In Chrome, I can highlight any text on any page and right-click to “Search Google for” that text. Is there a program or plug-in that will allow me to select any text in any program and right-click for a Google search?
Are you asking if there’s a way to search your local computer that way?
Not to search the computer, but do a Google Internet search, instead of
<select text>
<copy text>
<open browser window>
<paste text into search box>
<hit Enter>
and instead do
<select text>
<right click on Search Google>
Most programs will allow URLs to be transferred over to the default browser to open. Would like a way to do something similar with searches.
Sorry, still trying to get an understanding of this. So you want to be able to right click on text that’s not in a browser (so, in Word or iTunes etc) and have an option to right click on that and search google for it?
Off the top of my head, I don’t know of any app that can do it (not to say that there aren’t). But there are ways to add things to the right click menu. A little bit of playing around and it’s very possible you could make something that would do it.
It’s called “Cortana”. It kinda sucks.
Exactly. The same way it works within a browser, but do it with any text in any app.
Select text
Ctrl+C
Alt-Tab (once if you were last in browser, but possibly more than once)
Ctrl+T
Ctrl+V
Not elegant but it will work, and pretty easy to get into a rhythm.
Right. I know how to do that (see post 3) but I am looking for an integrated way to do it in one click.
I’m much happier with non Internet apps being unable to access the Internet or be accessed from the Internet. It’s bad enough that email supports clickable links. I wish that required copy-pasting. Some things should require some deliberate effort.
It’s still not quite as elegant as what you want, but you could use AutoHotkey to create a macro that does the ctrl-C/open browser/ctrl-V/enter steps for you, and then bind it to a key combination like Win-Ctrl-G. You may also be able to bind it to your mouse’s middle button.
Generally speaking, apps can’t modify the menus of other apps. Some apps (like Explorer) provide special hooks for doing this, and in some cases it’s possible to do it in a kind of backdoor fashion, but there’s no general-purpose means of doing this.
That’s not how it works.
In OS X, there is a “Service” that does exactly what the OP wants - highlight text in any application, and then right-click on it. A menu pops up, and one of the choices is “Search with Google.” That then takes you to your preferred browser, with a Google search for the highlighted text.