How to Use Google Chrome Address Bar for Search?

Most of us use Google Chrome browser’s address bar to open an URL of a site but the fact is that Google Chrome supports the search function directly from the address bar. The feature of combining search with the address bar is called as omnibox.

When you enter a keyword in the address bar Chrome will suggest the following options:

Google Chrome Omnibox Search

Omnibox removes the need of using separate search box and opening the website every time for search. The power of omnibox relies on the default search engine set for the browser which you can change as explained below.

Setting Search Engine for Omnibox

Open Chrome browser and click on the settings icon (three lines button) located on the upper right corner. Click on the “Settings” tab and then navigate to “Search” section as shown in the picture beside.

Managing Search Engines for Omnibox

Click on the “Manage search engines” button to see default and other search engines stored in the browser. Chrome automatically will index the search engine whenever you use a search box of any site. For example, if you use the search box located in the header section of this site then you will see this site address in the other search engines section as shown in the below picture.

Selecting Default Search Engine in Chrome

Move your mouse over any of the links to see the “Make default” button. Click on it to make that search engine as a default search engine for your omnibox. You can also enter your own search engine details in the input box and make it as a default one.