August 19, 2011

How to Try Google's Cleaner Interface

I mentioned in the previous post that Google tests a less cluttered interface and there's now a way to try it. Techno-Net noticed that you can change the NID value of a Google cookie and get the same interface.



Here's how to do this in Chrome:

1. Install "Edit this Cookie", a cookie manager for Chrome.

2. Go to Google's homepage and click the yellow cookie icon from Chrome's toolbar.

3. Find the line that starts with NID, click it, select the value (Ctrl-A or Command-A for Mac), delete it, paste the following value (use Ctrl-V or Command-V for Mac) and click "Submit cookie changes":




Here are the instructions for Firefox:

1. Install Cookies Manager+ and restart the browser.

2. Go to Google's homepage.

3. Press Alt-T and select "Cookies Manager+". You'll also find the option in the "Web Developer" item of Firefox's unified menu.

4. Search for google.com and find the entry named "NID". If you're not in the US and you use a different Google domain, search for your domain (for example: google.co.uk in the UK).

5. Click "edit" and replace the content with:




Opera already has a cookie manager that lets you edit cookie values. You only need to go to Google's homepage, right-click on the page, select "Edit site preferences", go to the "Cookies" tab and edit the item that starts with "NID".

I couldn't find some great cookie managers that worked in the latest versions of Internet Explorer and Safari, but the instructions should be similar.

Sharing the "NID" value allows other people to try an experimental Google interface. The next time when you find an interface that looks different and you send a tip to gostips@gmail.com, you can also include the NID value of your Google cookie.

If Google constantly changes the "NID" value and you can't use the experimental interface for too long, delete your Google cookies and start again. What if you don't like the interface and you want to go back to the regular UI? Just remove the "NID" key or delete its value using the cookie manager.
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18 comments:

  1. SAugust 19, 2011 at 9:11 AM

    it seems to work for me but scrolling is broken! screenshot:

    http://i.imgur.com/AzUUv.png

    ReplyDelete
  2. SAugust 19, 2011 at 9:58 AM

    Everything works fine here.

    ReplyDelete
  3. anirbanAugust 19, 2011 at 10:39 AM

    Works fine for me

    ReplyDelete
  4. LaurieAugust 19, 2011 at 12:40 PM

    just like S scrolling now goes above search box.

    ReplyDelete
  5. IanAugust 19, 2011 at 3:42 PM

    @S & @Laurie
    The same happened to me when I randomly got the fixed header experiment about a week ago, and I found that refreshing the page fixed it (or Ctrl+F5 to clear the cache and refresh; Shift+F5 on some browsers if I remember rightly). I guess a different CSS file or something needs to be loaded to the one in the cache.

    ReplyDelete
  6. AnonymousAugust 19, 2011 at 8:23 PM

    Seems not to work very well with Chrome 14.
    The NID value gets changed constantly.

    ReplyDelete
  7. AnonymousAugust 19, 2011 at 10:39 PM

    opera sucks

    ReplyDelete
  8. AnonymousAugust 20, 2011 at 7:30 AM

    Is seems to only work for the first couple of letters I type in. some times it will work for the whole search I am trying to do. It always stops working when I press enter. I then have to repeat the process.

    ReplyDelete
  9. AnonymousAugust 20, 2011 at 7:33 AM

    Also the delete in Ctrl+a delete Ctrl+v is is not needed as just Ctrl+a Ctrl+v will have exactly the same effect.

    ReplyDelete
  10. AnonymousAugust 20, 2011 at 8:59 AM

    If you select "Set as readonly" the new interface doesn't stop working

    ReplyDelete
  11. android development irelandAugust 20, 2011 at 3:55 PM

    there is a lot of change centered around Google+ and public profiles, the 'dashboard' included...google is looking for what facebook has, lots of personal data for advertising..

    ReplyDelete
  12. Abhishek MandloiAugust 22, 2011 at 11:40 AM

    Honestly speaking, I tried this new interface but only after few searches I deleted the cookie.

    New interface is good to play however it is not in line with the Google philosophy of leaner and efficient interface.

    ReplyDelete
  13. AnonymousAugust 23, 2011 at 2:20 AM

    Google tests another new interface with "Search" title below de Google logo. Here's how to use this new interface (three different tests): http://tecno-net.blogspot.com/2011/08/google-prueba-otra-nueva-interfaz-con.html

    ReplyDelete
  14. cyannaAugust 24, 2011 at 2:01 AM

    and for IE on Windows 7: navigate to C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files. You might have to set Explorer to show hidden files and folders!
    Find the Cookie:USERNAME@google.co.uk/ and doubleclick to open. Replace the NID value with the one above, save the document and enjoy the new interface

    PS The only difference I see is that I have a location and a "the web" entry at the top of the list in the left pane, otherwise my google search pages already look like in the screen shot in the post..........

    ReplyDelete
  15. Henry LouisAugust 25, 2011 at 2:40 AM

    Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  16. L.F.C.H.S KORATTYSeptember 1, 2011 at 2:09 AM

    ververy thanks

    ReplyDelete
  17. AnonymousSeptember 7, 2011 at 4:41 AM

    Google launches a similar interface today: http://blogoscoped.com/forum/180547.html

    ReplyDelete
  18. xnetworkJanuary 16, 2012 at 5:08 PM

    thank you for your post. i'm searching this for hours

    ReplyDelete

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