Google is starting to require JavaScript for Google Search

Google says it has begun requiring users to enable JavaScript, the programming language widely used to make web pages interactive, to use Google Search.

In an email to TechCrunch, a company spokesperson said the change is intended to “better protect” Google Search against malicious activity, such as bots and spam, and to improve the overall experience of Google Search for users. The spokesperson noted that without JavaScript, many of Google’s search functions would not function properly, and that the quality of search results would tend to be degraded.

“Enabling JavaScript allows us to better protect our services and users from bots and evolving forms of abuse and spam,” the spokesperson told TechCrunch, “and to provide the most relevant and up-to-date information” .

Many major websites rely on JavaScript. Second According to a 2020 GitHub survey, 95% of sites around the web use the language in some form. But as users on social media point outGoogle’s decision to ask could add friction for those who rely on accessibility tools, which can struggles with certain JavaScript implementations.

JavaScript is also prone to security vulnerabilities. In its annual 2024 security survey, technology company Datadog found that about 70% of JavaScript services are vulnerable to one or more “critical” or “high severity” vulnerabilities introduced by a third-party software library.

A Google spokesperson told TechCrunch that, on average, “less than .1%” of searches on Google are made by people who disable JavaScript. That’s not a small number on Google’s scale. Google processes about 8.5 billion searches per day, so it can be assumed that millions of people who search through Google do not use JavaScript.

One of the motivations of Google here, may be to inhibit third-party tools that give insights into Google Search trends and traffic. Second in a post on Search Engine Roundtable on Friday, a number of “ranking-checking” tools – tools that indicate how websites are doing in search engines – began to have problems with Google Search around the time that Google’s JavaScript requirement has come into effect.

A Google spokesperson declined to comment on Search Engine Roundtable’s reports.