Like the Ubuntu Firefox start page the Unity search bar (what’s Unity? where have you been?!) uses a custom Google search results page free of, well, everything useful and loaded down with ads.

Whilst this arrangement likely supports Canonical/Ubuntu financially (and we all want to support Canonical/Ubuntu financially)  some of can’t live without seeing a link to Gmail on every Google page we visit nor are we ready to give up lusting over the brand-spanking new Google search results page.

OMG! reader Bob took a peek inside gconf-editor and found a string that changes the search terms, namely: –

  • /desktop/unity/panel/search_template

So to switch from the ‘encumbered’ custom search to, for example, the “regular” search result for Google UK enter: –

Thanks Bob!