Search Bar widget for Windows
Every launcher-style desktop suite has one: a text box on the desktop that you type into and hit Enter. This is that, with a few conveniences. Pick a default engine or give it your own URL with a %s placeholder, click the engine name in the bar to switch for one search, and paste a bare URL or domain to open it directly. Bangs work the way DuckDuckGo users expect: !yt lofi beats goes to YouTube, !gh to GitHub, !w to Wikipedia, !so to Stack Overflow, !npm, !mdn, !r, !maps and more. Results open in your default browser; the dashboard never loads remote pages itself.
Free · Windows 10 and 11 · No account required
The real Search Bar widget, running live. Drag it around.
What Search Bar is good for
The everyday jobs this widget was built to handle.
Start a search without first finding and focusing a browser window
Use DuckDuckGo or Startpage by default and Google only when you choose it
Type !so and an error message to land on Stack Overflow in one step
Every Search Bar setting
7 options, set per widget - so two copies of Search Bar on the same dashboard can behave completely differently. Highlighted values are the defaults.
Engine
Custom URL
Any value you like
Placeholder
Any value you like · starts at Search the web…
Advanced
Enable bangs
Show engine picker
Clear after search
Show icon
Getting Search Bar on your desktop
- 01
Install
Download and run the installer. No account, no sign-in.
- 02
Add the widget
Hit Add Widget, or press Ctrl+K and search for it by name.
- 03
Make it yours
Drag it where you want, resize it, and set the options below.
More Media & Links widgets
Search Bar is one of 83 widgets
They all live on the same customizable dashboard, with themes, multiple screens, and native Windows notifications. Free.
Download for Windows