How to Add a Custom Search Engine in Chrome (Site Search)

To add a custom search engine in Chrome, open chrome://settings/searchEngines, click Add next to Site search, and fill in a name, a shortcut, and the site’s search URL with %s in place of the query. Then type the shortcut in the address bar, press Space or Tab, and type your search. Chrome searches that site directly instead of Google.

Before you start

• Applies to: Chrome on Windows, Mac, Linux, and Chromebook.
• You need: The search results address of the site you want to add. The steps below show how to get it.
• Good to know: Chrome calls these custom engines site search shortcuts. Chrome on Android has no Add button here. It only offers search engines you have visited recently.

How do I add a custom search engine in Chrome?

1. Open Chrome and type chrome://settings/searchEngines in the address bar, then press Enter. You can also click the three-dot menu, then Settings, then Search engine, then Manage search engines and site search.
2. Scroll down to Site search.
3. Click Add to the right of Site search.
4. In Name, type a label you will recognize, such as Wikipedia.
5. In Shortcut, type a short keyword, such as w.
6. In URL with %s in place of query, paste the site’s search address with %s where your search words go.
7. Click Add. The button stays grey until you fill in the fields.

Here are two search URLs you can paste as they are:

• Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?search=%s
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=%s

Why does my shortcut open the homepage instead of searching?

The most common mistake is pasting the site’s homepage, like https://en.wikipedia.org, into the URL field. Chrome does not stop you. In our test, the Add button stayed active and saved the shortcut without a warning.

The shortcut then cannot search. Chrome puts your search words wherever %s sits in the URL, and a homepage address has no %s. Retyping the shortcut or restarting Chrome will not fix it. Edit the shortcut with the pencil icon and replace the URL with a real results-page address that contains %s.

How do I use the shortcut in the address bar?

1. Click the address bar.
2. Type your shortcut, for example w.
3. Press Space or Tab. The address bar changes to show it will search that site.
4. Type what you are looking for and press Enter.

Typing w chrome flags and pressing Enter, for example, opens Wikipedia’s results for chrome flags. Chrome already ships shortcuts for parts of the browser too. On a fresh profile, the Site search list showed @tabs, @history, and @gemini, and Google’s help page also lists one for bookmarks. You can turn those off, but you cannot delete them.

What if Chrome shows Your site shortcuts instead of Site search?

Some Chrome installs use different labels on the Search engine page: Your site shortcuts and Available site shortcuts. The idea is the same. Your own shortcuts live in the first list, and sites Chrome offers to turn into shortcuts live in the second.

FAQ

How do I find the search URL for a website?

Search for any word on that site, such as soccer. Copy the address of the results page and replace the word soccer with %s. That is the URL Chrome needs.

Can I make my custom search engine the default?

Yes. On the same settings page, click the three-dot menu next to your site search shortcut and choose Make default. Chrome then uses it for every search you type in the address bar.

Why does pressing Space not start the site search?

Chrome has a Keyboard shortcut option at the top of the page. If it is set to Tab, only Tab works. Switch it to Space or Tab if you want both keys.

Why can’t I add or change search engines?

If Chrome is managed by your work or school, the admin can lock search engine settings. Chrome also lists some sites you have searched on under Inactive shortcuts, where you can click Activate instead of adding them by hand.

The short version

A site search shortcut turns the address bar into a search box for any site you use often. Add it once under Site search, then type the shortcut and press Space or Tab. If a shortcut ever stops working, check the Keyboard shortcut setting first.

Related guides

• How to Change Search Engine in Google Chrome
• Chrome Search Engine Keeps Changing to Yahoo? How to Fix It
• Chrome Keeps Opening Bing? How to Stop It for Good

Sources

• Google Chrome Help: Set default search engine and site search shortcuts
• Google Chrome Help: Search the web in Chrome