Google's 'Circle to Search' arrived to Chrome… kind of

The Circle to Search is an impressive feature that allows you to easily search for information based on any visual content. Initially, the feature made it to the Google Pixel 8 series and the Galaxy S24 Ultra. However, the feature is gradually rolling out to select Samsung smartphones as well as the Pixel Tablet. Now, it seems that Android smartphones won’t be the only device to have the feature. Google is now expanding Circle to Search by integrating it with Google Lens on Chrome browser for desktop clients.

Google’s Circle to Search feature is available on Chrome via ‘Search with Google Lens’

Windows and macOS users can access the Circle to Search feature on Chrome 128 Beta. Whereas, ChromeOS users can use this feature on ChromeOS 127 Beta. 9to5Google which originally spotted this feature reported that you can trigger a search by simply circling any on-screen visual element on the web.

Unlike Android smartphones, Google’s Circle to Search feature is termed as “Drag to Search” on desktops. ChromeOS users can access it by clicking the new Google Lens icon from the address bar. If you are on macOS and Windows, you can access the Circle to Search feature by clicking on the “Search with Google Lens” option from the overflow menu of Chrome. For quick access to the feature, you can also pin the “Search with Google Lens” option to the side panel.

You can drag a box around the visual content to learn more

Folks over at Android Central confirmed that the Circle to Search is available on their device with Chrome Beta version 128.0.6613.7. Once you select/mark a specific visual element, it is processed immediately, displaying search results on the side panel.

It is useful since you can browse the original webpage while checking the related results from the search. When you install Chrome 128 Beta on your desktop, you’ll see a “What’s New in Chrome.” Therefore, we expect the feature might soon roll out to stable versions of Google Chrome.