I was always just one click away from the translator, image search etc..

Here is how it was:

Now I need to click on the small icon on the right and scroll down, because the translator is for some reason hidden at the end of the popup window and you need to scroll.

It’s very unergonomic.

It’s like removing the gray top bar with your points, link to your profile and other link on Stackexchange websites.

How to get the black bar back?

What are my possibilities? Any browser plugins/extensions?

I am using Chrome and Firefox, so i would prefer solutions for these two browsers if possible.

You probably have the new Google-Homepage.

If you want the old home-page back you can try the following (this only works in Chrome):

• enter chrome://flags in the address bar
• goto Enable Instant Extended API
• Set it to Disabled
• Restart Chrome

This worked for me (until Google decides otherwise).

Edit: If you go directly to chrome://flags/#enable-instant-extended-api you don’t have to search 🙂

Edit 2: If that does not work you can do the following (this also worked for me in Firefox with mixed results):

If that does not work you can do the following:

• Go to your www.google.com

• Type in javascript: and paste the following in the addressbar after it and press enter:

For the old black bar menu:
document.cookie="PREF=ID=5b4ad955416c1d63:U=c5badcc79f7fa108:FF=4:LD=en:NR=20:NW=1:TM=1374684101:LM=1380247074:GM=1:SG=2:S=B6lEsMB1Hk9d6zjs ; path=/; domain=google.com";window.location.reload();

For back to the new menu:
document.cookie="PREF=ID=e66a207a51ceefd8:U=936bafc98b2a9121:FF=0:LD=en:NR=10:CR=2:TM=1378808351:LM=1379592992:SG=1:S=OXyq0fqClYB66VuV ; path=/; domain=google.com";window.location.reload();

Note: you can’t paste a javascript:xxxx line so you have to manually type javascript: and paste the given lines after it.

If it doesn’t work on the home page (www.google.com) then first go to Google+ and do it there.

Edit 3:

Wow, this is really annoying. Above method (Edit 2) sets a cookie for google.com but sometimes Google decides to mess with that cookie. My latest solution is making a shortcut in the bookmark-bar to the javascript code and everytime Google changes it back to the new page I press it so I get the old black-bar page back.

In the bookmark you can type Black bar as name the following as url:

javascript:document.cookie="PREF=ID=5b4ad955416c1d63:U=c5badcc79f7fa108:FF=4:LD=en:NR=20:NW=1:TM=1374684101:LM=1380247074:GM=1:SG=2:S=B6lEsMB1Hk9d6zjs ; path=/; domain=google.com";window.location.reload();

(upside to Edit2 is with a bookmark you can specify javascript: in front so you don’t have to type it every time)

Edit 4:
I can’t make a link here which you can drag so do the following:

• Goto Google
• Drag the icon (in front of the address-bar to your bookmark-bar
• Right-click the bookmark and click Edit
• Change name in Black bar
• Change URL in javascript:document.cookie="PREF=ID=5b4ad955416c1d63:U=c5badcc79f7fa108:FF=4:LD=en:NR=20:NW=1:TM=1374684101:LM=1380247074:GM=1:SG=2:S=B6lEsMB1Hk9d6zjs ; path=/; domain=google.com";window.location.reload();
• Now click the bookmark and the black bar should re-appear on the page

At this time I’m getting very mixed results myself. First it worked and I went to Google+ and it was gone. Now a second time it doesn’t work. Make sure you keep on Google.com and don’t switch to a local page from Google. You need to make sure all Google cookies are deleted. (Goto Settings, click Advanced settings. Content settings, All cookies and site data, type google in the search box and choose Remove all.

You might try using the Chrome extension Big G Black Bar Sorter
to rearrange or add Google services to the navigation bar.

Once you’ve installed it, you can even add new custom links at its website.

Read also this lifehacker review :
Big G Black Bar Sorter Customizes Google’s Black Bar to Your Liking.

Another fix found on the Internet is :

1. Open a new tab in Google Chrome
2. Copy and paste the following into the Chrome omnibox (the URL bar) and hit enter:
   chrome://flags/#enable-instant-extended-api
3. Turn off the ‘Instant Extended API’ by clicking the drop-down menu and selecting the Disable option.
4. Click the Relaunch Chrome button that appears towards the bottom of the window.

And yet another fix is to use the following link https://www.google.com/webhp?complete=0&hl=en.

You can also try to use the old home-page that Google still keeps for use as the Firefox home-page.

Just remember that a fix that works today may not work a few months after.
The Google page is always changing.