You can search Google from Chrome, Edge or Firefox without installing Google Toolbar. Use the browser’s address bar with Google as its search engine, open google.com as a webpage, or enable a separate search box where the browser supports one.
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Which “Google bar” do you want?
| What you mean | What to change |
|---|---|
| Type a search at the top of the browser | The address-bar search engine. |
| A Google search box in the middle of a page | Open google.com, or set it as a homepage/startup page. |
| A separate box beside Firefox’s address bar | Firefox’s search-bar setting. |
| The search box on a new tab | The browser’s new-tab behaviour, which may be separate. |
Search Google from the address bar
Press Ctrl+L on Windows or Command+L on Mac, type a search and press Enter. If another provider answers, change the address-bar search engine.
- Chrome: Settings > Search engine. Select Change if shown, then choose Google.
- Edge: open its search settings and look for Address bar and search. Choose Google for address-bar searches.
- Firefox: Settings > Search > Default Search Engine.
Our default-search-engine guide has the fuller browser paths. Google’s Chrome guidance confirms that the address bar can handle searches and website addresses.
Put Google on the Home button or at startup
In Chrome, open Settings > Appearance, show the Home button and enter https://www.google.com/ as its page. To open Google when the browser starts, configure On startup separately. These settings do different jobs, as Google’s homepage/startup guide explains.
In Firefox, use the Home settings for your homepage and new windows. In Edge, search Settings for startup or Home button, then enter the page in the matching control. If you need the detailed homepage workflow, see our Google homepage guide.
A Home button does not make a search box stay visible over every website. For a search field that remains in the browser interface, use the address bar or Firefox’s separate box.
Show Firefox’s separate search bar
Open Firefox Settings > Search and, where offered, select Add search bar in toolbar. Mozilla’s search-bar instructions cover the option. This is a browser feature rather than Google’s old Internet Explorer add-on.
Why does a new tab still show another search provider?
Homepage, startup, address-bar searches and new-tab searches can be separate. Test the address bar directly before assuming your change failed. Extensions or work/school policies can also control these settings.
Avoid download adverts promising a required “Google bar installer.” Modern browsers already have search controls; adding an unknown toolbar is unnecessary for this task.