Search the Web Without Leaving Gmail

Now you no longer have to leave Gmail to search the web, copy information, and email or chat the search result(s). Google has recently added the Google Search Lab to Gmail within Google Apps for Employees.

Using this Lab, you can quickly search the web and email search results, or paste links into Google Chats or email messages without ever leaving Gmail.

To enable this Lab, go to Settings > Labs in Gmail at top-right. Find the “Google Search Lab” and click Enable.

Scroll down to the bottom of the screen and click Save Changes:

In a moment, you should see a Web Search box on the left-side of your Gmail screen.

Type in some search text. I tried “Windows Vista” and a pop-up window appeared with a handful of results:

Clicking the “More” link at the bottom of the window will return even more search results. You can continually click “More” until you find (or don’t find) what you’re looking for.

As you hover your mouse over search results, a triangle will appear below each result; click on the triangle to view options for that result. The options will depend on what you happen to be doing in Gmail at any given time. For example, without any email messages open in my Gmail account, the only option available to me is to send a link via email:

If I have a message open and/or am replying to an existing message, I now have additional “Paste result” and “Paste URL” options:

A helpful feature you’ll notice is that your initial search terms will be saved below the Web Search box, in case you want to access them again with one-click. You can clear these saved search terms by clicking the Clear link below the search box.

Google says they will be further refining this Lab, so look for changes to appear over time.

Problems or questions with this Lab? Call the OIT Help Desk at 426-4357, or email us at helpdesk@boisestate.edu.