Firefox Community Forum

For the last couple of weeks my default search engine keeps changing. Even though I change it in the setting to the one prefer eventually it changes. Why is this issue happening and is there anyway to force my preferred search engine as a constant default?

Recently, when I copy and paste an error message to the search box in Firefox and the first word contains a ':', such as when searching for this error message - "MESA-LOADER: failed to open dri: /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/gbm/dri_gbm.so: cannot open shared object file" - I get the "Open the mesa-loader link with System Handler?" prompt (see screenshot).

I used to be able to copy and paste such an error before into the search box and it would just work but now the browser defaults to thinking you are entering a URL. This could be because when I start typing in the search box, it immediately relocates what I'm typing to the address bar. Maybe this is the behaviour I need to disable? But how and why is it the default?

Help!

Browser details

$ > snap info firefox name: firefox summary: Mozilla Firefox web browser publisher: Mozilla✓ store-url: https://snapcraft.io/firefox contact: https://support.mozilla.org/kb/file-bug-report-or-feature-request-mozilla license: unset description: |

 Firefox is a powerful, extensible web browser with support for modern web application
 technologies.

commands:

 - firefox
 - firefox.geckodriver

snap-id: 3wdHCAVyZEmYsCMFDE9qt92UV8rC8Wdk tracking: latest/stable/ubuntu-24.04 refresh-date: 19 days ago, at 13:56 AEDT channels:

 latest/stable:    144.0.2-1    2025-10-29 (7177) 261MB -
 latest/candidate: 145.0-1      2025-11-04 (7242) 262MB -
 latest/beta:      145.0b9-1    2025-10-31 (7213) 262MB -
 latest/edge:      146.0a1      2025-11-05 (7250) 298MB -
 esr/stable:       140.4.0esr-2 2025-10-14 (7023) 258MB -
 esr/candidate:    140.5.0esr-1 2025-11-05 (7236) 258MB -
 esr/beta:         ↑                                    
 esr/edge:         ↑                                    

installed: 144.0-2 (7084) 261MB -

OS Details

PRETTY_NAME="Ubuntu 24.04.3 LTS" NAME="Ubuntu" VERSION_ID="24.04" VERSION="24.04.3 LTS (Noble Numbat)" VERSION_CODENAME=noble ID=ubuntu ID_LIKE=debian HOME_URL="https://www.ubuntu.com/" SUPPORT_URL="https://help.ubuntu.com/" BUG_REPORT_URL="https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/" PRIVACY_POLICY_URL="https://www.ubuntu.com/legal/terms-and-policies/privacy-policy" UBUNTU_CODENAME=noble LOGO=ubuntu-logo

<OpenSearchDescription xmlns="http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearch/1.1/">

   ...
   
   <Url type="application/opensearchdescription+xml" rel="self"
       template="https://example.com/opensearch.xml" />

</OpenSearchDescription>

Does Firefox still support automatically updating the opensearch XML description? MDN still mentions this feature: https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/XML/Guides/OpenSearch#supporting_automatic_updates_for_opensearch_description

Also, in about:config, there used to be an "browser.search.update.interval" entry that specified the update interval. I can't find it anymore.

If this isn’t the right place to ask, could you point me in the right direction?

I have been having a problem for weeks with Firefox where it keeps resetting my default search engine to Yahoo. I tried a lot of things, including looking through all my extensions for anything untoward and most recently refreshing Firefox. The problem remains active. I would really like to not have to keep resetting my search engine every day.

Post-refresh, I find that Firefox is opening new tabs from links on pages I visit. That one is a REAL pain to deal with. It seems to kick in more on commercial pages than other pages. How do I stop that one? I already appear to be clear of bad extensions and I already refreshed Firefox1

Hi, I can't seem to find an extension for this.

I have several custom search engines that I can use via shortcuts on the search bar, but I'm looking for a way to select text on a website, click the right button on it and select one of those engines in order to search that text.

I think Firefox was able to do it, but I'm only finding extensions that don't use FF's custom engines, I have to add the engines to the extension itself, manually, all over again, and that's a pain to keep synced.

Am I missing something here? Thank you.

Just noticed this starting yesterday. Possibly it started when Ffox updated to v144.0 and I just didn't notice immediately.

I use the address bar (location bar, awesome bar) for searching (with Google, per settings). Up until very recently, the result of hitting Enter after entering my search string would be the URL for the Google results. This can be very handy to copy; e.g., when offering citations during an online discussion.

However, I don't see the URL anymore. After pressing Enter, my original search string remains there, in the address bar. That's not what I want. Using Google means my original search string is right there at the top of the page, in an input field, that can be made active with a single keystroke. Therefore, if it is intended to be helpful by keep the contents of the address bar what they were before I pressed Enter, may I just say that it is not.

Note: I can get the old desired behavior by going to google[.]com and entering the search string there, but that's an annoyance, after years of being able to simply hit Ctrl-L.

Attached is a screenshot of what I now see. Note what's in the address bar -- my original search string. Previously, it would have been something like "https://www.google.com/search?q=this+is+a+test&sca_esv=[ ...]"

after every update the search engine change from google to CDNsearch, which means that i must change my settings every time. is CDNsearch the default search and if so why?

This may be more in "settings" than in "search, tag, and share".

Since updating to the 140 series, the URL bar has what appears to be a nonremovable "what kind of search do you want to run?" activated by typing in the URL bar.

Do Not Want. That's the entire purpose of having the separate search bar. For those who only have the URL bar visible, that might make sense, but right in the core Settings I chose to have both the URL bar and the search bar. I do not ever want searches initiated from the URL bar.

Is there a way to remove this unwanted "extra feature"?

And a gentle hint to those doing interface tweaking and redesigns: Those of us who use "separation" features directly supported by the program — that is, not requiring an extension or theme — would really, really appreciate having our choices respected. That the separate search bar is already selected and visible, or having a full menu bar (and not just the hamburger symbol) visible, should be a hint that there just might be functional, safety, security, and/or disability-accommodation considerations behind that user's choice, and you shouldn't override it Just Because.

To whom it may concern!!! I have Firefox app. But, the search bar is in Google. How can i change it? Please let me know when you get a chance. Thanks in advance. Kevin Hidalgo.

How can you claim privacy and security while using Google search engine??? That is why I use Mozilla Foxfire! I will continue to use duck duck go on phone and laptop!

I do not want to search from the address bar. The search bar is what I want to go to but invariably goes to the address bar. Is there an about:config setting to change this?

I am reopening the question from 2020 as the solution described no longer seems to apply. https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1284577

I am running Windows 11. Firefox 144.0 (64-bit)

When entering search terms into the search bar in the centre of the page, the information typed appears in the address bar, even after following the fix described in 1284577.

Treating the address bar as the search bar appears to be the default. While the user can additionally deselect the search engine in the address bar, that is an unnecessary and undesired additional step for every search (the primary reason I am using Firefox)

Is there a way to permanently set the default for what I enter into the search bar to remain in the search bar and not to be managed by the address bar? Thanks, Rich