Google Chrome gets five new address bar tweaks to make your life a bit easier

Address Bar updates

Chrome announced in a Keyword blog post yesterday that it’s rolling out five significant improvements to its address bar. These changes aim to make your web browsing experience smoother and more efficient, without the need for intricate URL knowledge, saving you time and frustration. Seriously, some of these are pretty cool!

First on the list is smarter autocomplete. In the past, Chrome would only suggest URLs if you correctly entered the beginning of the website’s address. For example, to visit Google Flights, you had to type “google.com” accurately. However now, on Chrome for desktop, you can simply type any word associated with the website you’re looking for. For instance, typing “flights” will lead you directly to “https://www.google.com/travel/flights.”

You can finally search your Bookmarks

Managing a multitude of bookmarks is no longer a headache either. Chrome’s address bar allows you to search within your bookmark folders! If you’ve got a hefty collection of bookmarks (I don’t anymore), this feature is sure to be a lifesaver. You can simply include the folder name in your search, and Chrome will provide suggestions from that specific collection, helping you find your saved web treasures with ease.

Chrome will now recommend popular websites

Next, if you’ve ever found yourself drawing a blank when trying to remember the name of a recommended website, Chrome will now suggest popular sites as soon as you start typing. Lastly, Chrome’s address bar is not only a quicker draw, but also more legible. Google says it’s improved the “visual layout” of the Omnibox, and also the speed, meaning results will appear in the blink of an eye the moment you touch your keyboard.

Our Thoughts

We’ve seen Google do a lot in the way of accessibility this year and last. This has most notably been seen in its recent Pixel Camera update, but even across the board, it’s clear that the company is thinking not only about those who need these tools, but also those who want them. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve transposed a letter in a URL only to hit enter, get a blank page, and then have to click back into the box and try again.

I can also see how suggesting popular websites will be useful to regular users out of the box so that they can get to what they’re familiar with quicker on their shiny, new Chromebooks. The great news is that this update is appearing across not only the web, but mobile too. Searching bookmarks is something I do more on my phone than my desktop, even though I have relatively few of them. Let me know in the comments which update is your favorite!