Chrome now features a search function that lets you go through your browsing history, open tabs, and saved bookmarks without ever leaving the Google address bar.

It’s common knowledge that Chrome includes a built-in tool for searching recently visited pages, called Google History (CTRL-H). This also applies to Google’s bookmarks. Type @bookmarks, @tabs, or @history into the Google address bar to directly access those features.

When you do this, the Google address bar will change to reflect your selection; if you choose to search your browser’s history, for instance, the words in the address bar will turn blue.

When Chrome recognises an open tab, it will offer to transport you there instead of making you search for it, making tab searching somewhat less helpful. You may do things like typing “@tabs” followed by “PCWorld laptop reviews” to see relevant results. However, if you already have PCWorld’s laptop reviews page open in another tab, typing it into the URL bar will bring up a “Switch to this tab” option. The “Switch to this tab” motif is also used by Microsoft Edge.

For me, being ability to search across all active tabs is a huge time saver, since I typically have fifty or more tabs open at once. Sometimes I’ll open a bunch of windows with plenty of tabs in each, then close them all to make room on my desktop, only to realise later that I need one of those windows back open. Searching your browser’s history should bring up the answer.

Make sure you’re using the most recent version of Google Chrome to take advantage of all the latest enhancements. Only after updating to Chrome 108.0.5359.95 did I finally have access to this function.