Omnibox

The omnibox is the combined address bar and search box used in Google Chrome and other Chromium-based web browsers. It allows users to type URLs, perform searches, and view results all within a single input field. The term is used by Google to describe the browser's main navigation UI, though the concept is common across modern browsers.

As you type, the omnibox offers auto-completion and suggestions drawn from your history, bookmarks, open tabs, and the configured search engine. It can interpret the input as a direct URL, a search query, or a keyword to activate a specific search engine or action (for example, a site-specific search using a keyword). Users can navigate to a site by entering its address, or quickly search the web by entering a query or choosing from suggestions. The omnibox also supports keyboard navigation and can trigger instantaneous results, including featured answers or knowledge panel entries in some configurations.

Chrome and other browsers may employ prerendering or prefetching for selected omnibox results to speed up navigation. Suggestions can be filtered or suppressed through settings, and security indicators warn about potentially dangerous sites.

The omnibox originated with Chrome’s early user interface as a unified input control replacing separate URL and search boxes, and the term “omnibox” has since become common shorthand for the feature in Chrome’s ecosystem. While Chrome popularized the term, other browsers implement similar unified address/search bars under different branding.

See also: URL bar, search box, browser UI.