Google Is Testing a Search Bar That Works Outside Chrome

Google is quietly experimenting with a strange new version of Search: one that doesn’t seem particularly interested in staying inside Chrome.

The experiment is known as Everywhere Omnibox, with “Loom” appearing in Google’s own Chromium code. And this isn’t some abandoned experiment: recent Chromium development shows Google is still actively working on it.

The idea is surprisingly simple. Instead of returning to Chrome every time you want Google, the feature can summon a floating search box over other Windows apps. Recent Chrome Canary testing shows it launching with Alt + Space and displaying the invitation: “Ask Google from anywhere.”

That means you could be working in Photoshop, Figma, Word or another app and bring Google to whatever you’re doing instead of bringing your work to Google.

And that’s where it gets interesting.

According to a recent hands-on look at the experiment, the interface indicates users will be able to share part or all of their screen and ask Google about what they’re looking at. Imagine highlighting something on your desktop and asking Google to identify or explain it without screenshots, uploads or another browser tab.

There’s an important catch: all of that isn’t working yet. The current experiment reportedly doesn’t show the expected Lens and AI Mode controls, so this remains a work in progress rather than a finished Chrome feature.

But Google’s direction is becoming difficult to miss. Its Gemini in Chrome and Auto Browse are already pushing Chrome beyond traditional browsing, with AI designed to handle multi-step jobs such as researching travel, scheduling appointments and filling out forms.

Project Loom could push that idea outside the browser window itself. Search and AI become a layer over your desktop rather than somewhere you specifically go.

There is no guarantee Loom will ever ship to regular Chrome users. Experiments change or disappear all the time.

But Google is still actively building this one.

What if Google Search didn’t need a browser anymore?

Simon Sterne

Simon Sterne is a staff writer at WebdesignerDepot. He’s interested in technology, WordPress, and all things UX. In his spare time he enjoys photography.