Opera sometimes sets Yandex as the default search engine in certain countries (like Russia, Kazakhstan, and a few others) because of a partnership. It can also happen if your browser locale is set to one of those regions, or if an extension/malware is changing it.
Try these steps in order:
-
Check extensions
Type opera://extensions in the address bar. Disable or remove anything you don’t recognize (especially search-related ones). -
Set Google as default again
Go to opera://settings/searchEngines.
Make sure Google is set as the default under -
“Search engine used in the address bar.”
Also check the list and remove any unwanted engines if possible. -
Hide the start page search bar (if Yandex shows there)
-
Go to opera://settings/startPage and turn off the search field on the start page. Then always search from the address bar (top of the browser).
Check your language/locale -
Go to opera://settings/languages. Put English (or your preferred language) at the top and set it as the display language. Restart Opera.
Extra checks if it still changes -
Scan your computer with Windows Defender or another antivirus for unwanted software.
-
Try creating a new Opera profile (or reinstall Opera completely) to test if the problem stays.
After changing the setting, close Opera fully and open it again to see if Google sticks.
