Windows 7 - Search from Internet Explorer 8 Address Bar

Brink

How to Enable or Disable Search from Internet Explorer 8 Address Bar

Information

This will show you how to enable or disable displaying the search results in the main Internet Explorer 8 window when you search from the Internet Explorer 8 address bar. Searching from the address bar is enabled by default in Internet Explorer 8.

Note

When enabled, Internet Exporer 8 will use your default search provider (ex: Google or Bing).

Tip

You can type ? search item in the address bar and press enter to display search results in the main Internet Explorer window no matter if Search from the Address bar has been enabled or disabled. You would subsititute search item with whatever you wanted to search for. For example, type ? sevenforums in the address bar and press enter to see:

Search from Internet Explorer 8 Address Bar-question_mark.jpg

EXAMPLE: Search from Address Bar Enable and Disabled
NOTE: These are the search results you will get displayed in the main Internet Explorer 8 address window when this is set as enabled and disabled.

Here's How:

1. Open Internet Explorer, and click on the Tools Menu Bar item and on Internet Options.
A) Go to step 4.

OR

2. Open Internet Explorer, and click on the Tools Command Bar button and on Internet Options.
A) Go to step 4.

OR

3. Open the Control Panel (icons view), and click on the Internet Options icon.

4. Click on the Advanced tab, and under the Settings section, scroll down to the Search from the Address bar section. (See screenshot below)

5. To Enable Search from the Address bar
A) Select (dot) Just display the results in the main window option, and click on OK. (See screenshot above)

6. To Disable Search from the Address bar
A) Select (dot) Do not submit unknown addresses to your auto-search provider option, and click on OK. (See screenshot above)

That's it,
Shawn

Related Tutorials

carl606 · 12-13-2009

Hi.

I have just tryed this on my xp machine, now using explorer 8 , i thought this would work, its fine if you just type complete addresses, but as for "Keywords" or sevenforums even , i get a "address is not valid"

Even though the setting " Just display the results in the main window" is enabled.

But the description of " just display the results in the main window" tells me that i should be able to type anything in the address bar, even "sevenforums" and still get some results..

Windows xp pro sp3

Brink · 12-13-2009

After you made the changes in IE8, did you close and reopen it to apply?

Who do you have as your search provider? You might try Google to see if it works better for you.

carl606 · 12-14-2009

Quote: Originally Posted by Brink

After you made the changes in IE8, did you close and reopen it to apply?

Who do you have as your search provider? You might try Google to see if it works better for you.

Sorry Brink, some how i missed this, though the text was very small and i did not have my glasses on...
You have to press the shift key + enter, where i was only pressing the enter key.

Thanks for replying shawn

Brink · 12-14-2009

You're welcome Carl, and welcome to Seven Forums. I'm happy to hear that you got it sorted.

jennie · 03-17-2010

Hi, I also tried this after my computer decided it wanted to stop searching suddenly. The option was already on but even after turning it off and on again, no luck in searching from the address bar. Any ideas?

I am using Windows Vista, Internet explorer 8.

Thank you!

Jennie

Brink · 03-17-2010

Hello Jennie, and welcome to Seven Forums.

You might see if completely resetting IE8 may allow you to be able to afterwards.

Hope this helps,
Shawn

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