Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET
You may have noticed an odd little button that sometimes appears in your Chrome browser bar labeled "Google Lens." It's actually been there for a number of years now, although it doesn't always show up. But have you ever used it? Have you even given it a second thought? Or has it just become one more piece of digital clutter your brain edits out?
We've covered Google Lens before on ZDNET. We've done so a number of times, in fact. But we've always covered it as a feature of smartphones.
Also: 7 ways I use Google Lens every day - and why it's one of my favorite AI apps
For smartphones, Google Lens makes a lot of sense. You can point it at a flower and get a read on the kind of plant it is. You can point it at an object or a landmark and Google will tell you what it is. You can point it at text in a language you don't speak, and it will translate for you. When traveling, this is a powerful tool.
I've found it very helpful right in my Chrome desktop browser as well. That's what we're going to be looking at today.
How to use Google Lens in the browser bar
What's it doing in your browser bar? Why does it seem to come and go? Sometimes it's there; sometimes it's not. What's up with that?
Enabling it
Let's start with making sure it's on your browser bar. If you don't see it up there, it might not be enabled. To enable the Google Lens shortcut, right-click on your browser bar and select Always Show Google Lens Shortcut.
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