address toolbar on Windows 11 taskbar


jameswesthead

Active member
Local time
8:44 PM
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17
OS
Windows 11
Hi, has anyone any idea how to create an equivalent of the Windows 10 address toolbar on the Windows 11 taskbar (I used it a lot in Windows 10)?
Or alternatively, an app that would fire up at logon, and just sit there on the desktop, so I can type in a URL and have it open a browser page.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    home assembled
    CPU
    amd ryzen 7 3700x
    Motherboard
    gigabyte aorus master x570
    Memory
    32 gig corsair dominator
    Graphics Card(s)
    not a gamer so a very basic fanless
    Monitor(s) Displays
    iiyama
    Hard Drives
    4 x 1terabyte nvme ssd
    PSU
    corsair rmi 850 watt
    Case
    fractal design r5
    Cooling
    noctua
In Windows Settings --> Personalization --> Taskbar there is a Search icon that you can enable, but it pulls up a search bar reminiscent of the Start Menu search. It's just as easy to hit the Windows key on the keyboard and then type in a URL, as it auto feeds what you type directly into the search bar, and if you enter a valid URL it opens - in Edge.

Downside is that it does not use your registered default browser but always opens in Edge.

As for a third party app, haven't actually looked for one, but I believe you could pin a shortcut to your favorite search engine and then clicking on it whould open in your default browser ad let you open URLs that way.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 23H2 Current build
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HomeBrew
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
    Motherboard
    MSI MEG X570 GODLIKE
    Memory
    4 * 32 GB - Corsair Vengeance 3600 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti XC3 ULTRA GAMING (12G-P5-3955-KR)
    Sound Card
    Realtek® ALC1220 Codec
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2x Eve Spectrum ES07D03 4K Gaming Monitor (Matte) | Eve Spectrum ES07DC9 4K Gaming Monitor (Glossy)
    Screen Resolution
    3x 3840 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    3x Samsung 980 Pro NVMe PCIe 4 M.2 2 TB SSD (MZ-V8P2T0B/AM) } 3x Sabrent Rocket NVMe 4.0 1 TB SSD (USB)
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling’s Silencer Series 1050 Watt, 80 Plus Platinum
    Case
    Fractal Design Define 7 XL Dark ATX Full Tower Case
    Cooling
    NZXT KRAKEN Z73 73.11 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler (3x 120 mm push top) + Air 3x 140mm case fans (pull front) + 1x 120 mm (push back) and 1 x 120 mm (pull bottom)
    Keyboard
    SteelSeries Apex Pro Wired Gaming Keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3S | MX Master 3 for Business
    Internet Speed
    AT&T LightSpeed Gigabit Duplex Ftth
    Browser
    Nightly (default) + Firefox (stable), Chrome, Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender + MB 5 Beta
  • Operating System
    ChromeOS Flex Dev Channel (current)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Latitude E5470
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-6300U CPU @ 2.40GHz, 2501 Mhz, 2 Core(s), 4 Logical Processor(s)
    Motherboard
    Dell
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel(R) HD Graphics 520
    Sound Card
    Intel(R) HD Graphics 520 + RealTek Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell laptop display 15"
    Screen Resolution
    1920 * 1080
    Hard Drives
    Toshiba 128GB M.2 22300 drive
    INTEL Cherryville 520 Series SSDSC2CW180A 180 GB SATA III SSD
    PSU
    Dell
    Case
    Dell
    Cooling
    Dell
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3S (shared w. Sys 1) | Dell TouchPad
    Keyboard
    Dell
    Internet Speed
    AT&T LightSpeed Gigabit Duplex Ftth
Surely missed something... why would you press Start, and type URL, when you can click on your browser shortcut (pinned to Taskbar) and type address there
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro, Windows 11 Dev
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Homebuilt
    CPU
    Intel I3 10100
    Motherboard
    ASUS B460M
    Memory
    16 GB DDR4 Crucial
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel on chip
    Sound Card
    Realtek onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS 24, LG 24
    Screen Resolution
    Full HD x 2
    Hard Drives
    kingston A2000 NVMe PCIe 500 GB
    PSU
    LC Power 650W
    Case
    Noname
    Cooling
    Air 2x 120mm
    Keyboard
    Cherry G-81
    Mouse
    Logitech M500
    Internet Speed
    100/20
    Browser
    Firefox, Vivaldi
    Antivirus
    MS Defender
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS/Vivobook Flip 14
    CPU
    Ryzen 7 4700u
    Memory
    8 GB DDR4
    Graphics card(s)
    AMD Vega
    Sound Card
    Realtek onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    14"
    Screen Resolution
    FullHD
    Hard Drives
    512 Samsung NVMe PCIe
    PSU
    -
    Case
    Laptop
    Mouse
    Touchpad, Touchscreen
    Internet Speed
    100/20
    Browser
    Firefox, Vivaldi
    Antivirus
    MS Defender
In my case, because you then have to click again to select the search bar in your browser if you have Find as you type enabled. And those of us who like keeping tabs in place when shutting the browser down, you have to open a new tab.

