How to Google to your Windows taskbar

If you frequently use Google, pinning it to your Windows taskbar makes it easy to access the search engine. This way, you can launch Google’s search page with the click of a button instead of opening your browser or a new tab and entering the URL each time. You can do this through any browser you use on a Chromebook, Windows laptop, or PC. We cover the steps you’ll follow for three popular browsers.

Pinning Google to your taskbar through Chrome

If Chrome is your preferred browser, here’s how to pin the Google Search page to your taskbar:

1. Open the Chrome browser and navigate to Google.
2. Click the three vertical dots in the upper-right corner of the page.
3. Select Save and share from the drop-down menu.
4. Choose Create shortcut.

   

5. In the dialog box that comes up, check the box beside Open as window and click Create.

   

6. You might see another confirmation dialog box that asks if you want to pin Google to your taskbar. Select Yes.

You now see a Google shortcut in your taskbar. Clicking it launches the Google Search page.

Pinning Google to your taskbar through Firefox

Unlike Chrome, Firefox doesn’t offer a straightforward way to pin Google to the taskbar. However, there is a workaround that involves a few additional steps. But first, you must unpin Firefox from the taskbar. This step doesn’t work if you pinned the Firefox browser to the taskbar. After that’s done, here’s what you can do:

1. Search for Firefox using the Windows search bar on the taskbar, and right-click the Firefox search result.
2. Click Open file location.
3. A window that shows the Firefox app’s location appears. Right-click Firefox.
4. Select Show more options from the drop-down menu that appears, and choose Create shortcut. Select Yes to confirm your choice.
5. Navigate to your desktop and right-click the Firefox shortcut.
6. Select Properties, navigate to the General tab, and rename the shortcut “Google.”
7. Switch to the Shortcut tab and append the Google Search URL to the path. It should look like this: “C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe” https://www.google.com/.
8. Select Apply and OK.

The edited shortcut appears on your desktop. Right-click the shortcut, select Show more options, and choose Pin to taskbar to display the Google Search shortcut on the taskbar.

Pinning Google to your taskbar through Microsoft Edge

Here’s how to pin Google Search to your taskbar using Microsoft Edge:

1. Launch Microsoft Edge and navigate to the Google Search page.
2. Select the three horizontal dots in the upper-right corner of the browser.
3. Choose More tools and Pin to taskbar.

   

A Google shortcut appears on the taskbar.

Unpinning is just as easy

If you don’t want the Google shortcut on the taskbar, right-click the shortcut and tap Unpin from the taskbar. This instantly unpins the shortcut. If you want to repin Google or any other website, follow the steps above based on your preferred browser.

Make Google your default search engine on your browser

The advantage of pinning Google to the taskbar is that you can access it immediately with one click. This eliminates the need to launch the browser and type out the URL when you want to search for something. However, another easy way to quickly access Google Search is by making it your default search engine in your browser. You can do this on any browser, including Google Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Opera. After you make it the default search engine, the browser launches the Google Search page each time you open it.