Editing Google Toolbar

{{Short description|Discontinued web browser toolbar for Internet Explorer}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2011}}
{{Use American English|date=November 2023}}
{{Infobox software
| name = Google Toolbar
| logo = Google Toolbar wordmark.png
| logo size = 250px
| screenshot = 
| caption = 
| collapsible = 
| developer = [[Google]]
| released = {{start date and age|2000|12|11}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://googlepress.blogspot.com/2000/12/google-launches-google-toolbar.html|title=Google Launches The Google Toolbar|date=December 11, 2000|access-date=May 24, 2016}}</ref>
| latest release version = 7.5.8231.2252 (Internet Explorer)
| latest release date = November 21, 2016 (Internet Explorer)
| latest preview version = 
| latest preview date =
| replaced_by = [[Google Chrome]] 
| operating system = [[Microsoft Windows]]
| discontinued = yes
| platform = 
| language = 
| language count = 
| language footnote = 
| genre = [[Browser toolbar]]
| license = [[Proprietary software|Proprietary]] [[freeware]]
| website = {{URL|https://www.google.com/toolbar/ie/done.html}}
}}
'''Google Toolbar''' was a [[web browser]] [[Browser toolbar|toolbar]] for [[Internet Explorer]], developed by [[Google]]. It was first released in 2000 for [[Internet Explorer 5]] and above. Google Toolbar was also distributed as a [[Add-on (Mozilla)#Plug-ins|Mozilla plug-in]] for [[Firefox]] from September 2005 to June 2011. On December 12, 2021, the software was no longer available for download,<ref name="ATECH">{{Cite web|last=Amadeo|first=Ron|date=2021-12-12|title=Take one last look at Google Toolbar, which is now dead|url=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2021/12/happy-21st-birthday-to-google-toolbar-which-inexplicably-still-exists/|access-date=2021-12-20|website=Ars Technica|language=en-us}}</ref> and the main website now redirects to a support page, though a page still exists with the original page design.<ref name="GSUPPORT">{{Cite web|title=Install Google Toolbar - Toolbar Help|url=https://support.google.com/toolbar/answer/81376|access-date=2021-12-20|website=support.google.com}}</ref>

== Features ==
Google Toolbar resided above the browser's tab bar and provided a search box to carry out [[Web search engine|web searches]]. Users could log into their [[Gmail]] accounts and access their email, saved bookmarks, and web history. It had tools such as [[AutoLink]], AutoFill, [[Google Translate|Translation]], and spell checker on all browsers. The pop-up blocker and word finder were restricted to [[Internet Explorer]].<ref name="gtf">{{cite web|url=http://www.google.com/intl/en/toolbar/ie/features.html|title=Google Toolbar Features|access-date=May 16, 2009}}</ref> Google Toolbar was often distributed through [[product bundling]] with a primary download.

=== Sidewiki ===
[[Google Sidewiki]] was launched on September 23, 2009, allowing users to make comments, which were visible to the public, on any web page.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/help-and-learn-from-others-as-you.html|title=Help and learn from others as you browse the web: Google Sidewiki|date=September 23, 2009|publisher=Google|access-date=September 23, 2009}}</ref> [[Google]] used [[PageRank|ranking algorithms]] to determine comment [[Relevance|relevancy]] and usefulness using criteria such as users voting up and down a comment and past contributions. Sidewiki was available for [[Internet Explorer]] and [[Firefox]] through Google Toolbar, the [[Google Chrome]] browser through an add-on,<ref>{{cite web | url=https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/fldmleagmkblgoeodhdlhdejhhngdihi | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111219131413/https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/fldmleagmkblgoeodhdlhdejhhngdihi | url-status=dead | archive-date=2011-12-19 | title=Chrome Web Store - Google Sidewiki| date=2011-12-19}}</ref> and for other browsers, like [[Safari (web browser)|Safari]], it was available as a [[bookmarklet]].

Web site owners could not control Sidewiki comments,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/technology/andrewkeen/100003634/sidewiki-google-colonial-sideswipe/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090927175859/http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/technology/andrewkeen/100003634/sidewiki-google-colonial-sideswipe/|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 27, 2009|title=Sidewiki: Google colonial sideswipe|author=Andrew Keen|work=The Daily Telegraph|location=UK|access-date=December 12, 2009|date=September 24, 2009}}</ref> and there was no way for a web site to opt out of Sidewiki; however, Sidewiki was disabled on [[HTTP Secure|secure sites]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/Webmasters/thread?tid=494bb6012632fb05&hl=en|title=How do webmasters opt out of sidewiki?|access-date=February 24, 2010}}</ref>

In September 2011, Google announced that it would discontinue Sidewiki.

