How to Fix Chrome Omnibox Search When the Address Bar Isn’t Working
Have you ever opened Google Chrome, typed a search into the address bar, and instead of getting Google search results, you received an error such as “This site can’t be reached”?
That happened to me recently, and the fix turned out to be pretty simple.
Chrome’s address bar is also called the omnibox. Besides typing website addresses into it, you can type almost anything you want to search for and Chrome will send that search to your default search engine.
But if that search engine setting gets changed, your omnibox may suddenly stop behaving the way you expect.
Check Your Default Search Engine
The first thing to check is which search engine Chrome is using.
Open Google Chrome.
Click the three dots in the upper-right corner.
Select Settings.
Click Search engine.
Look at the search engine currently selected for the address bar.
If you normally use Google, make sure Google is selected.
You can also get there quickly by typing this directly into Chrome's address bar:
chrome://settings/search
Once you've changed the default search engine, open a new tab and try typing a normal search into the omnibox again.
For example:
best restaurants near Philadelphia
Instead of Chrome trying to treat those words like a website address, you should get normal search results.
Check for an Unfamiliar Search Engine
Another thing worth checking is whether a search engine you don't recognize has appeared in Chrome.
Enter:
chrome://settings/searchEngines
Here you can see the search engines and site-search options that Chrome knows about.
If your normal search engine has been replaced, set the search engine you want back as the default.
An unfamiliar search engine doesn't automatically mean that your computer has a virus. Extensions and other software can sometimes change Chrome settings. However, if your default search engine changed without you intentionally changing it, it's worth investigating.
Check Your Chrome Extensions
If the search engine keeps changing, check your extensions.
Type:
chrome://extensions
Look through the extensions that are installed.
If you see something you don't recognize or something you recently installed around the time the problem started, you can disable it temporarily and test Chrome again.
Chrome extensions can have permission to change things such as your search engine, new-tab page, or homepage.
Still Not Working? Reset Chrome
If you've tried everything above and Chrome still isn't working correctly, you can reset Chrome's settings.
Go to:
Settings → Reset settings → Restore settings to their original defaults
Chrome says that resetting your settings does not delete your saved bookmarks or passwords, although it does reset several browser settings and disables extensions.
I would use this as a later troubleshooting step rather than the first thing you try.
The Quick Fix
If searches suddenly aren't working from Chrome's address bar, start here:
Chrome → Settings → Search engine → Choose your preferred search engine
For me, this is one of those small Chrome settings that's easy to overlook but can make it seem like something much bigger is wrong with your browser.
If your Chrome omnibox suddenly says “This site can’t be reached” when you're simply trying to search, check that default search engine before doing anything complicated.
Sometimes the fix really is that simple.
Quick Tip: Bookmark chrome://settings/search if you manage or troubleshoot a lot of computers. It takes you directly to Chrome's search engine settings.
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