--- title: Google is testing a homepage without a Search button description: Google is running an A/B test on its homepage that replaces the Search button with three AI shortcuts — Create images, Ask about files, and Brainstorm — for a... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/google-is-testing-a-homepage-without-a-search-button-thdscykfz twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: Google is testing a homepage without a Search button | daily.dev og:description: Google is running an A/B test on its homepage that replaces the Search button with three AI shortcuts — Create images, Ask about files, and Brainstorm — for a... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/google-is-testing-a-homepage-without-a-search-button-thdscykfz og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/THdScykFZ.png og:image:alt: Google is testing a homepage without a Search button og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Google is testing a homepage without a Search button **[The Next Web](https://daily.dev/sources/tnw)** · 3 min read · 1 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary Google is running an A/B test on its homepage that replaces the Search button with three AI shortcuts — Create images, Ask about files, and Brainstorm — for a small group of signed-out users. Two of the shortcuts (Ask about files and Brainstorm) work without an account, while Create images requires a sign-in. The test was spotted across Chrome, Edge, and Perplexity's Comet browser, but could not be reproduced by all reporters. Google has not confirmed the test's scope or whether it will ship. The change is notable because Google's homepage has remained largely unchanged for over two decades, and the shift reflects broader pressure on traditional search from AI-powered alternatives. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Questions this post answers ### What are the three AI buttons Google is testing on its homepage instead of the search button? The three shortcuts spotted are Create images, Ask about files, and Brainstorm, appearing under the search bar for a small group of signed-out users. Ask about files and Brainstorm work without logging in, but Create images requires sign-in, likely because generating images with Nano Banana costs more than reading an uploaded file. _Developers tracking shifts in how Google surfaces AI features can follow coverage like this on daily.dev._ ### Is Google removing the search button from its homepage permanently? No, this is only a limited A/B test seen by a small group of signed-out users across certain browsers and sessions, including Chrome, Edge, and Perplexity's Comet. Other testers using different browsers and VPN locations could not reproduce the layout, and Google has not confirmed the test's scale or whether it will roll out broadly. _Anyone weighing how much to trust early product-test reports can track follow-ups on daily.dev._ ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [Six search engines worth trying now that Google isn’t really Google anymore](https://daily.dev/posts/six-search-engines-worth-trying-now-that-google-isn-t-really-google-anymore-u7mm2kq2m) · TechCrunch · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Google's AI search overhaul is bad news for the open web](https://daily.dev/posts/google-s-ai-search-overhaul-is-bad-news-for-the-open-web-dxko4m8si) · The Next Web · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Google launches the biggest reinvention of search in 25 years](https://daily.dev/posts/google-launches-the-biggest-reinvention-of-search-in-25-years-omnhngl5e) · TechCentral · 0 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#ai](https://daily.dev/tags/ai), [#google](https://daily.dev/tags/google), [#google-gemini](https://daily.dev/tags/google-gemini) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/google-is-testing-a-homepage-without-a-search-button-thdscykfz) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"Google is testing a homepage without a Search button","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/google-is-testing-a-homepage-without-a-search-button-thdscykfz","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/google-is-testing-a-homepage-without-a-search-button-thdscykfz"},"datePublished":"2026-08-10T20:45:05.415Z","dateModified":"2026-09-14T07:53:48.530Z","description":"Google is running an A/B test on its homepage that replaces the Search button with three AI shortcuts — Create images, Ask about files, and Brainstorm — for a...","image":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/5a95b6050872809837b5159e991e190f?_a=AQAEuop","thumbnailUrl":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/5a95b6050872809837b5159e991e190f?_a=AQAEuop","isAccessibleForFree":true,"articleSection":"The Next Web","inLanguage":"en","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180}},"author":{"@type":"Organization","name":"The Next Web","logo":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/t_logo,f_auto/v1/logos/tnw","url":"https://daily.dev/sources/tnw"},"commentCount":0,"discussionUrl":"https://daily.dev/posts/google-is-testing-a-homepage-without-a-search-button-thdscykfz","interactionStatistic":[{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":1},{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"CommentAction"},"userInteractionCount":0}],"keywords":"ai,google,google-gemini","timeRequired":"PT3M"} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://daily.dev"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The Next Web","item":"https://daily.dev/sources/tnw"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Google is testing a homepage without a Search button"}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/google-is-testing-a-homepage-without-a-search-button-thdscykfz#faq","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"What are the three AI buttons Google is testing on its homepage instead of the search button?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"The three shortcuts spotted are Create images, Ask about files, and Brainstorm, appearing under the search bar for a small group of signed-out users. Ask about files and Brainstorm work without logging in, but Create images requires sign-in, likely because generating images with Nano Banana costs more than reading an uploaded file. Developers tracking shifts in how Google surfaces AI features can follow coverage like this on daily.dev."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Is Google removing the search button from its homepage permanently?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"No, this is only a limited A/B test seen by a small group of signed-out users across certain browsers and sessions, including Chrome, Edge, and Perplexity's Comet. Other testers using different browsers and VPN locations could not reproduce the layout, and Google has not confirmed the test's scale or whether it will roll out broadly. Anyone weighing how much to trust early product-test reports can track follow-ups on daily.dev."}}]} ```