Unfortunately, this feature is no longer available and you have to find other ways to bookmark search results: bookmarklets, Google Toolbar and other extensions.
A Google employee confirmed this change. "The Star feature no longer exists on Google. The Star function continues to exist through google.com/bookmarks though. Anything you previously starred will show up when you visit bookmarks."
Starred results and SearchWiki were really useful for refinding web pages, but probably not many people used them. These features were a lot more useful than Instant Preview, which is still available.
{ Thanks, Joel. }
This is disappointing. After using Delicious, Clipmarks, Chrome bookmarks, I finally figured out the best bookmarking service: Google Bookmarks. Because any link is just a Google search away. All you need is to remember few keywords that bring up the page in Google search.
ReplyDeleteThe starring buttons were handy to instantly bookmark pages. Now, I've to start using Google Bookmarks Chrome extension.
Hope they keep "starred results"!!
WOWCH. Way to push away from your power users, Google. In the future, I'll remember this as the day I became disenchanted with Google as a search engine. Instant previews are bullshit.
ReplyDeleteThey suck.
ReplyDeleteI was addicted to this compelling feature.
Google constantly keeps on removing exiting features without any alternatives, playing with the users they own.
I hope they soon have a decent competitor!
Nice! Whats next, removing Shared & Starred items in Google Reader?
ReplyDeleteAwful.
ReplyDeleteI'll miss them :`(
ReplyDeleteI always thought the starred items were pretty useless. I can bookmark it just as easily on chrome and access it more easily.
ReplyDeleteStarred results were great.
ReplyDeleteFor me, they were the best feature of Google Search. And they were very simple to use and understand, and the starring concept provided consistency with other Google products.
I am really sorry they are gone.
I guess this means that they are killing Google bookmarks? After all, this renders Google Bookmarks much less useful.
THIS IS TERRIBLE! Google really needs to fix this and implement stars again. It makes finding search certain search results so convenient.
ReplyDeletewhat they should do is not even require you to visit google bookmarks. just add a place for tags right next to the search results. has a tag=bookmarked! then allow a realtime search to filter my results by typing with an operator like in gmail. tag:"tag name"
ReplyDeleteThese guys do not have any idea what they want to make
ReplyDeleteThey change their interfaces every several months just for fun
This is really disappointing! I loved the stars so much, it was really consistent with other Google products aswell.
ReplyDeleteWouldn't it just be possible to make the bookmark stars OPTIONAL via the Google Search Settings page, so the users can decide their selves if they want to use this?
Really disappointed :(
ReplyDeleteI'm very disappointed that Google disabled this feature. It was an easy way to bookmark search results that I found useful.
ReplyDeleteMarch 23, 2011
ReplyDeleteNo More Starred Results in Google Search
A Google employee confirmed this change. "The Star feature no longer exists on Google. The Star function continues to exist through google.com/bookmarks though. Anything you previously starred will show up when you visit bookmarks."
Please see
http://googlesystem.blogspot.com/2011/03/no-more-starred-results-in-google.html
--
David Spencer
http://www.davidspencer.ca
http://twitter.com/davidspencer
i found it very useful and would appreciate it, if we could get the bookmark star back... i'm really missing it and won't use additional tools for bookmarking my staff. it was pretty easy to bookmark stuff straight out off the search results.
ReplyDeletealso, i noticed that this "starr project" feature at google code won't work, too. i click on it, the star gets yellow and after a second it reverts back to white. since some weeks for now..
really bad! :-(
I'm also disappointed that the Star feature has been removed. It reminds me that with a company like Google becoming more and more in control over how we use web and computers in general, we are left vulnerable to them taking things away that we feel we own whenever they want. Will they take away Google Docs in future without warning? May be not, but what could stop them? Will someday Google control the entire worlds information - it feels like that's where they're heading!
ReplyDeletehonestly never had much use for this, but it is a shame it is gone for the few occasions it was useful..
ReplyDeleteJust terrible. This feature was reallz useful. Today is the the day I got disenchanted about google.
ReplyDeleteI WANT STARS BACK! Because is was so handy!
ReplyDeleteNow I'm always looking for this button in the search results.
PLEASE PUT IT BACK!
Dear developers, who can make this function like Safari extensions? Pleeese!
ReplyDeletethe last line above says 'Starred results and SearchWiki were really useful for refinding web pages, but probably not many people used them. These features were a lot more useful than Instant Preview, which is still available'
ReplyDeletemaybe I am reading this wrong but if a lesser useful feature like Instant Preview is still being retained and more useful but less used feature like stars are removed...
what happened to the basic level of usability for the common user?
and I thought google still had people who thought common sense than uncommon logic
Bring back stars!
ReplyDeleteI suspect it was removed because advertisers want control of our results and don't want us sitting on our sites instead of winding up on theirs which is what they pay to make happen
i really disappointed on reading this blog. hope Google would restart this starred facility after the busy project G+ runs...
ReplyDeleteThat’s the big difference from Google to others.
ReplyDeleteHow can we trust Google? They do whatever they want and when they want.
That’s why I choose Microsoft Online Services instead of Google Docs. I don’t want to wake up in the morning to find out there is something I use missing.
Just got this post while checking about Google starred results. We all knows higher positions come with great responsibilities and Google is at the top in search market. Having more than 60% of search market share, its Google's responsibility to take care of its users. But by doing such kind of experiments and that even without the knowledge of its users, Google is ruining his own reputation.
ReplyDeleteNow we know that they removed them and added the +1 button
ReplyDelete>Nice! Whats next, removing Shared & Starred items in Google Reader?
ReplyDeleteNope, the whole thing ;)