Is Change Default Search Engine — Search Manager safe to install?

What data it declares

The developer declares that it collects these kinds of data:

• Personally identifiable information such as name, address, email address or age
• Personal communications such as emails, texts or chat messages
• User activity such as clicks, scrolling, keystrokes or network monitoring

The developer also certifies that your data is not sold to third parties outside approved uses, not used for purposes unrelated to the extension's core function, and not used to decide creditworthiness or lending.

The listing links to a privacy policy.

This is the developer's own declaration in the Chrome Web Store. We cannot check it against what the extension does.

What Chrome asks you to allow

When you add it, Chrome asks you to allow it to:

• Read and change your data on a number of websites
• Block content on any page

Derived from the manifest by Chrome's documented rules; the dialog's exact wording depends on your Chrome version and language. Chrome asks again if an update requests more.

What it can reach

Specific sites only: 14 match patterns.

• https://search.oake.life/* only search.oake.life
• https://*.google.com/* google.com and all its subdomains
• https://*.bing.com/* bing.com and all its subdomains
• https://*.yahoo.com/* yahoo.com and all its subdomains
• https://*.duckduckgo.com/* duckduckgo.com and all its subdomains
• https://*.brave.com/* brave.com and all its subdomains
• https://*.ecosia.org/* ecosia.org and all its subdomains
• https://*.yandex.com/* yandex.com and all its subdomains
• https://*.yandex.ru/* yandex.ru and all its subdomains
• https://*.startpage.com/* startpage.com and all its subdomains
• https://*.qwant.com/* qwant.com and all its subdomains
• https://*.searx.me/* searx.me and all its subdomains
• and 2 more

Worth knowing

• Block or redirect requests by rules it declares in advance declarativeNetRequest

Routine for an extension

• Run searches in your default search engine search
• Store data in your browser storage

How usual this is for its category

In Make Chrome Yours · Functionality, 12% of extensions ask for access to every site. This one: Access to specific sites only.

The typical extension there declares 2 browser permissions; this one declares 3 browser permissions.

Counted over the live extensions of the same category after our latest full pass of the store. A share is context, not a verdict: what is normal depends on what the extension is for.

Who uses it and how it is kept up

71 users

• Last updated in the store 49 days ago, on 2026-09-26.
• We have seen 2 new versions in the last 90 days.

What the store shows

• Established publisher The store's badge for publishers with a good record and no history of violations.
• Trader The publisher has declared itself a trader under EU rules.

Has it asked for more over time?

This is the question a permission list on its own cannot answer. An extension that shipped narrow and widened later is a different proposition from one that always asked for the same thing.

1. 2026-09-16Asked for more permissions (17, was 2)

Versions we have seen

1. 2026-09-26Version 1.3.0
2. 2026-09-16Version 1.2.2 · Asked for more permissions (17, was 2)

Who publishes it

ashurbanipaal. This listing has been in the store since 2025-12-09 and was last updated on 2026-09-26.

Similar extensions that ask for less

Listings close to this one in what they say they do, which declare less reach. Less reach is not a verdict on either: compare what each needs for the job.

1. QuerySwitch No site access · 4 permissions 2 users (last published figure)
2. Simple Search Select Access to specific sites only · 1 permission, 1 site pattern 2 users
3. Set Default Search Engine Access to specific sites only · 2 permissions, 11 site patterns 14 users ★ 5.0

How to check or remove it in Chrome

1. Type chrome://extensions in the address bar and find the extension in the list.
2. Open its details. The site access setting shows where it can run; set it to run only on click and it reaches a page only after you press its icon.
3. To uninstall it, choose Remove on the same page.

Questions people ask

What can Change Default Search Engine — Search Manager access?

Specific sites only: 14 match patterns. It declares 3 browser permissions.

What data does Change Default Search Engine — Search Manager collect?

The developer declares that it collects these kinds of data: Personally identifiable information, Personal communications, User activity. This is the developer's own declaration in the Chrome Web Store. We cannot check it against what the extension does.

Has Change Default Search Engine — Search Manager asked for more permissions over time?

Its permissions changed once while we watched, on 2026-09-16.

Does Change Default Search Engine — Search Manager publish a privacy policy?

Yes, the store listing links to a privacy policy.