I never have a browser that doesn't have at least a couple of tabs always open when I open it.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 23H2 Current build
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HomeBrew
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
    Motherboard
    MSI MEG X570 GODLIKE
    Memory
    4 * 32 GB - Corsair Vengeance 3600 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti XC3 ULTRA GAMING (12G-P5-3955-KR)
    Sound Card
    Realtek® ALC1220 Codec
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2x Eve Spectrum ES07D03 4K Gaming Monitor (Matte) | Eve Spectrum ES07DC9 4K Gaming Monitor (Glossy)
    Screen Resolution
    3x 3840 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    3x Samsung 980 Pro NVMe PCIe 4 M.2 2 TB SSD (MZ-V8P2T0B/AM) } 3x Sabrent Rocket NVMe 4.0 1 TB SSD (USB)
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling’s Silencer Series 1050 Watt, 80 Plus Platinum
    Case
    Fractal Design Define 7 XL Dark ATX Full Tower Case
    Cooling
    NZXT KRAKEN Z73 73.11 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler (3x 120 mm push top) + Air 3x 140mm case fans (pull front) + 1x 120 mm (push back) and 1 x 120 mm (pull bottom)
    Keyboard
    SteelSeries Apex Pro Wired Gaming Keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3S | MX Master 3 for Business
    Internet Speed
    AT&T LightSpeed Gigabit Duplex Ftth
    Browser
    Nightly (default) + Firefox (stable), Chrome, Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender + MB 5 Beta
  • Operating System
    ChromeOS Flex Dev Channel (current)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Latitude E5470
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-6300U CPU @ 2.40GHz, 2501 Mhz, 2 Core(s), 4 Logical Processor(s)
    Motherboard
    Dell
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel(R) HD Graphics 520
    Sound Card
    Intel(R) HD Graphics 520 + RealTek Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell laptop display 15"
    Screen Resolution
    1920 * 1080
    Hard Drives
    Toshiba 128GB M.2 22300 drive
    INTEL Cherryville 520 Series SSDSC2CW180A 180 GB SATA III SSD
    PSU
    Dell
    Case
    Dell
    Cooling
    Dell
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3S (shared w. Sys 1) | Dell TouchPad
    Keyboard
    Dell
    Internet Speed
    AT&T LightSpeed Gigabit Duplex Ftth
That's a good reason. I start my browser with empty page, and when start typing it's going directly in address bar. But it would be great that we could choose our own default browser - even for opening search reasults
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro, Windows 11 Dev
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Homebuilt
    CPU
    Intel I3 10100
    Motherboard
    ASUS B460M
    Memory
    16 GB DDR4 Crucial
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel on chip
    Sound Card
    Realtek onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS 24, LG 24
    Screen Resolution
    Full HD x 2
    Hard Drives
    kingston A2000 NVMe PCIe 500 GB
    PSU
    LC Power 650W
    Case
    Noname
    Cooling
    Air 2x 120mm
    Keyboard
    Cherry G-81
    Mouse
    Logitech M500
    Internet Speed
    100/20
    Browser
    Firefox, Vivaldi
    Antivirus
    MS Defender
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS/Vivobook Flip 14
    CPU
    Ryzen 7 4700u
    Memory
    8 GB DDR4
    Graphics card(s)
    AMD Vega
    Sound Card
    Realtek onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    14"
    Screen Resolution
    FullHD
    Hard Drives
    512 Samsung NVMe PCIe
    PSU
    -
    Case
    Laptop
    Mouse
    Touchpad, Touchscreen
    Internet Speed
    100/20
    Browser
    Firefox, Vivaldi
    Antivirus
    MS Defender
Thanks for that. I am embarrassed to admit that I didn't know that hitting the Windows key enabled the typing in of a url, and I've been using Windows 10 since it came out!
You live and you learn.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    home assembled
    CPU
    amd ryzen 7 3700x
    Motherboard
    gigabyte aorus master x570
    Memory
    32 gig corsair dominator
    Graphics Card(s)
    not a gamer so a very basic fanless
    Monitor(s) Displays
    iiyama
    Hard Drives
    4 x 1terabyte nvme ssd
    PSU
    corsair rmi 850 watt
    Case
    fractal design r5
    Cooling
    noctua
Yup. Glad you now have a nice workaround. The Search from the start menu has been around for a while, since Win 7 (well, Vista, maybe?), and it's been my goto method for launching installed apps.

