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How to search the web for selected text with a hotkey

Use a KeyRoutines Hotkey trigger, Press keys with Ctrl+C to copy the selection, a Wait until with Clipboard contains text, Get clipboard, and Web search with the engine you like or your own search address.

Steps

  1. 1

    Add a Hotkey trigger

    Pick a chord such as Ctrl+Alt+S.

  2. 2

    Copy the selection

    Add Press keys with Ctrl+C.

  3. 3

    Wait for the copy

    Add Wait until with Clipboard contains text, with a 2-second timeout.

  4. 4

    Read it

    Add Get clipboard as text, and Trim text to tidy it.

  5. 5

    Search

    Add Web search with the text as the query and choose the engine, or a template like https://example.com/search?q={query}.

Tips

  • Use the template field to search a site such as a dictionary, a wiki or your company's docs.

Questions

Does it work in every app?
In any app where Ctrl+C copies the selection. It never sends keys to games.
Is it free?
Yes. Web search is free.

Blocks this routine uses

Trigger · HotkeysFree

Hotkey

Hotkey starts a routine when you press a keyboard shortcut or mouse button. It's the most common way to run a routine, from a single app launcher key to a whole streaming setup on one combination.

Step · Keys and mouseFree

Press keys

Press keys sends a key combination or a whole sequence, such as Ctrl+C, wait 300, Ctrl+V, to the app in front or to a chosen app. It is the simplest way to use an app's own shortcuts from a routine.

Condition · ClipboardFree

Clipboard contains

Clipboard contains checks what kind of thing is on the clipboard, and optionally whether its text matches a pattern. It lets one routine handle links, images and plain text in different ways.

Step · ClipboardFree

Get clipboard

Get clipboard reads what is on the clipboard so later steps can use it. Choose text, copied files, or an image, which is saved as a PNG file you name.

Step · Data and variablesFree

Trim text

Trim text cleans the edges of a text, removing spaces and line breaks from the start, the end or both. It's the quiet fix for copied values that don't compare the way you expect.

Step · WebFree

Web search

Web search opens a search for a phrase on the engine you choose. Combined with the clipboard, it gives you a one-key 'search what I copied' on any site.

More how-to guides

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