Search with the Firefox address bar
Revision Information
- Revision id: 202377
- Created:
- Creator: jscher2000 - Support Volunteer
- Comment: The Fx75-77 behavior changed in Fx78.
- Reviewed: Yes
- Reviewed:
- Reviewed by: AliceWyman
- Is approved? Yes
- Is current revision? No
- Ready for localization: Yes
- Readied for localization:
- Readied for localization by: AliceWyman
Revision Source
Revision Content
The address bar makes it easier for you to find what you’re looking for. Enter search terms, or a specific web address, to get search suggestions, your top sites, bookmarks, history and search engines — all within the same field.
You can also update Firefox or fix performance issues right from the search results. On occasion, you may see a tip from Firefox on how you can save time while searching.
Keep reading to learn more about the address bar’s powerful features.
Table of Contents
Searching with the default search engine
Type your search terms in the address bar and press EnterReturn.
If your input is automatically completed to a web address, press Del, Backspacedelete or Space to remove it before pressing EnterReturn.
If your input looks like a web address, the selected entry under the address bar says "Visit" and Firefox would try to visit that address. To prevent this, do the following before pressing EnterReturn:
- If your input contains a /, type a space after your input.
- Press ↓ or Tab to select the "Search with" entry.
Alternatively, begin your input with a ? to make sure that it is searched for (examples: ?e.g., ?mozilla.org). Do this also if your input is the same as a bookmark keyword, smart keyword or search shortcut, or begins with a ?, or begins with a smart keyword or search shortcut followed by a space.
You can change the default search engine.
Access Top Sites from the address bar
Top Sites are a combination of your most recently and frequently visited sites, as well as the sites you’ve pinned. You can access your top sites from the drop-down list that appears when you click the address bar. If you’ve installed Firefox for the first time, it suggests top-ranked sites by default.
Top Sites appear in the same order as in your New Tab page. To change your Top Sites, customize them on your New Tab page. If you’ve turned off Top Sites in your New Tab settings, the address bar will show sites from your history instead.
Search shortcuts
When you click in the address bar, clicking on a search engine in the drop-down list (like Google or Amazon) will autofill the address bar with a search engine shortcut (example: @amazon) so you can perform a search without having to load the search page. Just enter your search term after the search shortcut to perform your search (example: @amazon adventure books). When you type @ into the address bar, a list of all search engine shortcuts that begin with @ is shown. You can select one by pressing ↓ or by clicking it.
Tip: If you don't want to use the mouse or a search shortcut does not appear in the list, you can type in the search engine shortcut or just the first part (example: @a or @amazon) then press EnterReturn or → and type in your search term.
Alternative search engines
When you start typing a search term in the address bar, you'll see icons for other search engines you can use:
You can choose an alternative search engine and use it for your search with one click, if you don't want to use the current default.
You can also choose a search engine by pressing Alt + ↓ or Alt + ↑option + ↓ or option + ↑ repeatedly.
For more information on using alternative search engines, see Change your default search settings in Firefox.
Search shortcuts
When you open the New Tab page, tiles with a magnifying glass icon in the Top Sites section are search engine shortcuts. Click on a search shortcut tile and start typing in your search. Firefox will automatically put your search shortcut into the address bar.
To remove a search shortcut, simply position your mouse over the tile, click on its three-dots icon and select from the menu. To add a search engine shortcut, position your mouse over your Top Sites section, click on its three dots on the right side and select . See this Mozilla Blog post to learn more about search shortcuts.
Search suggestions
Firefox suggests relevant search terms and even solutions related to the answer or task you may be looking for. Here are some examples of search suggestions.
Keyword suggestions
When you start typing in the address bar, Firefox suggests relevant popular searches as provided by search engines like Google, Bing, etc. When search suggestions are enabled, the text you type is sent to the default search engine, which analyzes the words and displays a list of related searches.
Write a ? before your input (for example: ?mozilla support)
- if you want to see only search suggestions
- or if you want to see search suggestions although the setting "Show search suggestions in address bar results" is disabled (but the setting "Provide search suggestions" has to be enabled).
When you are using a search shortcut, the keyword suggestions come from the chosen search engine.
Smart keywords do not make keyword suggestions.
Firefox Solution buttons
Firefox lets you get solutions to popular tasks, like downloading, updating, or fixing Firefox. When you start typing a task, Firefox will suggest a solution so you can fix the problem and get back to the things that are important to you.
Example: Entering “Download Firefox” when you already have Firefox installed.
Autocomplete
As you type a web address or search term, the address bar autocomplete feature automatically finishes what you’re typing based on matching websites in your bookmarks, history, or popular websites. This lets you visit websites in just a few keystrokes (no mouse needed). Just press EnterReturn when Firefox finds a match.