Google just recently announced a new Google navigation interface that removes the black bar and replaces it with a Google+ integrated navigation menu that includes a drop down menu. It’s not available to everyone yet but it you’d like to try it now here is how you can enable it.
The new Google Navigation
As previously reported, the new Google navigation update ditches the black background altogether. Now Google navigation integrates Google+ and the search box into the same section of screen as each of the web properties logo. So instead of seeing a black bar across the top of the screen containing a list of web applications, you’ll now see the logo which you can hover over and a selection of applications display via a drop down. Below are two methods to enable the new Google navigation.
Enable the new Google Navigation – method 1: via JavaScript console
According to the Google Operating System blog: “if you use Chrome, Firefox, Safari or Internet Explorer 8+, open google.com in a new tab, load Chrome’s JavaScript console (Ctrl+Shift+J), Firefox’s Web Console (Ctrl+Shift+K), Safari’s Web Inspector (how to do that?) or IE’s Developer Tools (press F12 and select the “console” tab) and paste the following code:”
document.cookie="PREF=ID=03fd476a699d6487:U=88e8716486ff1e5d:FF=0:LD=en:CR=2:TM=1322688084:LM=1322688085:S=McEsyvcXKMiVfGds; path=/; domain=.google.com";window.location.reload();
Enable the new Google Navigation – method 2: via Cookie manipulation
Possibly a more permanent solution was highlighted by +Maxilian Majewski‘s post on Google+. If you use Chrome is this a dead simply process to enable the new Google navigation.
- Go get this extension to change cookies. http://goo.gl/CeKtT
- Load Google.com and right-click to edit the cookies.
- Change “PREF” to this (try triple-clicking it): ID=03fd476a699d6487:U=88e8716486ff1e5d:FF=0:LD=en:CR=2:TM=1322688084:LM=1322688085:S=McEsyvcXKMiVfGds
- Don’t forget to save your changes at the bottom.
- Reload and you have the new Google bar.
My experience with the new Google navigation
I used the second method myself and I think the new Google navigation is aesthetically pleasing. It does however take up a considerable amount of screen real estate at the top of the screen. Like I previously reported, you can see Google’s push for integrating Google+ into all their web properties. Once I made the change nearly every Google application I use saw the change. Oddly, iGoogle did not receive the update and at this time I’m not sure if it’s because it uses a different cookie (that’s my assumption at this point) or not.
does not work on opera
The sharer and session pic on the top right have appeared now, but this is not switching the nav bar to the dropdown menu. Just to a bold-text nav bar.