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location smart address urlbar autofill autocomplete bookmarked

As you type in the address bar, Firefox suggests websites you've visited, bookmarked or tagged. Learn more and get to the sites you want with a few keystrokes.

{for not fx43} The Firefox location bar, also called the URL bar or [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Address_bar address bar], displays a site's web address (URL). We call it the Awesome Bar because it remembers those websites you've visited before, guesses where you're trying to go and displays a list of suggested sites you can choose from. The more you use it, the better it gets. This article covers the details of how the location bar autocomplete feature works and will have you using it like a pro in no time. {/for} {for fx43} The Firefox location bar, also called the URL bar or [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Address_bar address bar], displays a site's web address (URL). We call it the Awesome Bar because it remembers those websites you've visited before, guesses where you're trying to go and displays a list of suggested sites or searches you can choose from. The more you use it, the better it gets. This article covers the details of how the location bar autocomplete feature works and will have you using it like a pro in no time. {/for} <!-- TO LOCALIZE THE CAPTIONS FOR THIS VIDEO, SEE https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/localize-a-support-video#w_localize-video-caption-files --> [[Video:http://youtu.be/U7stmWKvk64]] The location bar can also be used for other types of searches. For more information, you can see: * [[Search the web from the Address Bar]] * [[How to search IMDB, Wikipedia and more from the address bar]] __TOC__ = How to use the autocomplete list = Just start typing in the location bar and the autocomplete drop-down will show matching sites from your browsing history, as well as sites you've bookmarked or tagged. Matched terms are highlighted, making the list of results easy to scan. When you see the site you want, just click on it or use the up and down arrows on your keyboard to highlight it and then press {for win,linux}{key Enter}{/for}{for mac}{key Return}{/for}. ;{for win}[[Image:Awesome 29 - Win]]{/for}{for mac}[[Image:Awesome 29 - Mac]]{/for}{for linux}[[Image:Awesome 29 - Lin]]{/for} The part of the entry that matches what you've typed will show in '''bold'''. The location bar will display matching results for *Web addresses and page titles from your history * Page titles, web addresses and tags from your Bookmarks * Pages you currently have open in other tabs (see below under [[#w_switch-to-tab|Switch to tab]]) The location bar also learns from your browsing behavior. It adjusts results based on how frequently you visit each site, how recently you visited there, and what result you clicked on for the characters or words typed. This way, sites you visit all the time will show up at the top of the list, often after typing only one character. == URL autocomplete == In addition to the autocomplete drop-down list for sites you've been to before, Firefox will also complete the URL in the location bar. For example, if you type "aw", Firefox may fill in "esomefoundation<!-- -->.org/" to complete the address "awesomefoundation<!-- -->.org" if you've visited that site before. Pressing {for win,linux}{key Enter}{/for}{for mac}{key Return}{/for} in this case would take you directly to that address. ;{for win}[[Image:Autocomplete 29 - Win]]{/for}{for mac}[[Image:Autocomplete 29 - Mac]]{/for}{for linux}[[Image:Autocomplete 29 - Lin]]{/for} === Prevent Firefox from automatically completing URLs === If you want to turn off the feature that automatically fills in URLs as you type in the location bar, you can change a preference setting in the [[Configuration Editor for Firefox|Firefox Configuration Editor]] (''about:config'' page). Follow these steps: #[[T:aboutconfig]] #At the top of the ''about:config'' page, type '''autoFill''' in the Search field (or scroll through the list to find the {pref browser.urlbar.autoFill} preference). #Double-click the {pref browser.urlbar.autoFill} preference to set its value to '''false'''. (You can then close the ''about:config'' page.) {note}'''Note:''' This setting only affects the autocomplete feature that fills in URLs within the location bar. To also turn off or restrict autocomplete results displayed in the drop-down list below the location bar, see [[#w_how-can-i-control-what-results-the-location-bar-shows-me|How can I control what results the location bar shows me?]] (below).{/note} == Switch to tab == The location bar also searches through your open tabs, displaying results with a tab icon and the text "Switch to tab". Selecting these results will switch you to the already open tab instead of creating a duplicate. ;{for win}[[Image:Switch tab 29 - Win]]{/for}{for mac}[[Image:Switch tab 29 - Mac]]{/for}{for linux}[[Image:Switch tab 29 - Lin]]{/for} {note} '''To turn off the "Switch to tab" option temporarily''', press the {button ALT} key while clicking on the site in the autocomplete list that appears below your address bar. This will open your page in a new tab instead of switching to an existing one.