Browser Homepage Changed by Itself
The browser opens to a different homepage than usual, or searches go through a different search engine than the one you set, without you having changed it deliberately.
Quick answer: A homepage or search engine that changes on its own is a classic sign of a browser hijacker, usually installed alongside a free program without you fully noticing during setup. It's generally fixable by resetting browser settings and removing the responsible extension.
Likely causes
- A browser extension or bundled program changing settings during installation
- A "free" software installer that included additional, unwanted changes during setup
- In some cases, malware modifying browser settings directly
What you can safely check yourself
- Check the browser's extensions and remove anything unfamiliar
- Manually reset the homepage and default search engine in browser settings
- Check Settings > Apps for anything installed around the time the change happened
When it needs a proper look
If the setting keeps reverting after you fix it manually, that points to something still active on the computer and worth a proper clean-up.