Editing Address bar

{{short description|Web browser widget that shows the current URL}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2022}}
[[File:HTTPS and padlock in website address bar.jpg|thumb|An address bar.]]

In a [[web browser]], the '''address bar''' (also '''location bar''' or '''URL bar''') is the element that shows the current URL. The user can type a URL into it to navigate to a chosen website. In most modern browsers, non-URLs are automatically sent to a search engine. In a file browser, it serves the same purpose of navigation, but through the file-system hierarchy.

Many address bars offer features like autocomplete and a list of suggestions while the address is being typed in. This auto-correct ion feature bases its suggestions on the browser's history. Some browsers have keyboard shortcuts to auto-complete an address.

== Features ==
In addition to the URL, some address bars feature icons showing features or information about the site. For [[website]]s using a [[favicon]] (a small icon that represents the website), a small icon may be present within the address bar, a generic icon appearing if the website does not specify one.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.photoshopsupport.com/tutorials/jennifer/favicon.html|title=Favicon - How To Create A Favicon.ico|first=Jennifer|last=Apple|publisher=Futura Studios|access-date=25 February 2011}}</ref> The address bar is also used to show the security status of a web page; various designs are used to distinguish between insecure [[Hypertext Transfer Protocol|HTTP]] and encrypted [[HTTPS]], alongside use of an [[Extended Validation Certificate]], which some websites use to verify their identity.

[[File:FirefoxBarreAdresse.png|thumb|upright=1.3|An example of the Firefox browser treating non-URL text as a search term]]
Most web browsers allow for the use of a search engine if the term typed in is not clearly a URL.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/search-web-address-bar|title=Search the web from Address Bar|website=Firefox Help|access-date=5 January 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://support.google.com/chrome/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=95440|title=Use the address bar (omnibox)|website=Chrome Help|access-date=13 May 2013}}</ref> This will usually also auto-complete, if the search engine offers this feature, to popular answers, some engines even suggesting answers to basic maths queries. Some browsers, such as [[Mozilla Firefox|Firefox]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sugarrae.com/seo-sphere/creating-firefox-quick-search-bookmarks/|title=Creating Firefox Search Bookmarks|last=Hoffman|first=Rae|date=10 February 2008|website=Sugarrae|access-date=5 January 2014}}</ref> [[Opera (web browser)|Opera]] and [[Google Chrome]], allow for website-specific searches to be set by the user. For example, by associating the shortcut "!w" with [[Wikipedia]], "!w cake" can be entered into the address bar to navigate directly to the Wikipedia article for [[cake]]. This feature is standardised for users of the search engine [[DuckDuckGo]] as "bangs".

Web browsers often include a feature called [[Smart bookmark|Smart Bookmarks]]. In this feature, the user sets a command that allows for a function (such as searching, editing, or posting) of a website to be expedited. Then, a keyword or term associated with the command is typed into the address bar followed by entering the term afterwards or selecting the command from a list.

In some browsers, such as [[Opera (web browser)|Opera]] and [[Safari (web browser)|Safari]], the address bar can double as a [[progress bar]] that indicates how much of the contents of the page has been loaded.

== Comparisons ==
The following sections compare address bar widgets for a few well-known web browsers.

=== Google Chrome ===
[[File:Chrome Address Bar 1.png|frame|center|[[Google Chrome]]'s address bar when visiting the main page of the [[English Wikipedia]] as seen from [[Google Chrome OS|Chrome OS]]]]
[[File:Chrome Address Bar 2.png|frame|center|Google Chrome's address bar when visiting the [[HTTPS|secure]] Wikimedia main page as seen from [[Google Chrome OS|Chrome OS]]]]
[[File:Chromebar ssl.png|frame|center|Chrome's address bar when visiting a site that has an [[Extended Validation Certificate]] as seen from [[Windows 7]]]]

=== Firefox ===
[[File:Firefox 62 address bar - Example domain.png|thumb|center|685px|[[Firefox]] version 62's address bar when visiting [[example.com]]]]
[[File:Firefox 62 address bar - Wikipedia.png|thumb|center|685px|Firefox's address bar when visiting the [[English Wikipedia]]]]
[[File:Firefox 62 address bar - Wikimedia Foundation.png|thumb|center|685px|Firefox's address bar when visiting the [[Wikimedia Foundation]]'s credit card payment page, which uses an [[Extended Validation Certificate]]]]

=== Opera ===
[[File:Opera 9 address bar when at Wikipedia.png|frame|center|[[Opera (web browser)|Opera]] version 9's address bar when visiting the English Wikipedia]]
[[File:Opera 9 address bar when at Wikipedia secure.png|frame|center|Opera's address bar when visiting the [[English Wikipedia]] secure]]

=== Internet Explorer ===
{{empty section|date=May 2025}}

===Microsoft Edge===
[[File:MS Edge Verified addressbar.png|frame|center|The address bar of Microsoft Edge when visiting the English Wikipedia through HTTPS]]

== See also ==
{{Wiktionary|address bar}}
* [[Combo box]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Graphical control elements}}

[[Category:Graphical control elements]]
[[Category:Graphical user interface elements]]
[[Category:Web browsers]]