there is a tendency Although it’s actually only used by developers, the address bar and search box at the top of the Google Chrome interface has a formal name: Omnibox. This reflects the multipurpose functionality of this small text field, as it can do more than just look up a web address or perform a search on Google.
Knowing everything you can do with Omnibox will save you time navigating between different apps and sites and help you get your work done faster. Additionally, Google is constantly adding new features to Omnibox. Most recently, the company added integration with, you guessed it, Gemini AI.
Here are some of our favorites. Simply remove the quotes around the example text below and you will see the code you need to enter in the address bar.
chat with gemini
We just touched on the latest upgrades to the Chrome Omnibox, so that’s a good place to start. Type @gemini in the address bar, then a space, then the chatbot prompt. Press Enter to run the query in Google Gemini. Chrome uses all flavors of Gemini included in your Google Account (Gemini Advanced for paid users).
Performing the conversion
The powerful Omnibox handles all the conversions you need. Convert kilometers to miles, dollars to euros, or days to months. All you have to do is enter the desired transformation in a meaningful way. Chrome is very good at understanding what you’re trying to do, so if you type, for example, “£34 in USD,” it knows you’re looking for a conversion. You will immediately see the results displayed below. There is no need to press Enter.
perform basic calculations
On a related note, you can also perform simple calculations from the Chrome address bar without having to press Enter. Something like “24*8” or “352+91” will show the result immediately below it, just like “24*8-352+91”. If you need to calculate part of the total first, you can use parentheses. Then press Enter to open the full Chrome Calculator.
check the weather
Want to know the weather somewhere? Chrome will tell you.Courtesy of David Nield
Chrome can report live weather conditions from Omnibox. Just type “weather” (no need to press Enter) and you’ll get a quick description of the current conditions, no matter where you are. Note that you will only get the most accurate results if Chrome can access your current location. Add a town, city, or zip code to the end to see what’s going on in that location, and press Enter after your query to see a more detailed forecast.
Search bookmarks
Search for Chrome bookmarks directly from the address bar without opening your browser’s integrated bookmark manager. You must first enter the name of one of your bookmark folders. This way, Chrome knows what you’re trying to do, and when you type any word or phrase, it instantly shows you the results for pages saved in that bookmarks folder.
Create notes in Chrome
If you need to quickly gather your thoughts in Chrome and don’t want to launch another program, press Enter after the code “data:text/html” and a blank tab will appear where you can type. It’s not the most advanced text editor (there’s no formatting or autosave), but it works well enough as a simple solution for jotting down notes.
Get a simple definition
If you don’t know what a particular word means, Chrome will tell you so you don’t have to leave the page you’re on to look up the definition. Type “define,” followed by a space, then the word you want to find out, and a basic definition will appear below. To return to the URL of the page you were viewing, press Esc to remove the definition.
You can define any word in the Chrome address bar.Courtesy of David Nield
Create a new document
Type docs.new, sheets.new, or slides.new into Omnibox to quickly create new documents, spreadsheets, and presentations in Google’s online office suite. Press Enter to create a new file in Google Drive for your current Google account. To create a new file in a new window (leaving the current window alone), use Shift+Enter after the command.
There are a series of features that can be launched with new shortcuts, and Google continues to add new features.
Start a new email
A similar method exists for composing a new email in your computer’s default email client. Type mailto: and press Enter to open a blank email. If you know the destination address, you can also pre-populate the To: field with the destination address by typing the destination address after the colon. To set the default email client on Windows, select (Settings) > (Apps) > (Default apps). On macOS, from Apple Mail select (Mail) > (Settings) > (General).
Perform an instant Google search
For many Google searches, the answer appears above a list of links on the results page. These “instant” searches also work in Chrome. Ask about facts (such as the height of the Eiffel Tower or the mass of Jupiter), the age of a celebrity, the number of days until a certain date, the current stock price of a company, the size of a country, the author of a book, and more.
