My Default web browser won't let me choose

Hi,

Safari is a web browser, Google is a search engine. Two different things which you select in two different places.

Browser: Apple Menu > System Preferences > General > Default web browser > select Safari.

Search Engine: Open Safari > Safari Menu > Preferences > Search > Search engine > select something else if you don't want Google

Do you have another browser installed, such as Firefox? If not, it may just show a checkmark. I can't see on mine because I have Firefox installed too, so it gives me a drop down box to choose between the two. I'm wondering if it just shows the checkmark because you don't have another choice, in which case there's nothing to be done, Safari is your default/only browser. If you want to try it out, you could download Firefox or another browser and see if it then gives you a choice, but if you want Safari, and it's already checked, there's no need to go through the effort.

That's definitely the reason for the check mark. I'm not clear on what happens when you "click on a safe link to go to the web, it goes to Google not Safari." What/where is this "safe link;" where did it come from, how/where is it generated? Where does is say "Google" after that? And this still happens after you switched over to DuckDuckGo?

You have Google Chrome installed. That's the browser. I'm not familiar with it, but if the setting in Prefs > General isn't making Safari the default, then there must be a setting in Chrome. Look for Preferences in Chrome, and I suspect you have to select Safari there.

To clarify, Google is a search engine. Google Chrome is a web browser. A little confusing, I know. Try opening Chrome and looking in the Chrome menu for Preferences > Default Browser and see if you can change it to Safari there, or maybe deselect it.

You're welcome.