- I'm Feeling Lucky is a Google button that takes you directly to the first search result when you type in a query.
- The I'm Feeling Lucky feature works a bit differently than it did previously, but you can still use it while searching from Google's homepage.
- You can also add a Chrome extension that incorporates I'm Feeling Lucky directly into your searches from the browser's address bar.
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I'm Feeling Lucky was a whimsically named button that Google placed on the early Google search page to add some personality to what was, at the time, a stark and simple search experience.
Clicking it would take you directly to whatever the first search result would be for whatever you were looking for. It has evolved over the years, but you can still find a version of it in the desktop version of web browsers.
The history of I'm Feeling Lucky
When Google launched, the search page was the model of simplicity, with little more than a search box and a couple of buttons to see search results. One of those buttons was labeled I'm Feeling Lucky, and its purpose was to take you directly to the first search result.
By bypassing a page full of search results, you could potentially save the time needed to browse and explore other options. Of course, the first result might not contain what you were looking for, hence the somewhat tongue-in-cheek I'm Feeling Lucky label.
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The evolution of I'm Feeling Lucky, and how to use it now
Over the years, the I'm Feeling Lucky button has evolved. In 2010, Google introduced Google Instant — as you typed a query into the search box, the search engine would automatically display results in a drop-down menu. Because you could click the top result without going to a separate results page, that made the I'm Feeling Lucky button largely redundant.
In 2012, Google changed the way I'm Feeling Lucky worked; every time you hover the mouse over the button, the label changes to a whimsical expression (I'm Feeling Adventurous, I'm Feeling Puzzled, I'm Feeling Astronomical, and so on), which directs users to one of Google's many secondary services when clicked.
Even so, there is still an I'm Feeling Lucky button which serves its original purpose. When you start typing a query in the Google search box, two buttons appear at the bottom of the drop-down menu under the instant results: Google Search and I'm Feeling Lucky. Click I'm Feeling Lucky to go immediately to the first result.
You can also type your query, click out of the search box, and then click I'm Feeling Lucky.
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How to add an I'm Feeling Lucky extension to Chrome
The concept of the I'm Feeling Lucky button is so appealing that there are a number of browser extensions and software utilities that make it more pervasive.
Perhaps the best is a browser extension for the Chrome web browser called I'm Feeling Lucky. After installing this extension, type the \ (backslash) key and then press the Tab key. You'll see I'm Feeling Lucky appear in the address bar. Now type a query and press Enter, and you will immediately go to that search result, the same as if you had opened Google, searched for that phrase, and then clicked I'm Feeling Lucky.
Freelance Writer
Dave Johnson is a technology journalist who writes about consumer tech and how the industry is transforming the speculative world of science fiction into modern-day real life. Dave grew up in New Jersey before entering the Air Force to operate satellites, teach space operations, and do space launch planning. He then spent eight years as a content lead on the Windows team at Microsoft. As a photographer, Dave has photographed wolves in their natural environment; he's also a scuba instructor and co-host of several podcasts. Dave is the author of more than two dozen books and has contributed to many sites and publications including CNET, Forbes, PC World, How To Geek, and Insider.
On February 28, Axel Springer, Business Insider's parent company, joined 31 other media groups and filed a $2.3 billion suit against Google in Dutch court, alleging losses suffered due to the company's advertising practices.
