Address bar - Wikipedia Address bar In a web browser, the address bar ( also location bar or URL bar ) is a graphical control element that shows the current URL. The user can type a URL into the bar to navigate to a chosen website. 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 - completion feature bases its suggestions on the browser 's history. Some browsers have keyboard shortcuts to auto - complete an address. These are generally configured by the user on a case - by - case basis. Address bars have been a feature of web browsers since NCSA Mosaic. Contents 1 Features 1.1 Browser - specific features 2 Address bar implementations 2.1 Google Chrome 2.2 Firefox 2.3 Opera 2.4 Internet Explorer 2.5 Microsoft Edge 3 See also 4 References Features For websites using a favicon ( a small icon that represents the website ), a small icon will generally be present within the address bar, or somewhere nearby. Favicons are specific to websites, thus a generic icon will be displayed if not specified. The address bar is also used, in some browsers, to show the security status of a web page. Various colors and padlock icons may appear if the page is encrypted, and / or to indicate if intended communication is trustworthy and secure. Some browsers address bars can be used to detect web feeds that can be used to subscribe to pages. The detection of a feed is normally indicated by the RSS icon `` ``. A variety of other icons may also be present in the address bar if included with a browser extension. Web browsers often include a feature called 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. Quick searches can also be performed in some browsers by entering a shortcut and search terms in lieu of a URL. 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 available in Firefox, Opera and Google Chrome. Browser - specific features In Opera and Safari, the address bar can double as a progress bar that indicates how much of the contents of the page has been loaded. In Google Chrome, the address bar ( or `` Omnibox '' ) doubles as a search plugin bar which pulls incremental returns for typed phrases from Google Suggest 's pre-emptive search. An add - on is also available for Firefox that duplicates this functionality, and newer versions have the capability built - in. This `` Omnibox '' is also capable of, in addition to the quick search function listed above, interpreting any non-URL phrase typed into it as a search on the user 's search engine of choice. Address bar implementations The following sections compare address bar widgets for a few well - known web browsers. Google Chrome Google Chrome 's address bar when visiting the main page of the English Wikipedia as seen from Chrome OS Google Chrome 's address bar when visiting the secure Wikimedia main page as seen from Chrome OS Chrome 's address bar when visiting a site that has an Extended Validation Certificate as seen from Windows 7 Firefox Firefox 's address bar when visiting example.com Firefox 's address bar when visiting the English Wikipedia Firefox 's address bar when visiting the Wikimedia Foundation 's credit card payment page, which uses an Extended Validation Certificate Opera Opera 's address bar when visiting the English Wikipedia Opera 's address bar when visiting the English Wikipedia secure Internet Explorer Internet Explorer 11 's address bar when visiting the English Wikipedia Internet Explorer 11 's address bar when visiting a secure site that does not have an Extended Validation Certificate Internet Explorer 11 's address bar when visiting a secure site ( PayPal ) that has an Extended Validation Certificate Microsoft Edge The address bar of Microsoft Edge when visiting the English Wikipedia through HTTPS See also Combo box References Jump up ^ Apple, Jennifer. `` Favicon - How To Create A Favicon. ico ''. Futura Studios. Retrieved 25 February 2011. Jump up ^ Hoffman, Rae ( 10 February 2008 ). `` Creating Firefox Search Bookmarks ''. Sugarrae TM. Retrieved 5 January 2014. Jump up ^ Ajit K. `` Omnibox addon ''. Add - ons for Firefox. Retrieved 5 January 2014. Jump up ^ `` Search the web from Address Bar ''. Firefox Help. Retrieved 5 January 2014. Jump up ^ `` Use the address bar ( omnibox ) ''. Chrome Help. Retrieved 13 May 2013. Widgets ( List of... ) Command input Adjustment handle Button Context menu Drop - down list Hamburger button Menu Pie menu Data input - output Checkbox Color picker Combo box Cycle button Date picker Grid view List box List builder Radio button Scrollbar Search box Slider Spinner Text box Informational Balloon help Head - up display in computing Head - up display in video games Icon Infobar Label Loading screen Progress indicator Progress bar Splash screen Throbber Sidebar Status bar Toast Tooltip Containers Accordion Client - Side Decoration Disclosure widget Frame / Fieldset Menu bar Panel Popover Ribbon Tab Toolbar Window Window decoration Workspace Navigational Address bar Breadcrumb Hyperlink Navigation bar Pager Tree view Special windows Alert dialog box Dialog box File dialog Inspector window Modal window Palette window Related concepts File viewer List of graphical user interface elements Layout manager Look and feel Mouseover Widget toolkit WIMP Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Address_bar&oldid=853518333 '' Categories : Graphical control elements Graphical user interface elements Web browsers Hidden categories : Use dmy dates from March 2011 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Čeština Eesti Español Esperanto Français 한국어 Italiano Magyar Nederlands 日本 語 Português Српски / srpski Svenska Tiếng Việt 中文 6 more Edit links This page was last edited on 5 August 2018, at 09 : 18 ( UTC ). 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Question: in which part of the web browser can you type the website address
Answer: the address bar (also location bar or URL bar)