16 Things You Didn't Know Were Hidden In Your Google Search Bar

16 Things You Didn't Know Were Hidden In Your Google Search Bar

Google's search bar, humble though it may appear, is absolutely packed with all kinds of little tricks and Easter eggs that developers have programmed.

While it's true that not all of these are life-changing, it's still pretty fun to look at just what Google's hiding under the hood.

1. Play some classic games.

Google isn't going to run Skyrim out of its launch bar or anything, but it's easy enough to get a quick game of solitaire or tic-tac-toe going. It's as easy as literally typing "solitaire" or "tic-tac-toe" into the search bar.

2. Calculate your long walk from the Shire.

Lord of the Rings is essentially about a long walk. If only they'd had Google Maps! Getting walking directions from "The Shire," "Rivendell," or "Mordor" in Google Maps will yield a pretty funny warning.

3. Keep the beat.

When I was taking music lessons, my parents actually spent good money on a metronome. But in Google, you can search for "metronome" and get an instant, functioning and interactive metronome for all of your musical needs.

4. Play Breakout

One of the most simple and addicting games out there, you can fire up a quick game of Breakout using images of your choice. Just go to Image Search, search something, then enter "Atari Breakout" into the search bar to start up the game.

5. Just try and find Chuck Norris.

Chuck Norris jokes are getting a bit dated, but I love them all the same. Try typing, "find Chuck Norris" into the search bar, and click "I'm feeling lucky."

6. Super handy (and mobile compatible!)

Just search "bubble level" on a mobile device, and done — you'll have an actual level on your device to help with leveling pictures and stuff.

7. Play honest-to-goodness Pac-Man.

Pac-Man never gets old, so if you ever need a quick fix, just enter "pacman" into the search bar and click enter to get a playable version of the game.

8. Get nostalgic.

If you never experienced '90s internet, it's worth a look. Search for "Google in 1998" to get a page that looks just like the Google experience of 20 years ago.

9. See all the doodles.

Google Doodles are pretty fun, and you can view the entire collection by simply clicking "I'm feeling lucky." There are Googles in the repository dating back to 1998.

10. Festivus for the rest of us.

Searching "Festivus" will give a brief synopsis of the Seinfeld holiday, but it also has an Easter egg: an authentic Festivus pole adorns the left side of the page.

11. Roll a dice or flip a coin.

You literally don't need a dice or a coin when you've got Google. Just search "flip a coin" or "roll a die" to get a randomized answer.

12. Right back to the Sega Genesis days.

Someone at Google must be a Sonic fan, because searching "Sonic the Hedgehog" brings up an image of the blue hedgehog that'll make a distinctive sound and spin when clicked.

13. There's a Super Mario Easter egg, too.

Searching "Super Mario Bros" will bring up one of the "?" blocks which, yes, is totally interactive. Click the block for a heavy dose of gaming nostalgia.

14. Expand your knowledge.

If you're just killing time and want to learn something neat, just search "Fun facts" for a seemingly never-ending assortment of cool little pieces of random information.

15. What do animals sound like?

Very random feature here: Googling "What sound does a [type of animal] make" will give soundbites. Unfortunately, searching for fox sounds yields actual fox sounds (not ding-ding-dinging).

16. Make things a little bit crooked.

If you prefer your view askew, just search for "Askew." You'll get a definition, but better yet, you'll get a visual representation of what constitutes askew-ness.