Chrome address bar gets smarter autocomplete, typo correction, bookmark search

Abner Li | Oct 18 2023 - 9:00 am PT

Google is rolling out a series of updates to the address bar (or Omnibox) in Chrome that improves the accuracy of autocomplete across the desktop and mobile browser.

Instead of autocomplete only working if you typed the beginning of a URL correctly, the Chrome address bar on desktop will complete “based on any word you’ve previously used to search for a website.”

For example, “flights” would autocomplete to google.com/travel/flights instead of you needing to first enter google.com.

Misspelled URL names will now be detected and return suggestions based on previously visited websites on Chrome for Android, iOS, and desktop.

Similarly, Chrome will now “suggest popular sites even if you’ve never visited them or mistyped the URL.” For example:

As you begin to type “Google Earth” in Chrome’s address bar, Chrome will suggest the Google Earth website in the drop-down.

You can also now search within bookmark folders by including the name of the folder in the search on mobile and desktop. Enter the query after that and suggestions will appear in the list with the path also noted at the end.

Finally, there’s an improved visual layout on desktop that makes the Omnibox “easier to read” and “more responsive.” This is presumably in reference to the Material You redesign, which is not yet widely rolled out as of Chrome 118. Google also says you’ll “get even faster results as soon as you start typing.”