Firefox Community Forum

Suddenly I cannot search from the search bar. It defaults to the address bar. why "fix" something that was not broken. Being forced to use the address bar is frustrating. If you go directly to the address bar, it tells you it cannot find that site.

Access Denied You don't have permission to access "http://www.godaddy.com/" on this server.

Reference #18.acf7d517.1771548295.4f66cee0

https://errors.edgesuite.net/18.acf7d517.1771548295.4f66cee0 is what I get when going to https:\goddady.com as of today. Running on Windows7 (no, I won't upgrade). Tried a variety of changes. But Chrome works fine. Any suggestions?

When I try to make a Google search I get the following message, "I'm not a robot" with a reCAPTCHA: "Our systems have detected unusual traffic from your computer network. This page checks to see if it's really you sending the requests, and not a robot. Why did this happen?". This happens on Firefox, but not Chrome or Edge. If I 'Allow' Google in the 'Exceptions - Cookies and Site Data' then I do not get the message, but it takes several seconds for Google display the resulting page. However, if I delete the cookies/cache the message will return and I have to redo the reCAPTCHA. I have scanned with Malwarebytes, Bitdefender, Hitman Pro, Trend Micro House Call and Microsoft Defender, nothing detected. Running Win 10 (64) with 'Extended Security Updates', Firefox 147.0 (64), no additional Extensions or Plugins. Also I uninstalled and reinstalled Firefox.

How do I get searches (my default is Google) to STOP going to the address bar? This started out of the blue and it is making me crazy. I don't want to be asked which search to use, and I don't want it to search in the address bar. I want it in the search box. Thanks.

not really a request for help since release 147.0.3 searches handoff to awesome and can't be changed by using about:config dropping back to 145.0.2 allows prevention

This is the 3rd time I have had to post this. I am getting very frustrated. I DO NOT want the search engine within my address bar. Nothing anyone from you "community" helped to disable the search engine in my address bar. Opera, Edge, Chrome, the user can disable the search engine in the address bar. Why is Firefox so different? And difficult?

lowes web page comes up. but when looking for product it denies me access. it said denied access to server. it gives me codes that i do not under stand.please give me step by step on how to fix it. paul klemp

I can't seem to locate how to activate the microphone in the AI sidebar. I have Gemini selected, and when I hit the microphone to dictate I get the following message.. Unable to access the microphone. Please check settings.

I looked through Firefox settings and my laptop's but I don't see where it is turned off or asking for activation.'

Tom Z.

Hi, Since the last update for Mozilla on the laptop (updated on 6/Oct/2025 - version 143.0.4 (64-bit)), all the shortcuts to websites in Firefox homepage I had pinned have disappeared. Also I can't add new shortcuts. I already have shortcuts enabled in Settings>Home>Firefox Home Content>Shortcuts.

Does anyone know how to solve this?

Kind regards.

Bárbara O.

Hello,

I have a situation - which I had previously researched and resolved - that has come back to haunt me.

I use an ultra-widescreen monitor and searching/browsing obviously necessitates a center-screen search box which, up until now, Firefox has provided cleanly and with simplicity. However, I see that (once again) despite cursor placement in the center-screen box the search text is being entered in the address bar which is wholly impractical for me since I have to look about 60 degrees left and upwards to see what I am typing.

I say "again" because when this happened previously I was able to make a config change and resolve it but despite that still being in effect - the ".handoffToAwesomebar" is still set to FALSE - search text now has moved back to the address bar.

A brief search of this community yielded no answers. Is there any other known fix or has this now be thrust upon us permanently and thou shalt adapt?

Thanks in advance....

I am reopening the question from 2020 as the solution described no longer seems to apply. https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1284577

I am running Windows 11. Firefox 144.0 (64-bit)

When entering search terms into the search bar in the centre of the page, the information typed appears in the address bar, even after following the fix described in 1284577.

Treating the address bar as the search bar appears to be the default. While the user can additionally deselect the search engine in the address bar, that is an unnecessary and undesired additional step for every search (the primary reason I am using Firefox)

Is there a way to permanently set the default for what I enter into the search bar to remain in the search bar and not to be managed by the address bar? Thanks, Rich

Also McAffee notification with all these popups stating that my McAffee protection expired yesterday - I have never had a McAffee notification for a virus or pair for protection from them. Popups are happening every 10 seconds continuously! looks like about 20 or more popups describing different problems with 20 digit numbers and letters as a serial number of the problem!

Following a recent Firefox update, 1.48.0 I think, the search box in the middle of the page no longer works, any attempt to type there ends up in the address bar. I have tried setting "browser.newtabpage.activity-stream.improvesearch.handoffToAwesomebar" to false and other suggested fixes on the internet but it made no difference. I am running Windows 11 Pro, fully updated. Hope you can help Regards Keith

Version 148 recently installed as auto update and problem seems contemperaneous to that.

My Home page is set to show only the Firefox "search the web" as an entry box in the screen centre, but will no longer allow any input: instead the awesomebar (aka address bar) shows on the tool bars at top of screen and accepts/displays the entry. I wish to revert to the simpler display.

I thought the solution lay within the advanced preferences that can be accessed (via app:config) and the value of the awesome bar changed. However tthe awesomebar preference is the only one shown for which there is no setting at all. Edit brings nothing up. There is a delete bin symbol available.

Can anybody explain what is going on and how to rectify this situation, please?

When a system-wide VPN application (not built into Firefox) is enabled, the behavior of the address bar changes: on the first click, it only shows 5 sites (Top Sites), instead of the usual 9. After pressing the Spacebar, the list from browsing history loads normally. The problem persists after turning off the VPN and only disappears after a full restart of Firefox. The issue is reproducible. Firefox version: the latest