A minor Search bar improvement we couldn’t resist
Yes, it’s only a minor search bar improvement, but we felt it was necessary. Now you can search quicker, and that’s what we all love, don’t we?
After our latest Bookmark Groups feature, we could do with something a bit less challenging. So instead of tackling a major issue, we decided to clear a minor inconvenience today. We hope it removes just a little bit of friction.
How did we improve the search bar?
First of all, we removed the start.me logo in the search bar, to simplify your page.
Next, we added an unobtrusive downward facing arrow next to the magnifying glass. When you click this, you can switch search engine, or enter Search bar settings.

And that’s where you discover the improvement: Now you can select the Default tab you want to search in.
There are three choices:
- Search the web – make a custom search with Google, Bing, Yahoo, or any other custom search engine.
- My bookmarks – where you can quickly discover and click your bookmarks.
- start.me – for access to pages other users shared with the world.
You can toggle the choice you prefer. No need to confirm: the system will save automatically. Click outside the sidebar to continue searching.
This new feature is free for all PRO users. Upgrade now!
What do you think?
So, that’s it for now. We think it’s worth it, but we’re curious to know what you think. Also, how can we improve you search bar some more?
Don’t hesitate to let us know!
9 Replies to “A minor Search bar improvement we couldn’t resist”
Thanks Stefan. I reviewed the search bar article and I am seeing a very different thing on my start.me. First I am already a PRO subscriber. When I press the drop down on the search bar I see google, bing, and yahoo. I can not set it to duck duck (it’s not an option). In the my search settings it’s the three in the search drop down plus duck duck but I can’t set it as the default. Any other ideas…
Hi Roger, if you’re referring to the search bar article in our support section, you’re correct. We haven’t updated it yet with new graphics. I’ll get to it as soon as possible. The way to change the search engines hasn’t changed, though. You should find the search settings option after clicking the downward facing arrow. In the first tab you can set the default search engine. In the second one, you can add any search engine you like. Hope this helps you out, for now!
And here it is: the new article about setting the default search engine: https://support.start.me/hc/en-us/articles/200551892
1. Why can’t I use your search bar with my preferred search engine?
2. If that can’t happen then how do I get rid of the start.me search bar?
This seems to me like maybe you can’t resist this change because you’re monetizing start.me data
Hi Roger, thanks for taking the time to leave a comment! You first question is easy: of course, you can change the preferred search engine easily. Just click the downward arrow close to the magnifying glass and click Search settings. In the first tab you can select the default search engine, in the second you can add any search engine you like. For more information, please read this support article. If you want to get rid of the search bar entirely, you can upgrade to PRO. Will you please let us know if this works for you?
Nice tweak – Thanks
We’re happy to help 😉
Thats great! Thank you very much!
You’re very welcome!