide the correct external search address in the SearchProviderURI entry and name it appropriately in the SearchProviderName entry.
For example, if you prefer Yahoo instead of Google, use the following values instead of the ones mentioned above:

SearchProviderName = Yahoo
SearchProviderURI = http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=

Make sure to provide a properly formatted address for an external search. You can’t simply use ‘google.com’ or ‘yahoo.com’. However, with the correct formatting, you can use almost any search provider you want.