Everything you can do from Google Chrome’s address bar (besides running searches)

It usually does really only used by developers, but the address bar and search bar at the top of the Google Chrome interface have an official name: the omnibox. It reflects the multi-functionalities of this small text field, as it is capable of doing much more than looking up URLs and running searches on Google.

When you know about everything the omnibox can do, you can save time jumping between different apps and websites and get things done faster. What’s more, Google is constantly adding new features to the omnifield. Most recently, as you might expect, the company added an integration with Gemini AI.

Here are a few of our favorites – just remove the quotes around the text samples below to get the code to enter in the omnibox.

Chat with the Twins

We just mentioned the latest upgrade to the Chrome omnibox, so we might as well start here: type “@gemini” in the address bar, then a space, then your chatbot prompt. Here Enterand the query is run in Google Gemini. Chrome will use any flavor of Gemini included with your Google account (so Gemini Advanced if you’re a paying user).

Perform conversions

Any kind of conversion you need, the almighty omnibox can take care of it for you: Turn kilometers into miles, or dollars into euros, or days into months. All you have to do is write the desired conversion in a way that makes sense. Chrome is pretty good at figuring out what you’re trying to do, so you can type in, for example, “£34 in US dollars” and it’ll know you’re looking for a conversion. You should immediately see the result displayed below – no need to press Enter.

Run basic calculations

On a related note, you can also run simple calculations from the Chrome omnibox without having to press Enter. Anything like “24*8” or “352+91” will immediately show a result below – as will “24*8-352+91” – and you can use parentheses if you need part of the sum calculated first . If you press Enter afterwards, the full Chrome calculator will open.

Check the weather

Want to know the weather, anywhere? Chrome will tell you.Courtesy of David Nield

Chrome can report live weather conditions from the omnifield. Just type “weather” (no need to press Enter) to see a mini description of the current conditions wherever you are. Note that this only gives the most accurate result if Chrome has access to your current location. Add a city, town or zip code to the end to see the conditions in that location and tap Enter upon your inquiry for a more detailed forecast.

Search your bookmarks

You can search through your Chrome bookmarks directly from the omnibox without having to open the browser’s integrated bookmark manager. You’ll first need to enter the name of one of your bookmarks folders so Chrome knows what you’re trying to do, and you can then type any word or phrase to see instant results for pages stored in that bookmarks folder .

Make notes in Chrome

If you need to quickly get some thoughts down in Chrome and you don’t want to start a separate program, the code “data:text/html”, followed by Enter will give you a blank tab to type on. It’s not the most advanced of text editors—there’s no formatting and no autosave—but it works well as a quick note-taking solution.

Get quick definitions

If you’re unsure what a certain word means, Chrome can tell you, and you don’t have to leave the page you’re currently on to find out the definition. Type “define”, then a space, so the word you want the meaning for and a basic definition will appear underneath. Tap to return to the URL of the page you were viewing Esc to remove the definition.

Screenshot of typing defines cornucopia in Chrome address bar

The Chrome omnibox can define any word for you.Courtesy of David Nield

Create new documents

You can quickly create new documents, spreadsheets or presentations in the Google online office suite by typing “docs.new”, “sheets.new” or “slides.new” in the omnibox. When you press Enterthe new file is created in Google Drive for the current Google account. Use Shift+Enter at your command.

There are a number of things .new shortcuts can be launched and Google continues to add new options.

Start new emails

There is a similar trick for creating new emails in the default email client on your computer: Type “mailto:” and press Enter to open a blank email. You can also pre-fill the To: field with the destination address by writing it after a colon if you know it. To set the default email client on Windows, select Apps > Standard Apps from Settings; over to macOS, select Mail > Settings > General from Apple Mail.

Run instant Google searches

In many Google searches, you get the answer from the list of links on the results page. These “instant” searches also work in Chrome. Ask about facts (like the height of the Eiffel Tower or the mass of Jupiter), the ages of celebrities, the days until a certain date, current stock prices of a company, the size of countries, the authors of books, and so on.

Leave a Comment