Quick Info
  • Google is integrating Google Lens in Chrome desktop and bringing its popular Circle to Search feature from Android to desktop platforms in the form of Drag to Search.
  • It works similarly to Circle to Search on Android with one difference - you'll need to drag the cursor on the desktop - to search for anything on the page, from images to text.
  • Drag to Search will be available on ChromeOS and Google Chrome for Mac and Windows.
  • You'll be able to refine your search further with multisearch, just like Google Lens on mobile, so you can use it to ask further questions or find a product in a different color.
It is currently being rolled out in beta and is available in Chrome beta 127 or later. It should start rolling out in the stable build in the coming days as well.

You can download Google Chrome Beta to try out Drag to Search currently. Since it is being rolled out, there's a possibility you might not have access to it right away. If you're an eager beaver, you can also install Google Chrome Canary to try the feature.

Here's how you can use Drag to Search in ChromeOS and Google Chrome on Mac and Windows.

  1. When you're on the part of the page that has the image/ text you want to search for (you won't be able to scroll later since it's essentially a screenshot), click the Google Lens icon in the address bar.
  2. If the icon is not visible right away, click once in the address bar and it should appear.
  1. You can also activate it by clicking on the 'three-dot menu' icon on the right of the address bar and selecting 'Search with Google Lens' from the menu or from the right-click menu.
  1. A pop-up will appear the first time you search with Google Lens informing you that a screenshot of the page will be sent to Google. Click on 'Continue' to proceed with Google Lens.
  1. Now, your cursor will transform into a cross cursor with the Google Lens icon and some shimmers (like Android) in its trail.
  2. As you move the cursor on the page, it'll be able to detect images and text. For some images, all you'll need to do is click on them to activate search (the part that will be selected will be highlighted). If it doesn't auto-detect the portion, drag your cursor across it; you can readjust the selected portion later.
  1. The search panel will appear on the right with image search results from Google Lens. Clicking on a link will open it in a new page.
  1. If you select text from the page, then the search results will include normal results instead of image search results. You'll also get options for copying or translating the text.
  1. For some search results, you'll be able to use multisearch to refine your query. For example, if you used Google Lens to search for a plant, you can ask further questions about it, such as How much sunlight does it need, or you can add a color, brand, or another detail when searching for a product like a dress or a bag.
  1. The new search results will keep your original search and the new question in context to provide you with an answer.
  1. You can also click the 'Pin' icon from the search panel and the Google Lens icon will be pinned to the toolbar.

Things to know:

  • With Google Lens on your Desktop, you can easily find anything that's on your page without the need to open a new tab.

    For example, if you're watching videos on Instagram or YouTube and come across something, like a dress, that you'd like to find, all you need to do is drag your cursor across it to find out more about it.
  • With multisearch and AI overviews, you can even find more information about it easily.
  • Google is also rolling new AI features to Chrome, like Tab compare which can make it easy to compare different products across websites while shopping, and Rediscover browsing history that'll let you find any website you visited by typing something in natural language like What was that clothing website I looked at last week? even when you don't remember the site's name.