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September 23, 2011

Google's New Search Interface Disables Many Shortcuts

With the latest redesign of the search results pages, Google made it more difficult to use most of the keyboard shortcuts that allowed you to quickly select a result or see a small preview.

Until now, you could type your query, press Enter to hide the list of suggestions and press Enter once again to go to the first result. If you didn't like the first result, you could press the down arrow to select the second result. Google also included a keyboard shortcut for Instant Previews: the right arrow. None of these shortcuts are available in the latest interface, at least not by default. Now you need to press Tab after performing a search to enable the old keyboard shortcuts.

Here's a search results page after typing a query (notice that there's no arrow next to the first result):


Here's what happens when you press Tab (you can use the up/down arrows, but the shortcut for Instant Previews no longer works):


Google probably disabled these features because not many people used them and a lot of users complained that the shortcuts made navigation more difficult. Power users need to learn that Tab enables keyboard shortcuts, but having to enable the feature every time you use Google Search is annoying. After all, shortcuts were supposed to make your life easier and help you be more productive.

Google Instant shortcuts are still available. You can continue to use the up/down arrows to select a different search suggestion, the right arrow to visit the first result for the search suggestion, Tab to use Google's suggestion and continue to type your query, Esc to select the query so you can quickly overwrite it.

{ via Google Search Help Forum }

9 comments:

  1. Hi! Is there an extension that returns the arrow next to the first result like it was before? I used that feature and they disabled it and now it annoys me every time not being able to simply navigate the search result page.

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  2. Sometimes it works only with an 'enter' after searching. If we press enter twice the first link opens.

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  3. I'm glad that they have restored the ability to scroll the page by pressing my keyboard's arrow keys - as on every other web site.

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  4. Shame for the lost of the quick shortcut !!!


    The "CACHE LINK" is now hidden, it is one of most useful feature for searching for some words in a big text, the words are "highlighted" and make search a lot faster...

    This new UI BRINGS NOTHING in term of functionality for searching and further more hide almost the "CACHE LINK" :(

    Worst it's just a lost of Bandwidth, with all those "eyes-candy" that are useless for search...

    Will have to find or write a Greasmonkey Script to have a functional interface...

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  5. Its really cool.its light and appeal to eyes.i love it

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  6. I'm glad to see I can finally use the up/down keys on my Chromebook again. I also like the fact that if I click on the description text it doesn't popup that instant preview image anymore...

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  7. I have not been able to switch the keyboard layout in my browser with alt+shift for several weeks. I am wondering now is it possible this issue to be related with the mentioned Google changes above. It would be strange though if this is the case cause alt+shift is a Windows shortcut and it should have not been affected by Google.

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  8. I did not notice it. I was not using those however.

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  9. Dat's really gud to select upper first link by double "Enter" press.

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