What Happened to the Green Address Bar?
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The green address bar was how browsers marked a site with an Extended Validation (EV) SSL certificate: the company name appeared in green next to the web address. Between 2018 and 2019 every major browser removed it.
EV certificates still exist and still prove which company runs a site. Browsers now show that information one click away, in the certificate details, instead of in the address bar.
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What the green address bar was
In 2007 the CA/Browser Forum, the group of certificate authorities and browser makers, agreed on the first rules for Extended Validation certificates. To get one, a company has to pass the strictest check there is: the certificate authority confirms in official records that the company exists, that it owns the domain and that the person ordering is allowed to act for it.
Browsers rewarded that check with a special display. Only EV sites got it; sites with Domain Validation (DV) or Organization Validation (OV) certificates showed just a padlock.
Depending on the browser, the whole address bar turned green or the company name and country appeared in green before the address.
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Why browsers removed it
Browser makers studied how people used the indicator and found that most visitors did not notice it, and did not behave differently when it was missing. Google said the EV display did not protect users the way it was meant to.
The company name also proved less reliable than it looked. Company names are only unique within one country or state: in 2017 a security researcher registered a new company called "Stripe, Inc" in a different US state and got an EV certificate that showed the same name as the well-known payment company. On top of that, the long green name took up space that phones did not have.
So the browsers moved the company name out of the address bar and into the certificate details, where anyone who wants to check it can still see it.
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Timeline
- 2007: the CA/Browser Forum publishes the EV rules; Internet Explorer 7 shows the first green address bar.
- 2008: Firefox, Chrome, Safari and Opera add their own EV display.
- September 2018: Safari 12 on macOS and iOS stops showing the company name.
- September 2019: Chrome 77 moves the company name into the panel that opens from the padlock.
- October 2019: Firefox 70 does the same.
- January 2020: the new Microsoft Edge, built on Chrome, launches without an EV display.
Since then no major browser shows a green address bar, whatever certificate a site uses.
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Where to see the company name today
The verified company details are still inside every EV and OV certificate. To see them:
- Chrome and Edge: click the icon to the left of the address, choose "Connection is secure", then "Certificate is valid". The Subject section shows the organization.
- Firefox: click the padlock, choose "Connection secure", then "More information" and "View Certificate".
- Safari: click the padlock and choose "Show Certificate".
An EV certificate is easy to recognize in that view: besides the company name it lists the business category, the country of registration and the company registration number. Step-by-step screenshots for each browser: How to check SSL certificate details in your browser.
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Is an EV certificate still worth it?
The encryption is the same for DV, OV and EV certificates, and Google does not rank EV sites higher. What EV adds is the strictest identity check, recorded in the certificate. That still matters when:
- you handle payments, banking or personal data and want the strongest proof of who you are;
- a partner, bank, tender or internal policy asks for EV or OV certificates;
- your customers or security teams check certificate details before they trust a site.
For most other websites an OV certificate, which also verifies the company, or a DV certificate is enough. If you want your brand to be seen, a Verified Mark Certificate shows your logo next to your emails in Gmail and Apple Mail.
Compare EV SSL certificates, from $112.00 per year.
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Green address bar FAQ
01Can I still get the green address bar for my site?
No. No current browser shows a green address bar, whichever certificate you buy. An EV certificate puts your verified company details into the certificate, where visitors can see them by clicking the padlock.
02I bought an EV certificate. Why don't I see my company name?
That is expected: browsers no longer show the company name in the address bar. Open the certificate details from the padlock to check that the certificate lists your organization.
03Is the green padlock the same as the green address bar?
No. The green padlock appeared for every site with a valid certificate, DV, OV or EV. Chrome made it grey in 2018 and other browsers followed. The green address bar was only for EV certificates.
04Do EV certificates still work?
Yes. They encrypt the connection like any other certificate, are trusted by all browsers and devices, and contain the verified company details. Only the special display in the address bar is gone.
05Does an EV certificate help SEO?
Google uses HTTPS as a ranking signal, but it treats DV, OV and EV certificates the same. Choose the validation level for the trust you need, not for rankings.
06What is the difference between EV and OV today?
Both verify your company and show it in the certificate. EV adds stricter checks, such as confirming the company's registration and the authority of the person ordering, and lists the registration number. Browsers display both the same way.