No need to feel embarrassed, though. My grandfather always said (loosely translated) "They day you stop learning better be the day you're dead."
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 23H2 Current build
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HomeBrew
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
    Motherboard
    MSI MEG X570 GODLIKE
    Memory
    4 * 32 GB - Corsair Vengeance 3600 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti XC3 ULTRA GAMING (12G-P5-3955-KR)
    Sound Card
    Realtek® ALC1220 Codec
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2x Eve Spectrum ES07D03 4K Gaming Monitor (Matte) | Eve Spectrum ES07DC9 4K Gaming Monitor (Glossy)
    Screen Resolution
    3x 3840 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    3x Samsung 980 Pro NVMe PCIe 4 M.2 2 TB SSD (MZ-V8P2T0B/AM) } 3x Sabrent Rocket NVMe 4.0 1 TB SSD (USB)
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling’s Silencer Series 1050 Watt, 80 Plus Platinum
    Case
    Fractal Design Define 7 XL Dark ATX Full Tower Case
    Cooling
    NZXT KRAKEN Z73 73.11 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler (3x 120 mm push top) + Air 3x 140mm case fans (pull front) + 1x 120 mm (push back) and 1 x 120 mm (pull bottom)
    Keyboard
    SteelSeries Apex Pro Wired Gaming Keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3S | MX Master 3 for Business
    Internet Speed
    AT&T LightSpeed Gigabit Duplex Ftth
    Browser
    Nightly (default) + Firefox (stable), Chrome, Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender + MB 5 Beta
  • Operating System
    ChromeOS Flex Dev Channel (current)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Latitude E5470
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-6300U CPU @ 2.40GHz, 2501 Mhz, 2 Core(s), 4 Logical Processor(s)
    Motherboard
    Dell
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel(R) HD Graphics 520
    Sound Card
    Intel(R) HD Graphics 520 + RealTek Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell laptop display 15"
    Screen Resolution
    1920 * 1080
    Hard Drives
    Toshiba 128GB M.2 22300 drive
    INTEL Cherryville 520 Series SSDSC2CW180A 180 GB SATA III SSD
    PSU
    Dell
    Case
    Dell
    Cooling
    Dell
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3S (shared w. Sys 1) | Dell TouchPad
    Keyboard
    Dell
    Internet Speed
    AT&T LightSpeed Gigabit Duplex Ftth
Downside is that it does not use your registered default browser but always opens in Edge.
Another downside is it doesn't allow you to type company name, followed by (CTRL/ENTER) to add www and https: In other words, doesn't default to URL.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    WANG Labs
    CPU
    80286
I also used this feature and it's super annoying that it's gone. It serves more than just space as an address bar - it's fantastic for clipboard space; Sometimes you need to throw something in cleartext just so you can grab something else into the clipboard and then re-cut from the address bar... now it's gone because you have to windows key search. Microsoft is not helping with the taskbar lockdowns - Microsoft is not helping with domain joins - Microsoft is repeating the same mistakes of Windows 8. If you're going to change the taskbar - fine, but you try explaining to the 90 year old grandma on the phone why she can't get her internets on her taskbar anymore.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 22000.282
I can see absolutely for reason MS Windows 11 to remove the address bar from the taskbar and placed in at top of another location. Is it possible to return move it to the taskbar location? Or is it just of the hundreds of goofs MS techs(?) made in creating this Windows 11 monstrosity?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 27 aio
    CPU
    Microsoft Windows 11
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Windows
In fact my concerns have now been addressed.. I'm not sure when the facility came in, but simply typing a URL in the 'new' search box' in the taskbar takes you to the website. Therefore, it exactly replaces the functionality of the old address bar, so I'm happy.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    home assembled
    CPU
    amd ryzen 7 3700x
    Motherboard
    gigabyte aorus master x570
    Memory
    32 gig corsair dominator
    Graphics Card(s)
    not a gamer so a very basic fanless
    Monitor(s) Displays
    iiyama
    Hard Drives
    4 x 1terabyte nvme ssd
    PSU
    corsair rmi 850 watt
    Case
    fractal design r5
    Cooling
    noctua
The address bar was not just for URLs. I used it for so much more. I just provided this feedback to Microsoft:

In Windows 10, I had an address bar in my task bar. I used this non-stop throughout the day not just for web URLs but primarily to jump directly to a path on my hard drive (like C:\data) without first opening an Explorer window or even to directly access a link or doc saved on my desktop without minimizing other windows. This functionality is sorely missing from Windows 11. Without it, it takes FAR more clicks for me to get where I'm going. PLEASE restore the old address bar as an option for power users.

It seems a lot of what I did will work with the Run command by hitting Win+R and then typing my path, but it's not quite the same.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo

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