Export, Save, Migrate or Transfer IE7 Search Providers List

Internet Explorer 7 (IE7) has built in search built-in instant search box on the top right corner of IE window, providing an easy way to initiate web search. The search done by the IE7 instant search is actually depending on which Search Provider you choose. You can add in as many Search Providers as you want, such as Google, AOL, Ask.com, Yahoo!, Windows Live Search (included by default), Amazon, ESPN, MTV, Expedia, Wikipedia, Amazon and etc. However, if you format your computer, or change your computer, the IE7 Search Providers list will be lost. To keep it, there is a hack and trick to export and save the Search Providers list, which can then be copied, transfered or migrated to new computer or re-imported after re-installation of Windows Vista or XP operating system.

To backup, export, save or copy, move, migrate and transfer the Search Providers list:

1. On source computer with the IE7 Search Providers list you want to save, open Registry Editor (Click on Start button -> Run and key in “regedit”).
2. Navigate to the the following registry key:

   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\SearchScopes

3. Right click on SearchScopes and choose “Export” on the pop-up right click context menu.
4. In the Export Registry File dialog window, save the file with a name with .reg extension.
5. Copy and move the .reg file that been created to another computer, or to a backup location such as USB flash drive in case you want to format the computer.
6. On the destination computer that you want to import the Search Providers list, double click on the .reg file to import the registry value which contains all the Search Providers for IE7 from source computer. Note that your existing Search Providers list on destination computer may be overwritten.

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This entry was posted on Sunday, March 4th, 2007 at 11:06 pm and is filed under Web Browsers. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.