sss@v3.0.0install ⏎
man sss

Help.

Getting started in three minutes. The rest of this page is FAQ + troubleshooting. Use ⌘F if you know what you’re looking for.

# startGetting startedInstall · first search · add an engine# howtoHow to…Sets · custom engines · fan-out# troubleTroubleshootingMenu missing · catalog · results window# faqFAQPrivacy · free plan · supported browsers
§01GETTING STARTED

Three minutes from install to first search.

§01

Install

Pick your browser from the homepage and click "Add". Chrome and Edge ship from the Chrome Web Store; Firefox lives on AMO. The extension icon appears in your toolbar.

§02

Your first search

Highlight any text on a webpage. Right-click. You'll see SSS in the menu with your default set — pick an engine, or "Search all in set" to fan out.

§03

Add a custom engine

Click the SSS toolbar icon → "Manage engines" → "+ New". Paste the URL of the search result page, replace your query with %s, give it a name. Done.

§04

Build a set

Group engines that belong together: /work, /shop, /coding. Switch the active set from the Options page, or right from the context menu (Pro).

§02HOW TO

Common tasks.

01Search the same selection on many engines at once
After selecting, choose "Search all in set" from the right-click menu. Every engine in the active set opens in its own tab, in order, focused on the first one.
02Build an engine for a site SSS doesn't know
Run a search on the site you want, copy the result-page URL, swap your query for %s, and paste it into SSS's new-engine form. Any URL with a %s works — that's the whole recipe.
03Group engines into sets
Options → Sets → "+ New set". Add engines by drag-and-drop or with "Copy to set →", and nest related ones into groups. Switch the active set from the Options page, or from the right-click menu (Pro).
04Move my engines to a new browser or computer
Options → "Export config" gives you a JSON file; "Import config" loads it anywhere. For the same browser on another device (Chrome↔Chrome), automatic sync is coming with Pro in v3.1; moving between different browsers (Chrome↔Firefox) stays export/import.
05Reshape the selection before it searches
Each engine has a word-separator option (how spaces in your selection are joined — "+", "%20", and so on). Per-engine text replacement — find/replace with optional regex — is rolling out with the advanced engine editor.
§03TROUBLESHOOTING

When something’s off.

SSS isn't in my right-click menu anymore

COMMON

Check the toolbar icon is enabled (Chrome: pinned in the puzzle icon). Reload the extension at chrome://extensions. If the menu is selectively missing on one site, check whether that site has set a custom context menu — some webapps block extension entries.

"Browse catalog" shows nothing

COMMON

The engine catalog loads from simpleselectsearch.com. If it's empty, you're likely offline or a network blocker is stopping the request — reconnect and reopen the catalog. You can still add engines by hand without it.

Search opens in the wrong place

EDGE-CASE

Options → behaviour controls where results land: a new tab or a new window, whether that tab is focused, and where it opens relative to the current one (next, end, start). Adjust those to taste.

§04FAQ

Smaller questions.

Q.01

Which browsers are supported?

Chrome, Edge, and Firefox are officially supported — Chrome and Edge from the Chrome Web Store, Firefox from AMO. It also runs on other Chromium-based browsers like Brave, Vivaldi, and Opera: install it from the Chrome Web Store there. Those aren't officially tested, but plenty of people use it on them. Safari isn't supported — the WebExtension gap is the blocker.

Q.02

Does it work on mobile?

No. Chrome on Android doesn't support extensions, Safari Mobile barely does, and Firefox Mobile supports a tiny allow-list we're not part of.

Q.03

Is it really free?

Yes. The full right-click search experience — unlimited searches, the catalog, custom engines, and up to two sets — is free and needs no account. Pro is optional; it funds the upkeep and unlocks extras like unlimited sets, the side panel, and cross-browser sync.

Q.04

Where is my data stored?

Your engines, sets, and settings live on your device, in the browser's extension storage. The only thing that leaves is usage counting — never the text you search or the sites you visit (see /transparency). Browser sync (Pro, arriving in v3.1) keeps your installs of the same browser in step — Chrome with Chrome, Firefox with Firefox — through the browser's own account. It doesn't sync between different browsers, and it never touches our servers.

Q.05

Open source?

Not anymore. SSS was open source through v2, but as of v3.0 it isn't — bringing on partners to keep the project sustainable meant the licensing had to change. What the extension does with your data hasn't changed; see /transparency for the full picture.

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