Cannot stop Firefox using the address bar as a search function
When I try and use the search bar in google to search anything, what ever I type appears in the address bar instead. Sometimes it trys to create a URL for what I am typing and fails.
I want to stop Firefox from using the address bar as the means of searching. I have read solutions online about changing things in about:config, however, this is not working fully.
It will only work it only works if I open up a new window. If I try and open up a tab it returns to trying to create a URL from my search requirements.
I have also tried the preference screen and nothing in there resolves the problem either.
Chosen solution
If the problem is on the built-in Firefox Home / new tab page, there is a preference for this:
(1) In a new tab, type or paste about:config in the address bar and press Enter/Return. Click the button accepting the risk.
(2) In the search box in the page, type or paste handoff and pause while the list is filtered
(3) Double-click the browser.newtabpage.activity-stream.improvesearch.handoffToAwesomebar preference to switch the value from true to false
Success?
More info on about:config: Configuration Editor for Firefox.
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Chosen Solution
If the problem is on the built-in Firefox Home / new tab page, there is a preference for this:
(1) In a new tab, type or paste about:config in the address bar and press Enter/Return. Click the button accepting the risk.
(2) In the search box in the page, type or paste handoff and pause while the list is filtered
(3) Double-click the browser.newtabpage.activity-stream.improvesearch.handoffToAwesomebar preference to switch the value from true to false
Success?
More info on about:config: Configuration Editor for Firefox.
Thank you, that has resolved the issue.
Did not fix the issue for me. When I type an address into the address bar it still searches. I turned it off in the search section of the options, and I turned this thing off. It still uses the address bar as a search bar. this whole situation is infuriating too. I hate when a program aggressively does something I don't want it to as a "feature" and the only way to make it stop is something convoluted.
I realized the URL was wrong, and solved the issue. but still aggressive search use is annoying.
Modified by Maxwell
Maxwell said
When I type an address into the address bar it still searches. I turned it off in the search section of the options, and I turned this thing off. It still uses the address bar as a search bar.
What do you want Firefox to do if you enter example into the address bar and press Enter?
(A) Open http://www.example.com/ (B) Display an error page that a server was not found for example
Here how you set up either of those:
(1) In a new tab, type or paste about:config in the address bar and press Enter/Return. Click the button accepting the risk.
Disable searching to get (A):
(2) In the search box in the page, type or paste keyword.enabled and pause while the list is filtered
(3) Double-click the preference to switch the value from true to false
And disable fixup to get (B):
(4) In the search box in the page, type or paste fixup and pause while the list is filtered
(5) Double-click the browser.fixup.alternate.enabled preference to switch the value from true to false
More info on about:config: Configuration Editor for Firefox.
I had this same very...extremely frustrating issue, though, I am not sure which was more frustrating that it was changed in the first place or that it cannot be easily turned off.