{/note} == Search the web == If the location bar doesn't come up with the result you want (or any results), it just means that it isn't in your history, bookmarks or tags. The good news is that you're not out of luck because you can also search the web right from the location bar. Just press {for win,linux}{key Enter}{/for}{for mac}{key Return}{/for} and the term you've entered in the location bar will become a search based on your default search engine. For details, see [[Search the web from the Address Bar]]. == What can I do to get the best results? == * When you want to go to a website you've visited before, type a few letters from its web address or page title. Scroll through the autocomplete entries and find the page in the list (type in another letter if you don't see it listed). Press {for win,linux}{key Enter}{/for}{for mac}{key Return}{/for} to go to the selected web address. Firefox will give this entry/result combination higher weight in the future. * Do not clear the browsing history - usually the richest source of autocomplete entries is from the title/web address combination. [[Delete browsing, search and download history on Firefox|Clearing browsing history]] will remove these entries from the results. * Bookmark and tag frequently-used pages. The location bar will match on the name you give the bookmark and also tags associated with the bookmark. See the [[Create bookmarks to save your favorite webpages]] article for more information on how to use bookmarks in Firefox. You can improve your autocomplete results by tagging pages with easily-typed tag names. = How can I control what results the location bar shows me? = == Changing your location bar settings == You can turn off the location bar autocomplete feature or restrict the results to exclude your open tabs, bookmarks or history: {for not fx38} # [[T:optionspreferences]] # Select the {menu Privacy} panel. #;{for win}[[Image:Awesome Privacy Win]]{/for}{for mac}[[Image:Awesome Privacy Mac]]{/for} # Beside '''When using the location bar, suggest:''' select any of the following: #* '''History and Bookmarks''': Use both browsing history and bookmarks in the autocomplete list. #* '''History''': Use browsing history in the autocomplete list, but don't use bookmarks. #*'''Bookmarks''': Use bookmarks in the autocomplete list, but don't use browsing history. #*'''Nothing''': Turn off the autocomplete list. #[[T:closeOptionsPreferences]] {/for} {for =fx38,=fx39,=fx40,=fx41} # [[T:optionspreferences]] # Select the {menu Privacy} panel. #Below ''Location Bar'', select any of the following: #;[[Image:location bar]] #*'''History''': suggests sites that you've previously visited. #*'''Bookmarks''': suggests sites that you've bookmarked. #*'''Open Tabs''': suggests sites that you have open in another tab. # [[T:closeOptionsPreferences]] {/for} {for fx42} # [[T:optionspreferences]] # Select the {menu Privacy} panel. #Below ''Location Bar'', select any of the following: #;[[Image:location bar settings 43]] #*'''History''': suggests sites that you've previously visited. #*'''Bookmarks''': suggests sites that you've bookmarked. #*'''Open Tabs''': suggests sites that you have open in another tab. #*'''Change preferences for search engine suggestions…''': To enable or disable search engine suggestions, click this link to be taken to the ''Search'' settings panel. Add a check mark next to '''Provide search suggestions''' there to enable search suggestions from your preferred search engine{for fx43} for the Search bar, home page or New Tab page{/for}, or remove the check mark to disable them.{for fx43} To enable or disable search engine suggestions for the location bar, add or remove a check mark next to '''Show search suggestions in location bar results'''.{/for} # [[T:closeOptionsPreferences]] {/for} == Removing autocomplete results == If you want to remove an entry from the autocomplete list: # In the location bar, use the up and down arrow keys on your keyboard to highlight the entry. # Press {for win,linux}{key Delete}{/for}{for mac}{key Shift}+{key Delete}{/for} to remove the item from the list. If you want to remove all the history results from the autocomplete list, clear Firefox's Browsing History. See the [[Delete browsing, search and download history on Firefox]] article for instructions. {note}'''Note''': Autocomplete items from bookmarks will not be removed from the results if you attempt to delete them or clear the browsing history. These items have a star. To remove these items, [[How do I delete a bookmark?|delete the associated bookmark]], or [[#w_changing-your-location-bar-settings|exclude bookmarks in the location bar settings]].{/note} == Changing results on the fly == If you are looking for a specific type of result, like a bookmark or tag, you can speed up the process of finding it by typing in special characters after each search term in the location bar separated by spaces: * Add '''<nowiki>^</nowiki>''' to search for matches in your browsing history. * Add '''*''' to search for matches in your bookmarks. * Add '''+''' to search for matches in pages you've tagged. * Add '''%''' to search for matches in your currently open tabs. * Add '''~''' to search for matches in pages you've typed. * Add '''#''' to search for matches in page titles. * Add '''@''' to search for matches in web addresses (URLs). For example, if you're looking for a page you bookmarked called ''Mozilla Firefox Support'', you might type ''mozilla''. The autocomplete results appear, but might not show the page you want. You can narrow your results down to bookmarks only by making your search string ''mozilla  *''. If you still have too many results, you can further restrict the search by making your search string ''mozilla  *  support  #''. Now the autocomplete list will only show bookmarked pages with ''mozilla'' and ''support'' in the page title.