1. Try it live
Use the search bar and type something like:
2. Learn the usage pattern
If your search contains a !bang, like !gh or !w, bangs.to sends you to that site. If your search has no bang, it goes to your default search engine, which is customizable in Settings.
3. Set it as your browser search engine
Open Settings on the home page and copy the install link. It will look like https://bangs.to/?q=%s. That link tells your browser where to send anything you type in the address bar.
https://bangs.to/?q=%s Click to copy Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and more
Open your browser settings and search for Search engines. Then add a new search engine.
If you wish to use search suggestions, you can add the following URL from DuckDuckGo:
Save it, then set it as your default search engine if you want normal address-bar searches to go through bangs.to automatically.
Firefox and Firefox-based browsers
Visit the home page once first. Many Firefox-based browsers can detect the site automatically as a search engine. Then open browser settings, go to Search, and choose bangs.to from the list if it appears.
If it does not appear automatically, you can still keep using the site directly from the home page, or add it manually using browser tools or extensions that support custom search engines.
Safari
Safari is more limited with custom search engines than Chrome or Firefox. If Safari does not let you add it directly, the simplest option is to keep bangs.to open as a pinned tab or use a Safari extension that adds custom search engine support.
How to test that it worked
Click into your browser’s address bar and type a search like these:
If it is set up correctly, your browser should send you straight to GitHub, YouTube, or your default web search without needing to open the bangs.to home page first.
4. Change your defaults if you want
Open Settings to pick your default search engine, choose where autocomplete suggestions come from, and decide how “Feeling Lucky” should behave.
5. Add your own shortcuts
If there is a site you use often, open Settings and add a custom bang. For example, you could make !docs go to your team’s internal docs search.
6. What happens behind the scenes?
The short version is: your browser recognizes the query and sends you straight to the right place. Frequently used !bangs are cached in your browser.
7. If it does not work
Most setup problems come down to one of these:
?q=%s.