ban.gs

Privacy-first search engine shortcuts.

Try a bangs search Private by design

Search from anywhere with !bangs

Use a bang to jump to a destination, or type a normal query and let your default engine take over. Change your default search engine in Settings.

Quick examples

1. Try it on the home page

Use the search bar on the front page and type something like:

!gh react
!w solar system
best noise cancelling headphones

2. Learn the basic rule

If your search starts with a bang like !gh or !w, ban.gs sends you to that site. If your search has no bang, it goes to your default search engine.

3. Set it as your browser search engine

Open Settings on the home page and copy the install link. It will look like https://ban.gs/?q=%s. That link tells your browser where to send anything you type in the address bar.

You only need one piece of information:
Search URL:https://ban.gs/?q=%s

Chrome, Arc, Brave, and Edge

Open your browser settings and search for Search engines. Then add a new search engine.

Name: ban.gs
Shortcut: ban.gs
URL: https://ban.gs/?q=%s

Save it, then set it as your default search engine if you want normal address-bar searches to go through ban.gs 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 ban.gs 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 ban.gs 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:

!gh react
!yt ambient mix
weather vancouver

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 ban.gs 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. You do not see an extra redirect page. That is why it feels fast.

7. If it does not work

Most setup problems come down to one of these:

You pasted the wrong URL. Make sure it ends with ?q=%s.
Your browser did not make ban.gs the default search engine yet.
A browser restart is needed before the new search engine shows up everywhere.
Safari may need an extension or workaround because it is stricter than other browsers.