The official Google blog was updated on Friday with instructions on how Windows 8 users can "get your Google back". As with any new Windows install, Bing and Internet Explorer are front and center as the default services, and users disoriented by the blocky new experience may be stumbling around trying to figure out how to find alternative services.
Distraught Windows 8 users wanting a more Google-flavored experience are in luck, as they can easily load up Internet Explorer 10 and head over to this website to "get their Google back." It provides links to the Google Search app and the Chrome browser, both optimized for the Modern UI blocky layout and touchscreens.
"The Chrome browser is the same Chrome you know and love, with some customizations to optimize for touchscreens, including larger buttons and the ability to keep Chrome open next to your other favorite apps," said Tamar Yehoshua, Product Management Director of Search at Google. "It delivers the fast, secure web experience you’ve come to expect from Chrome on all your devices."
The new Google Search app features a clean and recognizable user interface, he said, and the new voice search even lets users naturally ask questions to find the results they need. "The image search and image previews are built for swiping. And, as usual, you get immediate results as you type with Google Instant. The doodles you enjoy on special occasions will be right there on the homepage and even show up on the Google tile on your start screen," he added.
The new mini-site is nothing fancy – it merely shows how Windows 8 users can put Google Search on the Start screen and make the Chrome app the default browser. But in case users still can't figure out the two-step process, Google has provided a video demonstration, as shown below.
