How to Add a Custom Web Search to the Run Command

The Run Command, also known as the "Windows + R" shortcut, is a quick way to access various functions and applications on your Windows computer. By default, it allows you to launch programs, open folders, and access system tools, but you can also use it to perform web searches using your default search engine. In this guide, we'll show you how to add a custom web search to the Run Command using a registry hack.

Before proceeding with the steps, please note that modifying the Windows registry can be risky, and it's recommended to create a backup of your registry or create a system restore point before making any changes. Also, this tutorial requires administrative privileges.

Here are the steps to add a custom web search to the Run Command:

Step 1: Open the Registry Editor by pressing "Windows + R," typing "regedit" and hitting Enter.

Step 2: Navigate to the following registry key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\RunMRU

Step 3: Right-click on the "RunMRU" key and select "New" -> "String Value."

Step 4: Name the new string value something like "Search with Google" (without quotes).

Step 5: Double-click on the new string value and paste the following command into the "Value data" field:

`https://www.google.com/search?q=%s`

This command will use Google as the search engine. If you want to use a different search engine, replace "www.google.com" with the URL of your preferred search engine, and replace "%s" with the query parameter that the search engine uses to perform a search.

Step 6: Click "OK" to save the changes.

Step 7: Close the Registry Editor.

Step 8: Now you can test your new custom web search by pressing "Windows + R" and typing the name of your string value (e.g., "Search with Google") followed by a space and the search query (e.g., "OpenAI").

That's it! You've successfully added a custom web search to the Run Command in Windows. You can repeat these steps to add additional custom web searches using different search engines.