Search Google or Type a URL: What It Means & How to Use It in 2026

Every time you open a new tab in Google Chrome, you see the words Search Google or type a URL. But what does this message actually mean, and what should you enter in that box?

Chrome’s address bar lets you do both. You can type a search query to find information on Google or enter a website’s URL to visit it directly. You can also use it to revisit websites, get search suggestions, and change your default search engine.

In this guide, we’ll explain how the feature works, how to use it, and how to manage your search settings and browsing suggestions.

What “Search Google or type a URL” means

The phrase is a prompt, not a command. Chrome shows it in two places:

• The address bar at the top of the browser (Google calls it the “omnibox”). When it’s empty, the grey hint text tells you what you can type.
• The search box on the New Tab page, just under the Google logo. Clicking it usually moves your cursor up into the address bar anyway.

The two options it describes are simple:

• Search Google: type words, a question, or a phrase. Chrome sends it to your default search engine and shows the results.
• Type a URL: type a web address such as indeedseo.com or https://www.wikipedia.org. Chrome skips the search page and opens the site directly.

A URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is just the full address of a page on the web. You don’t need to type the “https://” or “www” part; Chrome fills those in for you.

Why so many people search this exact phrase: many users see the hint text, aren’t sure what it wants, and type the phrase itself into the box. If that’s how you landed here, nothing is wrong. Just type what you’re looking for instead.

Search or URL: how Chrome decides

Chrome looks at what you type. If it looks like a web address, it opens the site. If it doesn’t, it searches.

A few habits make this work better:

• Include the ending (.com, .in, .org) when you want a specific site. “amazon” searches; “amazon.in” goes straight there.
• Use the suggestions. As you type, Chrome lists matching sites from your history, bookmarks, and popular searches. Press the down arrow and Enter to pick one.
• Search inside a site. Type a site name like youtube.com, press Tab, and then type your search. Chrome searches that site directly instead of Google (works for sites Chrome has learned).

Where you’ll see it on different devices

The wording changes slightly by device and browser, but the box works the same way everywhere.

If your browser shows a different search engine’s name in the box (for example “Search Bing or type a URL”), it just means that engine is your default. The next section shows how to change it.

How to change the search engine Chrome uses

Google is the default, but you can switch to Bing, DuckDuckGo, Yahoo, Ecosia, or another engine in under a minute.

On a computer (Windows or Mac):

1. Type chrome://settings/search in the address bar and press Enter.
2. Next to “Search engine used in the address bar”, click Change (or open the dropdown).
3. Pick the engine you want.

On Android or iPhone:

1. Open Chrome and tap the three dots (More).
2. Tap Settings > Search engine.
3. Tap the engine you want. The change saves instantly.

To switch back, repeat the same steps and choose Google.

How to remove or turn off address bar suggestions

Chrome’s suggestions come from your browsing history, bookmarks, and popular searches. They’re useful, but sometimes an old or embarrassing page keeps popping up.

Remove one suggestion:

• On Windows, highlight it with the arrow keys and press Shift + Delete.
• On Mac, highlight it and press Shift + Fn + Delete.
• In newer Chrome versions you can also hover over the suggestion and click the X next to it.

Clear all of them: open chrome://settings/clearBrowserData, tick Browsing history, choose a time range, and click Delete data.

Turn off search suggestions entirely: in Chrome settings, open You and Google > Sync and Google services and switch off Autocomplete searches and URLs. Chrome will still show your bookmarks and history, but it stops sending what you type to Google for predictions.

Menu names shift a little between Chrome versions. If you can’t find an option, type its name into the search bar at the top of the Settings page.

Is it safer to search or type the URL?

For sites that handle money or passwords, typing the address yourself (or using a bookmark) is the safer habit. Scammers sometimes run look-alike ads and fake pages that appear above the real site in search results.

Keep these in mind:

• Watch for typos. “paypa1.com” or “amaz0n.in” can lead to copycat sites built to steal logins.
• Bookmark your bank, email, and shopping sites so you never have to search for them.
• Check the address after the page loads. The real domain should match exactly, and the connection should use https.
• Be careful with “Sponsored” results when you’re looking for an official site; scroll to the first organic result or type the address instead.

For everyday questions, searching is perfectly fine. The address bar is just the fastest way to do both.

What this means if you run a business website

Every visit to your website starts in that same box. People either type your address because they already know you, or they search for what you sell and pick from the results. You need to win both.

When people search: most customers don’t know your URL yet. They type things like “dentist near me” or “best CRM for small teams.” Showing up for those searches is what search engine optimization is about: the right keywords on the right pages, content that answers real questions, and a site Google can crawl easily. If you serve a city or region, local SEO and a complete Google Business Profile matter even more, because that’s what appears on the map and in “near me” results.

When people type your URL: that’s your brand at work. A short, easy-to-spell domain and a name people remember turn one-time visitors into direct, repeat traffic.

When the answer shows up before the click: Google’s AI Overviews and assistants like ChatGPT now answer many questions right on the results page. Getting your business cited there is called answer engine optimization, and it relies on clear, well-structured content.

If your site isn’t appearing when people search for you at all, start with a technical SEO audit to catch indexing, speed, or crawl problems first.

The bottom line

“Search Google or type a URL” simply means Chrome’s address bar does two jobs: type words to search, or type an address to go straight to a site. You can change the search engine it uses, clean up its suggestions, and stay safer by typing or bookmarking the sites you trust.

And if you’re on the other side of that search box, trying to get customers to find your business, that’s what we do every day.

Want your website to show up when people search Google? Talk to the IndeedSEO team for a free consultation.

FAQs

What does “Search Google or type a URL” mean?

It’s the hint text in Chrome’s address bar. It means you can type a search to get Google results, or type a website address to open that site directly.

Is “Search Google or type a URL” a virus or error?

No. It’s a normal part of Google Chrome. If you see unfamiliar pop-ups or your search engine changed without your permission, that’s a separate issue, usually caused by an unwanted extension.

What is the difference between searching and typing a URL?

Searching shows a list of results from your search engine. Typing a URL skips that list and takes you straight to one specific website.

Why does Chrome search when I meant to open a website?

Chrome searches when the text doesn’t look like a full web address. Add the domain ending, such as .com or .in, and Chrome will open the site instead.

Can I change “Search Google” to another search engine?

Yes. Go to chrome://settings/search on a computer, or Settings > Search engine in the Chrome app, and pick another engine.

How do I remove a website from the address bar suggestions?

Highlight it and press Shift + Delete on Windows (Shift + Fn + Delete on Mac), or click the X next to it. To clear everything, delete your browsing history.