Firefox Community Forum

All of a sudden, my default search engine changed to Google. I didn't do it and don't want it. The "settings" still show Firefox as my default, but it doesn't stop Google from hijacking my searches. I want to get rid of it.

The latest version of Firefox appears to have updated a setting: When selecting a custom search engine in the address bar or search box, you now need to click the mouse three times (click the dropdown button on the left side of the box - select search engine - search); previously, after entering search terms in the search box, you only needed to move the mouse icon below the box to automatically display all search engines, and then click the desired engine to search directly, thus completing the search with just one click.

The old setting was very convenient; while the new setting forces me to click several times every time I want to search for a term in the search bar.

I hope the support team will address and improve this issue.

Why is the address bar now a search? This is annoying. How can I change this? I have already change about:config settings to false and nothing changes.

Thank you Rafal

I liked my search box functioning like it did before the last update...can you please revert it back to the way it was please or give us the option to change it back. Why mess with perfection???...thank you. (149.0 64bit currently)

Until the most recent update, when I opened a new tab a box with the message "Search the web" appeared, and I could enter a query to search. This was exactly what I wanted. Now, the box still appears, but as soon as I type a character the input jumps to the small box at the top left where I would expect to enter a URL. I don't like this, because (a) the jump is disconcerting when I'm trying to type, (b) I want what I type in the URL box to be always taken as a URL, not as a search query, (c) the box in the middle of the new tab is just a waste of space: something held out then snatched away. The solution I have found suggested is to set the resource browser.newtabpage.activity-stream.improvesearch.handoffToAwesomebar to false, but this causes an error message to appear in the search box. I'm sure there must be a way to have the old behaviour back - any help gratefully received.

If I type a URL incorrectly I https://www.startpage.com/do/dsearch?q=doh&cat=web&language=english displays. How can I eliminate this and just get notification that the address cannot be found?

It is very annoying that you suddenly change the way most users got used to searching in Firefox. I am not the only one who complains about this particular and sudden change, after updating Firefox. Please reinstate the central search bar of Firefox asap. It makes one wonder what else you might think of changing with the next Firefox update! At least give the users of Firefox a previous notice of what changes come with every update. I am thinking very seriously of dropping Firefox and use Brave, if the problem is not solved asap. One of your staff mentioned that this problem would have been solved by 10th March. Till this very moment nothing has happened!! This is not a thread but a serious complaint. I have been using Firefox for a long long time. I would like to be able to use it provided I can use it the way I am used it.

When I want to search something I usually open a new tab (Ctr+T) then quickly hit Tab so my typing indicator goes from the Address Bar to the Search Bar, but with a recent update there is now a "Search Selection" part that is in the way so I have to hit Tab twice.

I know this seems petty but I have been the simplest happiest minimalist user for the past 25 years and I've never had issues with Ctr+T followed by Tab to search something. Why did you implement a change that I am sure nobody has ever asked? Please revert it back or explain to my fatigued mind how to do it if it is possible.

Every time I want to search an item or word, you now take me out of the search bar and throw me on to the address bar, which I really have to struggle to read. This has been going on now for quite some time. my question is WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO FIX THIS PROBLEM?? I DON'T WANT TO HAVE TO GO TO config TO DO IT MYSELF. FIX IT ON YOUR END NOT MINE! And now as I scroll down, I see you've made some guesses. Then information gives details about the internal workings of your browser, IT'S NOT MY BROWSER, IT'S YOURS. FIX IT

I've been using 2 search bars for quite some time.

I use the top bar for URLs and the bar mid screen for ad-hoc searches.

(I know I can use the top bar for both but I'm long since retired, quite set in my ways and would rather not have to change unless absolutely necessary😉)

I was able to restore the mid screen search bar functionality using an about:config setting from memory when I first noticed the search bar consolidation a few years back.

It's been working fine until the latest update.

Latest update lets me activate the mid screen bar with a mouse click but any attempt to then enter anything causes focus to move to the top bar so text input on the mid screen bar is no longer possible.

I've tested this on 2 Win 11 desktops and 1 Win 10 desktop and see the same 'issue' arising after the update.

Has that functionality been removed entirely with the latest update or is there an about:config setting that can restore it?

I would like the web search feature back, what is the point of having it available to look at but it does not work? The box is there... why is there not an option for me to continue to use it? You have done this in the past but there was a work around. What work around I found through AI does not work:

"To restore the search box in Firefox 148.0, type "about:config" in the address bar, accept the risk, and search for "browser.newtabpage.activity-stream.improvesearch.handoffToAwesomebar." Set this preference to false to enable the search box again."

This is disappointing, maddening too. I have used your product for many years.

"You can turn it off by entering about:config in the URL bar and switching browser.newtabpage.activity-stream.improvesearch.handoffToAwesomebar to false."

That doesn't work anymore. Since the last update, the search went back to the adress bar, doesn't matter if that option is mark as true or false.

Please stop making that the searches go to the adress bar. Nobody likes it.

Hallo Ich Spreche kein Englisch nur Deutsch - Ich habe seit einiger Zeit ein Problem, wenn ich einen meuen Tapp öffne komme ich wie gewohnt auf die FireFox Seite mit dem Google Suchfeld, wenn ich zum Beispiel in das Suchfeld Monstera eintipe Lande ich immer auf der Yahoo Seite. . Siehe nachfolgenden Link: https://de.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?p=Monstera&hspart=iba&hsimp=yhs-syn_launcham¶m2=9dUI1n2R0BLDxNuWfiP4aSFOTltNdSPoIx38%2BUf%2FiXrvPdoGmStdlfwLFZYDvqkAfvapUGDUlfVlBewW80EIyUr%2FsL%2B6E7sphFDlHyc9MgKJkZdnv%2BHAlYnNmFYhvoP666n25XuOWv2sNdW8LTl0ed79U3FBxDdDwESS2zTq7MplmsM64d5ifOY1gGVSACrO7oUVwz0Q6xN0p0HcFuihGvHl6o1wvCWTRhetcVW5mTc%3D¶m3=HpCyCT2cXaKG4CVDR00rqgObRQahimQNt2d5ZCR7Jy3IZoD3T11qaq2nywASZYgKs7Nov2iksjjR3%2F2QWiII6Us00JMQsgWelCh2xqUG22J0U1jSZgy29Nx6hJbvJxhO09UrrPrifdWwZ%2FK6RGUiPErlOzWN1cnTdWlcb0giNPrORW3TU4942RitciCf1Ex2C%2FU510yVW%2BSczbZLYlOESKcxP97Z8OMm14rdAu%2FgEAfm5r74rG9U9ShM2YpG9AR4mVsOA2d22%2FdQcBQQJbYxSA%3D%3D&type=f2%3A%3B.6850610d4680680b2811f3dcdca6be379af%3B5.ac48522a20946644e52a8ef8e64166f19c0ca9cd289925759ba5c0534a4ff17f5111f70ddaee787ec4b4d80 - Leider bin ich mit der Suche mit Yahoo nicht zufrieden, ich habe die Einstellungen von FireFox, mehrfach kontroliert, aber nichts gefunden weshalb ich immer bei Yahoo lande. - Ich bedanke mich schon im voraus für ihre hilfe. mit freundlichen Grüßem Albert Schankula

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2026-02-17

for about 8 years now, on and off, on hundreds of OS-es, clean installs of firefox etc. sometimes - not always - typing into the firefox search bar and pressing enter does nothing

i have bit-warden, u-block-origin and stylus installed (but they shouldn't be running on the 'new-tab-page' - is my firefox sync-profile containing some firefox-breaking-errors? (latest Win-11)