Google Updates Chrome’s Address Bar with New Features

Image: Google

Google today announced an update for Chrome that lets users search their open tabs, bookmarked webpages, or browsing history right from the browser’s address bar.

“Sometimes, finding the tab or bookmark you’re looking for in Chrome can be tough,” said Google. “Good news: The Chrome address bar on desktop just got an upgrade that can help. Now you can directly search through your Chrome tabs, bookmarks, and history right from the address bar.”

On Chrome, you can now use the @tabs, @bookmarks, and @history shortcuts in the address bar to search through your open tabs, bookmarks, and browsing history, respectively. Google described these tools as “site search shortcuts” that are built directly into Chrome’s address bar.

To use any of these shortcuts, you need to:

1. Type @tabs, @bookmarks, or @history into the Chrome address bar.
2. Click on Search Tabs, Search Bookmarks, or Search History in the suggestions.
3. Type in your search query.

Your query will return a list of suggestions from your open tabs, bookmarks, or browser history, depending on which search shortcut you are using, right in the address bar.

Most of us are guilty of having more Chrome tabs open than we need. The more tabs you have open, the harder it can be to find the one you’re looking for. While Chrome’s tab grouping feature helps you organize your cacophony of open pages, @tabs will let you instantly sift through them to find exactly the one you need.

Alongside these new, built-in search shortcuts, Google also touted “custom site search shortcuts” that can turn your address bar into a dedicated search tool for any website you want. You can create and activate a custom site search shortcut by going to Chrome > Settings > Search Engine > Manage search engines and site search (chrome://settings/searchEngines).

Google recently also gave Chrome a new look on Android tablets.