I want to switch to the Ecosia search engine (https://www.ecosia.org).
I am aware you can switch the default search engine, Google, in the settings under "Search engine" to other popular search engines. The problem is that Ecosia is not available as an option.
My current solution is under "Site search", I have saved Ecosia with the shortcut "e" and an appropriate link. Now, whenever I begin my search in the Address Bar with "e", automatically, whatever I type afterwards is searched in Ecosia's search engine. This isn't ideal because I keep forgetting to add the "e" before I search.
Moreover, I've tried overriding the Opera New Tab and replacing it with https://www.ecosia.org instead via extensions. My attempts so far haven't worked. From my understanding, Opera strictly prohibits replacing the New Tab with other sites. I believe that all such extensions are banned in the Opera Add-Ons Store. Any extensions I found on the Chrome Web Store didn't work.
However, my true intention is not to replace the New Tab. The Opera New Tab is beneficial, but I want to use Ecosia, and Opera isn't helping me!
I'd appreciate hearing from others who use search engines that aren't mainstream and your workarounds!