=== My Location ===
My Location was a [[geolocation]] service which uses the location of [[Wi-Fi]] access points to determine the toolbar user's location.<ref name="google-mylocation">{{cite web|url=http://www.google.com/support/toolbar/bin/answer.py?hl=en-uk&answer=166104|title=Toolbar Help|access-date=May 20, 2010}}</ref> This location was used to optimize search results based on where the user was located.<ref name="google-mylocation"/> Google Toolbar could also provide the geolocation data to third-party websites<ref name="google-mylocation"/> through the [[W3C Geolocation API]].

=== AutoLink ===
Google Toolbar was criticized when the AutoLink feature was added to the toolbar because this new feature directed users to pre-selected commercial websites. For example, if it found a book's [[ISBN]] on a webpage, it provided a link to Amazon's product page for the particular book. Google said that the feature "adds useful links" and "none of the companies which received AutoLinks had paid for the service."

=== Web caching ===
The desktop version of Google Toolbar showed the [[web cache|cached copy]] of any given search result, which was useful for slower Internet connections and benefitted by [[Google Web Accelerator]] until its discontinuation in 2008. This feature does not exist for the mobile version.{{Citation needed|date=October 2018}}

== Privacy ==
Google Watch has raised concerns about Google Toolbar's possible threats to privacy, such as tracking of browsing patterns, automatic installation of updates without the user's knowledge, and a privacy policy that can be revised without notice.<ref>[http://www.google-watch.org/toolbar.html Google's new toolbar: Now more evil than ever]</ref> The toolbar does not track personally identifiable surfing activities of the end user unless advanced features such as [[PageRank]] are specifically enabled by the user.<ref name="Technology Source">{{Cite news|url=http://www.techpluto.com/google-toolbar-advanced-features/|title=Does Wesley's Google Toolbar Invade Your Privacy? Not Really…|date=May 16, 2009|publisher=TechPluto|access-date=May 17, 2009}}</ref> It does track "anonymous" statistics, which can reveal a lot of information when correlated with other data, although similar criticisms could be made of Google's online search engine.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/2786761.stm Is Google too powerful?] by Bill Thompson, BBC News, 2/21/2003</ref>

== Google Compute ==
'''Google Compute''' was a separately [[downloadable]] add-on for the Google Toolbar which utilized the user's computer to help the [[Folding@home]] [[distributed computing]] project, which studies disease-relevant [[protein folding]] and other [[molecular dynamics]]. It was founded in March 2002 by Google co-founder [[Sergey Brin]]. Functionally, it downloaded a small packet of work, performed calculations on it, and uploaded it back to [[Stanford University]].<ref>{{Cite news | url = http://news.cnet.com/2100-1001-867091.html | title = Google takes on supercomputing | date = March 22, 2002 | publisher = CNet News | first = Stephen | last = Shankland}}</ref> Although it was limited in functionality and scope, it increased Folding@home's participation from 10,000 up to about 30,000 active CPUs.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://castroller.com/Podcasts/FuturesInBiotech/249153 |title=Futures in Biotech 27: Folding@home at 1.3 Petaflops |format=Interview, webcast |date=2007-12-28 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111129214623/http://castroller.com/Podcasts/FuturesInBiotech/249153 |archive-date=November 29, 2011 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> The program ended in October 2005 in favor of the project's official clients, and is no longer available for the Toolbar.<ref>{{Cite news | url = http://hardforum.com/showpost.php?p=1028770683&postcount=4 | title = Google is after your CPU cycles | author = ChelseaOilman | date = 2005-12-30 | access-date = 2011-09-06}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://toolbar.google.com/dc/offerdc.html/ |title=Your computer's idle time is too precious to waste |website=toolbar.google.com |year=2007 |access-date=2011-09-06 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080611153319/http://toolbar.google.com/dc/offerdc.html/ |archive-date=June 11, 2008 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>

== Discontinuation ==
On December 12, 2021, Google Toolbar was quietly shut down by Google. The website redirected to Toolbar Support, stating the user should install [[Google Chrome]] instead, and showed instructions on how to uninstall Toolbar for those on Internet Explorer. Computers that still have Google Toolbar are not affected.<ref name="ATECH"/><ref name="GSUPPORT"/> It now redirects to Chrome Support.

== See also ==
* [[Alexa Toolbar]]
* [[AOL Toolbar]]
* [[Bing Bar]]
* [[Yahoo! Toolbar]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Official website|toolbar.google.com}}
{{Google LLC}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Google Toolbar}}
[[Category:2000 software]]
[[Category:Discontinued Google software|Toolbar]]
[[Category:Discontinued Mozilla plug-ins]]
[[Category:Browser toolbars]]

[[ja:Googleのサービス#Google ツールバー]]