Search Across Multiple Engines Without Leaving the Page, No Servers Required
You're reading something interesting and want to look up a term, but the thought of opening a new tab, typing a query, and sifting through results feels like more work than it's worth. Or maybe you want to search an image, a link, or a video you've stumbled across, and your browser's default search box just doesn't cut it. SearchJumper is a browser extension that turns any page into a search launchpad, and it does it without sending your data anywhere.
What It Does
SearchJumper is an open-source browser extension that lets you search across multiple engines and sites directly from any page you're already on. It's built with React.js, uses Material-UI for its interface, and FontAwesome for icons. The core idea is simple: instead of switching contexts to a search bar, you long-press the right mouse button on whatever you want to search—an image, a link, a video, audio, or just a word—and a search menu appears. You can also trigger it with customizable keyboard shortcuts, like Alt+G for Google, or set it to activate on text selection instead of a long press.
The extension supports site-specific searches, so you can search within a particular domain rather than the whole web. It also has a category system: right-click a category icon to open all the sites in that category at once, or hold Shift and left-click to open them in a new window. There's also a Ctrl+click option mentioned, though the README cuts off before explaining it fully. The whole thing runs locally—no servers, no tracking, no third-party libraries beyond what's declared. All your data stays on your machine.
Why It's Cool
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It respects your privacy by default. The README is explicit: "Fully open source without any privacy collection, spam or third-party libraries." All data is local, and there's no server interaction. In a world where every extension wants to phone home, that's refreshing.
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The interaction model is clever. Long-pressing the right mouse button is a small gesture, but it solves a real problem. You don't have to move your cursor to a toolbar or a search box—you just hold and search. You can also change it to trigger on text selection if that feels more natural.
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Batch opening is a power-user touch. Right-clicking a category icon to open multiple sites at once, or holding Shift to open them in a new window, is the kind of feature you don't know you need until you're doing comparative research.
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Keyboard shortcuts are fully customizable. You can assign single keys or combinations to specific search engines. Alt+G for Google is just an example—you can map whatever you want.
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It's built with familiar tech. React, Material-UI, FontAwesome—nothing exotic. If you want to contribute or fork it, you're working with tools you probably already know.
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The project invites contributions. There's a dedicated discussion category for contributing search engines, and the README asks for help localizing the extension. Russian is already done, thanks to a contributor. That's a sign of a project that wants to grow with its community.
How to Try It
Getting started is straightforward. You can install it from one of three places:
- Chrome Web Store – for Chrome and Edge users.
- Firefox Add-ons – for Firefox users.
- Greasyfork – if you prefer a userscript manager.
Once installed, you can configure it through the config page at hoothin.github.io or search.hoothin.com/config. If you'd rather run it locally, you can download the source code, double-click start.cmd to compile, and then access localhost:3000.
The README also points to a guide and a discussion category for sharing and finding search engines. If you're comfortable with React, you can help localize the extension—the README links directly to the relevant lines in the source.
The repository is at github.com/hoothin/searchjumper.
Final Thoughts
SearchJumper isn't trying to reinvent the browser or replace your search engine. It's a focused tool that makes searching from any page faster and more private. The long-press gesture and customizable shortcuts are thoughtful touches that show the developer actually uses this thing. If you frequently search for images, links, or terms while reading, or if you care about keeping your data local, it's worth a look. The fact that it's a personal project—"古法編碼, no Vibe," as the README puts it—means it's not bloated with features you'll never use. It does one thing well, and it invites you to help make it better.
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