Microsoft Tricking Bing Users To Thinking They Are On Google

About a month ago, a reader sent me a screenshot of Bing showing this weird search box on its page after you search for Google. I thought it was some weird Microsoft Rewards promotion and took it at that and moved on. I was wrong, tons of publications are now saying this is Microsoft's way of tricking Bing users to thinking they are using Google Search.

First, thanks to Punit for pinging me about this back on December 13th on Bluesky - sorry for not covering it.

Second, this is how it works. If you go to Bing and search for [google] or [search engine] and also [yandex], Bing will anchor you down to a new search box that looks a lot like the Google style. In fact, it hides the Bing and Microsoft branding by anchoring you down just far enough to not see it.

Here is a GIF of it in action:

Notice how when you do the search, Bing anchors the browser down so it tucks away the top bar.

I can imagine a ton of people searching in Bing are typing in Google to find Google Search. The same on Google, I've seen so many people go to Google and search for Google.

Here are static screenshots after I move the browser bar back up to the top of the screen:

This was covered by Mayank Parmar who wrote Microsoft Bing is trying to spoof Google UI when people search Google.com and then it caught on and tons of publications picked it up.

Here are some:

• Bing is trying to trick people into thinking they’re using Google, and it’s really sneaky, 9to5Google
• Microsoft is using Bing to trick people into thinking they’re on Google, The Verge
• Microsoft Bing shows misleading Google-like page for 'Google' searches, Bleeping Computer
• Someone caught Bing tricking people into thinking it was Google, and it's a little concerning, XDA
• Microsoft disguises Bing as Google to fool inattentive searchers, PC World
• Microsoft tricks people into Bing by making it look like Google Search, Neowin
• Google Slams Microsoft’s Bing for ‘Spoofing’ Google Search, The Information

It even hit Techmeme, so I was super wrong not covering it.

A Google executive even slammed this in this tweet which Google reposted on other channels:

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but Microsoft spoofing the Google homepage is another tactic in its long history of tricks to confuse users & limit choice.

New year; new low @Microsoft https://t.co/LKSNNKB7Hy

— Parisa Tabriz (@laparisa) January 6, 2025

Another Googler:

Shameful. https://t.co/2rb1MjT0Fn

— Jeffrey Jose (@jeffjose) January 6, 2025

Here is when Punit notified me of this almost a month ago:

Microsoft is promoting google with doodle.

CC: @rustybrick.com

[image or embed]

— Punit (@punit6008.bsky.social) December 13, 2024 at 5:45 AM

People think that after blogging for over 20 years that I know what stories will hit, I don't always and honestly rarely do:

I can relate, lol. This has happened so many times—like when I ignore some news, thinking it’s nothing or plan to post it later, but then other people start reporting on it, and it gets picked up heavily.

— Mayank Parmar (@mayank_jee) January 6, 2025

I thought this was a non story but man, I was wrong.

Here is a quick video I made a short while after posting this story:

Forum discussion at X.

Update: A couple days after this news came out, Microsoft pulled this down. It was live for at least over a month and then gone after the negative news around this...