Lets install Google Toolbar, the project that almost made it 21 years

There was no ceremony, no announcement, no moment of silence, nor any closure — just a “no longer available.” That’s what Google has now on its Install Google Toolbar help page; it tells you how to uninstall the Google Toolbar and install Chrome instead.

How to “install” Google Toolbar — the result may surprise you.

It feels unreal for Google to silently forsake a tool that was, in 2008, responsible for 12 percent of all Google searches — and then convince a new internet generation that everyone should just download Chrome if they love Googling so much. Chrome is great (fine?), but it isn’t what it used to be.

I have a confession: I was not a Google Toolbar user, but we had a relationship. Google Toolbar existed to help me blame it for my family’s and friends’ computer problems. If they ask me about tuning their computer or complained about websites loading slowly: I told them it’s the Google Toolbar, and I was happy to uninstall it for them.

It always seemed to work, too: removing not only Google Toolbar but also Yahoo! Toolbar, Ask Jeeves Toolbar, or any toolbar would give back so much screen real estate (we are talking about the 1024 x 768 screen resolution days of the 2000s) that there was at least the perception of a tune-up. Sure, I’d still end up going the extra mile and actually fix their real issues, but each removal of the omnipresent Google Toolbar felt almost like material change.

Internet Explorer 8 (released in 2009) on Windows XP. You could do a Google search in the Google Toolbar, the IE8 search field, or the Google website — the choice is yours. Screenshot by Umar Shakir / The Verge

The popularity of Google Toolbar — and other browser toolbars — in the 2000s was what pushed web browsers to adopt web searches as a built-in feature. Internet Explorer 7 (2006) was one of the first browsers to have a dedicated search field next to the address bar, making web searches quick — though the default search engine was Microsoft Live Search, to the dismay of many. That’s why Google Toolbar would continue to thrive and build a dependence of Google services on users for years to come.

With Chrome dominating web browser usage since 2012, the redundant web search fields have finally come to an end. Now let’s get together and install Google Toolbar one last time to celebrate its life and let it rest in peace:

The computer I found had a CPU fan error since it was filled with thick dust, but I flicked the blades until it started spinning. It has a Pentium 4 and an Nvidia Quadro FX 1700. Image: Umar Shakir / The Verge

Be sure your finding is actually from Google. Though that is no longer verifiable since Google doesn’t host the file anymore. Screenshot by Umar Shakir / The Verge

This one is specifically for Internet Explorer, but it will close Firefox when you click Restart Now. Screenshot by Umar Shakir / The Verge

The war between browser and search engine rages on. Screenshot by Umar Shakir / The Verge

The services don’t seem to work anymore, but it’s also because Google stopped supporting old versions of Internet Explorer. Screenshot by Umar Shakir / The Verge

The Toolbar options have tools that let you block pop-ups (before browsers could do it), sync bookmarks between computers using Google Toolbar, and help with spell checking! Screenshot by Umar Shakir / The Verge

There was also a button to opt out of all the features that send information. Screenshot by Umar Shakir / The Verge

We installed version 7.5.5111, but the software still downloaded the latest version with 7.5.7210. Screenshot by Umar Shakir / The Verge

You can add more buttons to this list under the Toolbar Options. Screenshot by Umar Shakir / The Verge

This is the step I took helping people over the years. I’ve got a lot of thank you’s uninstalling this. Screenshot by Umar Shakir / The Verge

I don’t think I’ve ever opened this installer myself, and I shudder thinking about everyone who has. Let’s carry on. Screenshot by Umar Shakir / The Verge

Notice the check box to share your data. Let’s skip that and save it for Google. Screenshot by Umar Shakir / The Verge

This takes me back to the computer conditions of some friends and professors I’ve helped. Screenshot by Umar Shakir / The Verge

This PC I found has a power switch on the power supply. A quick flip for me. Image: Umar Shakir / The Verge

Google would love to index your Thunderbird emails. Screenshot by Umar Shakir / The Verge

Imagine doing an “I’m Feeling Lucky” search for a file on your computer. Screenshot by Umar Shakir / The Verge

I was really hoping it could load more than just Blogspot RSS feeds. It probably could, but I didn’t try any harder. Screenshot by Umar Shakir / The Verge

And that’s all. If you really feel like you need another toolbar fix, the Yahoo! Toolbar somehow still exists — but now as an extension for Firefox.

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