Hi, open the 3-bar menu > Options > Search tab (Default Search Engine). More here - Use the Search bar in Firefox and manage search engines.

If you want to set the Home Page to the Firefox default. In the General tab of Options, click on Restore to Default. More here - How to set the home page.

If for any reason you are unable to do that, there may be a problem with an extension/add-on, so Try Firefox Safe Mode to see if the problem goes away. Firefox Safe Mode is a troubleshooting mode that temporarily turns off hardware acceleration, resets some settings, and disables add-ons (extensions and themes).

If Firefox is open, you can restart in Firefox Safe Mode from the Help menu:

• Click the menu button , click Help and select Restart with Add-ons Disabled.

If Firefox is not running, you can start Firefox in Safe Mode as follows:

• On Windows: Hold the Shift key when you open the Firefox desktop or Start menu shortcut.
• On Mac: Hold the option key while starting Firefox.
• On Linux: Quit Firefox, go to your Terminal and run firefox -safe-mode
  (you may need to specify the Firefox installation path e.g. /usr/lib/firefox)

When the Firefox Safe Mode window appears, select "Start in Safe Mode".

If the issue is not present in Firefox Safe Mode, your problem is probably caused by an extension, theme, or hardware acceleration. Please follow the steps in the Troubleshoot extensions, themes and hardware acceleration issues to solve common Firefox problems article to find the cause.

To exit Firefox Safe Mode, just close Firefox and wait a few seconds before opening Firefox for normal use again.

When you figure out what's causing your issues, please let us know. It might help others with the same problem.

I feel like I'm in an alternative universe. Nothing you told me to do was available on my screen. There is no options tab. "add more search engines" yielded me nothing productive - just another page of Yahoo url's. Frankly, trying to fix this is more frustrating than just opening Firefox and entering google.com into the address bar.

Thank you for your question about the search changes in Firefox. There's been a lot of exciting news and we are happy to assist you.

What has changed?
In the US and Canada, the default search engine has been changed from Google to Yahoo. In Russia, Yandex Search will become the default search and in China, Baidu will continue to be the default search. However, all other search engines will still be available in these regions. You will notice this change in Firefox 34.

Would you like to know more about the change?
See the blog post written by Chris Beard, New Search Strategy for Firefox: Promoting Choice & Innovation and the News Release, Yahoo and Mozilla Form Strategic Partnership.

<big>Do you want to change your default search engine?
In Firefox 33 or below, you would change your default search engine from the Search bar, as shown in this animation. Starting in Firefox 34, you can use one of these methods:
Note: The following may not apply to localized versions of Firefox.

• Click the menu button and choose Options on Windows or Preferences on Mac or Linux, then select the Search settings panel.
• Click on the magnifying glass icon in the Search bar, then click on Change Search Settings, as shown here:

In the Search settings panel that opens, select a different search engine from the drop-down menu (see this screenshot).

For more information, see the article Search bar - add, change and manage search engines on Firefox.</big>

Let us know if this answers your questions. If you have any other questions, we are happy to help.