NoCrap Removes Annoyances From Google Search

Martin Brinkmann
Jan 17, 2012
Updated • Dec 10, 2012
Google, Search
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Google in recent years has started to make many modifications to Google Search, from auto suggestions over live previews to Google Instant. Not every user likes all or even any of those changes which makes those features highly annoying in the eyes of those users. I even know a few who switched to another search engine such as Bing because they did not like how Google changed their search engine.

The biggest issue for many is the fact that the majority of features cannot be disabled if you do not want to use them. It is either an all or nothing deal, unless you happen to run across programs that make the necessary modifications for you.

NoCrap Google Search Bar injects itself on Google Search pages. You will see two search forms on the Google homepage, and only the NoCrap search form on results pages.

nocrap google search

You will notice two things right from the start:

  • The Google header bar has been removed. A click on the x icon hides the custom search form so that the standard header is again displayed on the screen.
  • Menus to customize the search are displayed right beneath the search form. Here you can select the number of results per page, safe or unsafe search, whether you would like to only see specific result types (e.g. images or video), the time span, language and format.

You can configure default parameters in the userscript settings.

You may also notice that searches are always enclosed in double quotes automatically which ensures that those terms need to be on all result pages.

NoCrap Google Search on top of that does away with many of the annoyances that one encounters on Google Search:

  • Autocomplete disabled
  • Google Instant disabled
  • Live Preview disabled
  • Personalized web search disabled
  • Cache links show up again in the search results
  • Links can now be copied directly, Google link manipulations on copy or mouse over are removed.

The search parameters do still work even if you clear all Google cookies. Users who have used custom parameters in the past know that clearing the Google cookies will reset the preferences to their default values.

NoCrap Google Search Bar is a useful userscript for Google users who want more control over their search result pages.

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Comments

  1. Patrick said on January 18, 2012 at 2:06 am
    Reply

    I was looking under the wrong area, I should have been looking under
    User Scripts and when I did I didn’t see the NoCrap script but I did see
    another script that I had previously loaded called Resurrect Google Cache & Related Links. Don’t know what Nocrap didn’t load!

  2. Patrick said on January 18, 2012 at 2:01 am
    Reply

    checking the add-ons I see Greasemonkey but I don’t see anything
    that says NoCrap. There is an entry that says “Google 7.1.2010111132b1
    (disabled) toolbar for firefox ” “Incompatable with firefox 9.0.1”

  3. Patrick said on January 18, 2012 at 1:15 am
    Reply

    OK, now I really feel stupid. I installed the Greasemonkey add-on.
    I ran the Greasemonkey and I clicked on the Install button. The
    script seemed to install. Everything seems to be going OK, but
    when I got the Google search page it looks just like it did before
    I installed the add-on. I put ghacks in the search field and it came
    back just like the normal Google webpage with the Google logo
    on the upper left hand side of the webpage. I surrounded the word
    ghacks in quotes but the same non-changed search webpages came
    back. I check the Firefox Tools Add-ons and Greasemonkey was
    there. Any idea what I did wrong?
    Patrick

    1. Martin Brinkmann said on January 18, 2012 at 1:17 am
      Reply

      Did you also install the userscript? You can see that under about:addons in the userscripts group there.

  4. Patrick said on January 17, 2012 at 4:58 pm
    Reply

    OHHHH, OK now I got it… thanks from Panama….

    Panama Patrick

  5. Patrick said on January 17, 2012 at 4:54 pm
    Reply

    Martin: thank you for your prompt reply. I installed it OK.

    If I have other scripts to run also how do I get Greasemonkey
    to load them?

    1. Martin Brinkmann said on January 17, 2012 at 4:55 pm
      Reply

      Just install them one by one on their pages.

  6. Patrick said on January 17, 2012 at 4:23 pm
    Reply

    OK, I’m a computer dummy, after I get to the script webpage,
    how do I run the script? Is it possible that this script could be
    into an .exe file or something easier?

    Panama Patrick

    1. Martin Brinkmann said on January 17, 2012 at 4:30 pm
      Reply

      Patrick, you can install it right away in Google Chrome, and in Firefox if you have Greasemonkey or Scriptish installed. Just install this add-on https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/greasemonkey/ and click the install button afterwards.

  7. flux said on January 17, 2012 at 1:32 pm
    Reply

    this script is too complex. I’m using Resurrect Google Cache & Related links http://userscripts.org/scripts/show/114455

  8. Damirora said on January 17, 2012 at 12:41 pm
    Reply

    Two parts of this article make me feel like a spelling/grammar Nazi.
    Good post as usual, Martin.

    1. Martin Brinkmann said on January 17, 2012 at 2:03 pm
      Reply

      Which let me know, it is one of the ways that I improve my English language skills.

      1. Damirora said on January 17, 2012 at 2:23 pm
        Reply

        “It is either a all or nothing deal,” It should be:
        “It is either an all or nothing deal,”

        You’ve corrected the other error, glad to help.

      2. Martin Brinkmann said on January 17, 2012 at 2:25 pm
        Reply

        Thanks, corrected. Should have spotted that.

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