Search multiple websites at once from Chrome's address bar
Say you want to find the same thing on two sites, like a video and a product. You can do it from Chrome’s address bar without opening each site and typing your search twice. OmniSearch lets you join two keywords with a plus sign and search both sites in one go.
It is free and works in Chrome and on Chromebooks. There is no account, no ads and no tracking.
Search two sites at once
- Install OmniSearch.
- Click the address bar and type
os, then press Space. This tells Chrome the next words are for OmniSearch. - Type the keywords for the sites you want, joined by a plus sign, then your search. For example:
youtube+amazon desk lamp. - Press Enter. OmniSearch runs the search on both sites right away.
You don’t have to type full keywords. OmniSearch understands shortened ones. If you type only a keyword with no search after it, it opens that site.
Send the same search to another site
Sometimes you only decide on the second site after you start typing.
- Type
os, press Space, then a keyword and your search, as usual. - Before you press Enter, press the ↓ key.
- Pick another site to run the same search there.
This is handy when the first site doesn’t have what you want. You keep your words and change only the site.
Add the sites you actually use
Ten keyword shortcuts are ready to use when you install it. About 50 more are suggested, sorted by category. Most people will want to add a few of their own, like a shop, a forum or a work tool.
There are two ways to add a site:
- Go to the site and right-click its search box. Choose “Add a keyword for this search”.
- Or run a search on the site, copy the address of the results page, and paste it into OmniSearch.
Once a site has a keyword, you can use it in a plus search like any other.
Keep your shortcuts in order
Open Chrome’s side panel with Ctrl+Shift+S to see and manage your shortcuts. You can import and export them there. They also sync with your Chrome profile, so the same keywords follow you to another computer where you sign in to Chrome.
If you type something that doesn’t match any keyword, you get a normal web search with your default search engine. A typo won’t leave you on an error page.
What it reads and what it doesn’t
OmniSearch doesn’t run on the pages you visit. It reads a site’s search box only when you choose “Add a keyword for this search”. It types into a site only for advanced shortcuts you set up yourself.
When this is the wrong tool
OmniSearch works in Chrome and on Chromebooks. If you do most of your browsing in another browser, it won’t help there. It also fits best if you search the same handful of sites again and again. If you only search one site once in a while, going to that site and using its own search box is just as quick.