Firefox Community Forum

I have Brave set as default search engine. I type in the address bar, hit enter, and always get a Brave screen with "404 Nothing matches the given URI". I downloaded the Brave browser and the problem goes away. But I prefer Firefox as my browser, so I'm hoping there is an easy fix to this.

Recent builds have changed the way that the user can direct queries to the various search engines that can be added (i.e. eBay, Wikipedia, IMDB etc) - to a new configuration that is awkward and forces more clicks.

Here is the method that currently allows reverting to the previous approach :

in about:config

Set string "browser.search.widget.new: to false

... and to delay automatic deletion of engines set "browser.search.widget.removeAfterDaysUnused" to thousands

from this Reddit thread https://www.reddit.com/r/firefox/comments/1rftet4/comment/o7s1w69/

Posting this for increased visibility for folks encountering the issue and in the hopes that Mozilla will consider not degrading a well-performing interaction pattern

I need to fix my issue with search, not sure if it is because of VPN or smth. I use Browsec as VPN, just recognized Firefox has its own VPN. Did anyone had same issue? I saw there was an update on July 1, 2026, Until yesterday everything worked fine.

( other search engine ) , here ...

rrr1.jpg

Why are only ...

( Enabled ) and ( Not Enabled ) ...

These two choices ...

.........................

Before , can remove ( Search engine ) ...

.

Why do we (my wife and I on both our dell desk tops) always get a message from google (our default search) that says "about this page" when we try to look anything up through our Firefox Browser? Then we have to verify by answering stupid crap on a verify page that we are not robots. It's funny because I got so sick of this crap that I just put the websites I was looking for in my Firefox book marks and low and behold it goes right to the page. How is that? I should mention that our internet provider is that t-mobile over the air wireless dog shit.

I hate google as a company, just leave me alone!

My current version of Firefox is 151.0.4 (64-bit) & for the past 2 weeks or so every time I use the search bar to google something it triggers one of those "We've detected unusual activity from your network" requiring a Captcha. At first I tried all of the typical stuff [antivirus, vpn, extensions, etc...] to make sure that wasn't the issue. But as of yesterday & confirmed today I can actually go to Google's website first & do the search from there with no issue & no captcha.

So, whatever the issue is has to do specifically with doing the search via the search bar... for some reason. Is this a bug in the browser, or is there perhaps some setting that could cause this to happen in the about:config page? Though, I doubt a setting could be it because I've changed the settings I've changed now for years without causing this issue.

I would like to be able to edit, mostly add, symbols/phrases similar to search engines for tab/history/bookmark search.

My use is mostly the tab search, where % is the default symbol and @tabs is the longer version. I want to use otherthings, like tabs: or just the : for this purpose.+

Using version 152.0.1 on windows 11. Have added an extra 'search' box as described in 'Add the Search bar to your Firefox toolbar ". Is it possible to have a default search engine i.e. Google (and the option to choose other engines) on the big search / address bar, but have a DIFFERENT and ONLY option to search with one i.e Wikipedia engine on the smaller search box? i.e. one general search/ address box, and one if you know you want to search with a different default search engine. Tried everything google AI suggested and nothing worked; it said both boxes are 'linked'. Thanks.

The release notes for Firefox 153 beta show a way to get the color picker.

Quickly pick and copy a color from any page by typing "pick color", "color picker", or "eyedropper" in the address bar and selecting the "Pick a color" quick action.

Screenshot of the Pick Color quick action being triggered from the address bar

This does not work for me. Typing any of the proposals in the address bar just uses the normal search without showing the possibility to select the color picker.

June 15, 2026

Dear Mozilla Firefox:

Re: Very Transient Search Specifications

Having disabled AI search capabilities satisfactorily, I am now plagued with re-establishing search specifications innumerable times a session. I open a tab. I set my safe search requirements followed by several items under “All Search Settings,” then save and Exit. I open a new tab and repeat all the steps. I back up out of that search list, not backing up past the window with the saved settings to find they are nevertheless reset back to default, necessitating that I repeat all the steps. I leave this window of Firefox open but minimized and open a new Firefox window and repeat all the steps.

Of what use is saving the settings? They don’t persist within tabs, across tabs, or across windows. These inconveniences began with the introduction of AI services to Firefox. Yes, I delete cookies and set other parameters in the name of privacy, but not with the expectation that saving search settings during a session will prove meaningless. Please let me know and understand how to have both privacy and utility.

A long time Firefox user and supporter.

While using Mozilla Firefox on Windows 11, the search function within a ChatGPT conversation sometimes fails to detect text that is clearly present. When I search for a phrase that was previously discussed, I often receive a pop-up sound and a message stating “phrase not found,” even though I can manually locate the same phrase by scrolling through the conversation. This appears to be an issue with how in-page search is functioning in this context.

I have been very happy since installing Firefox as my search engine. Yahoo has hijacked this, and when searching my laptop, it does not seem to exist, but all the searches are headed with a yahoo tab. How do I resolve this problem? Regards Barry

I have ran into a peculiar problem where special characters from non US keyboard do not work in search. In my case it is ％ for TABS specifically (instead of english %). I wanted to correct the problem by changing 'Keyword' field in 'Search Engine' but it is read-only for browser functions. Is there a workaround or a solution I'm missing? Thanks for your help

I was able to enter an ip address that is on my local network into the search bar until a recent firefox update. Now when I type in the ip address, it goes to google with my address in the search bar. Is there a way that I can still access my server over a firefox?

The browser won't allow me to add DuckDuckGo's No AI search to the browser; see attached image.

This isn't a question: this is an issue with the Firefox browser that needs to be fixed ASAP.