FAQ

Common questions and troubleshooting for OmniJump.

General

My keyword isn't doing anything

A few things to check:

• Make sure the shortcut was saved — it should appear in the list in the side panel.
• Type the keyword exactly as shown (keywords are case-insensitive and special characters are stripped).
• Press Enter after typing — the browser only redirects on submission, not just on hover.
• If the keyword was typed with no result, try reloading the extension at chrome://extensions and try again.

Address bar suggestions are getting in the way

When you start typing a keyword, the browser's built-in suggestions (history, bookmarks, search completions) can appear and take precedence. If this happens:

• Make sure you're pressing Enter on the blank address bar input, not selecting a suggestion.
• For the most consistent experience, consider turning off address bar search suggestions in chrome://settings/syncSetup or your browser's search engine settings.
• Short, unique keywords (like gh or yt) are less likely to conflict with suggestions than common words.

Why did my keyword change?

OmniJump normalizes all keywords automatically:

• Uppercase letters are lowercased: GitHub → github
• Spaces become hyphens: my docs → my-docs
• Special characters are removed: docs! → docs

The normalized form is what gets saved and matched in the address bar.

Can I use the same keyword for two shortcuts?

No — keywords must be unique. Saving a shortcut with an existing keyword overwrites the previous one. Choose distinct keywords for each shortcut.

Search Shortcuts

How do I create a search shortcut?

Search shortcuts are a separate type from plain redirect shortcuts — you can't create one just by putting %s in the URL field. Here's the correct flow:

1. Open the side panel → Shortcuts tab.
2. Enter a keyword (e.g., yt).
3. Optionally enter a fallback URL (e.g., youtube.com) — used when you type the keyword with no query.
4. Click "+ Make search shortcut" to reveal the template field.
5. Enter the search URL template with %s as the query placeholder (e.g., https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=%s).
6. Click + Add.

See Search Shortcuts for more detail and ready-to-use templates.

My search shortcut redirects to the wrong place

Check the following:

• The template URL must include %s exactly once — that's where the query goes.
• Make sure you saved it as a search shortcut (it should show a search badge in the list). If it shows no badge, it was saved as a plain redirect — delete it and recreate it using the "+ Make search shortcut" toggle.
• Type the keyword and query with a space between them: yt lofi, not ytlofi.

The search shortcut isn't triggering at all

• Confirm the shortcut has a search badge in the side panel list.
• Make sure you included %s in the template URL.
• Try reloading the extension at chrome://extensions — sometimes rule changes need a reload to take effect.

Can I change the search URL template later?

Yes. Click the pencil icon next to the shortcut in the list, update the template, and save. Changes take effect immediately.

Tab Bundles

Some tabs from my bundle didn't open

Tab bundles open all URLs in one go. If some didn't open:

• Check that all URLs in the bundle are valid HTTP(S) URLs.
• Some browsers may block popups or background tabs — make sure OmniJump has permission to open tabs.
• The first URL always opens in the foreground; the rest open as background tabs and may take a moment to load.

The bundle opens twice

OmniJump has built-in deduplication to prevent double-opens within 1.5 seconds. If you're seeing duplicate opens, try waiting a moment between triggers. This can happen if the same navigation fires more than once in rapid succession.

Settings & Sync

Settings aren't saving

Settings are stored in Chrome Sync. Make sure you're signed into Chrome and sync is enabled. Check chrome://settings/syncSetup to verify sync is on.

Changes aren't appearing on my other devices

Chrome Sync can take a few seconds to propagate. Refresh the side panel (close and reopen it) or wait a moment. If changes still don't appear, check that both devices are signed into the same Google account with sync enabled.

How do I reset everything to defaults?

OmniJump doesn't have a one-click reset. To start fresh:

1. Export your shortcuts first (Settings tab → Export Shortcuts) if you want a backup.
2. Remove the extension from Chrome.
3. Reinstall it from the Chrome Web Store.

Data & Backups

How do I back up my shortcuts?

Open the Settings tab and click Export Shortcuts. A file called omnijump.json will be downloaded. Store it somewhere safe — you can import it later to restore your shortcuts.

What happens when I import a file?

All shortcuts in the file are written into your current list. If a shortcut in the file has the same keyword as one you already have, the imported one overwrites it. Shortcuts you have that aren't in the file are left untouched.

I accidentally deleted a shortcut — can I recover it?

If you have an exported backup, import it to restore your shortcuts. OmniJump doesn't keep a deletion history, so without a backup the shortcut is gone.

What's the maximum number of shortcuts?

Up to 500 by default. You can lower this limit in Settings. Chrome's sync storage has a hard cap of 512 items, so OmniJump's limit keeps you safely within that.

Contact

Questions, bugs, or feedback?

Email davidmingxu@gmail.com.