Changing search engine box also changes default search engine in URL bar
I just updated to 23.0, and for some reason changing the search engine in the search box also changes the default search engine in the URL bar as well. I'm not sure if this is intended functionality (I hope it isn't), but it is kind of irritating. I wasn't sure if it was related to an addon I installed around the same time, so I tried disabling that, but the problem was still there; therefore, I'm tentatively assuming it has to do with 23.0.
Chosen solution
hello, yes this is (unfortunately) the new intended behaviour in firefox 23 and upwards & was introduced to address the issue that many toolbars/adware are overwriting the keyword.url preference without the knowledge of users...
also refer to bug #738818 (please don't post in bug reports).
Additional comment the restartless add-on Keyword Searchmay solve the problem please see my post /questions/963439?page=2#answer-463664 ~J99
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Do user have any way to set default search engine? Maybe Mozilla just need block keyword.URL to change by plugin. If not this will be good if we can change this in some other text file or even in windows register but this must be some way. I dont see any usefull reason to have two input(awsome bar and search bar) who make exacly this same. I have hope Mozilla can make something with that before release stable Firefox 23.
Best wishes
I learned how to fix this last month in another thread about the same topic. I use the Duck Duck Go add-on, but every once in a while my address bar spontaneously switches back to Google. Fortunately it's easily fixed now that I know how. Yes, there are several steps, but none are particularly mysterious.
- Type "about:config" in the address bar and hit enter. - Type "keyword" in the search bar below the address bar. - Double-click on "keyword.URL." - Double-click on the Value field for keyword.URL (4th column), which brings up a box with the value string. - Delete the URL of the search engine at the start of the string (e.g. www.bing.com, http://www.dogpile.com/, https://encrypted.google.com/) - Insert the URL you want; in my case, that's https://duckduckgo.com.
I think some suggested that you needed to include /?q after the URL, but just now when I fixed it again that was already in the Value field after the URL.
BTW, DuckDuckGo maintains privacy, but my purpose is to avoid search bias. I research a lot of weird stuff, and at some point Google simply stopped showing me results it doesn't think I'm interested in, and substituted the most arcane stuff it could find that it thought was related to my interests. I wasn't convinced until I did parallel searches with both engines and got much 'flatter' results. I still use Google sometimes if I'm looking for something obscure that Google, with its vast knowledge of my search history, will find faster than DDG, which IMO is a better all-around search engine.
Happy happy!
Litterbug, that's what they broke, and the entire problem being discussed here. Keyword.URL no longer controls the address bar, the search engine you choose in the search bar does. Which defeats the point of having the keyword.url value at all. Whatever you set the string to in the Keyword.url, it stops using it as soon as you switch the search engine in the search bar to e-bay, amazon, or whatever. I liked having the control through the Keyword.URL value that you apparently also like, but firefox seems determined to remove that control from us in 23.
So what you're saying is that I should stick with version 22 until it's fixed. Sorry I missed the whole point of the exercise, everybody. I'll just sneak into this hole here...
Modified by litterbug
Sadly, it sounds like some morons at HQ thought this was a good idea, and that they're not actually going to care about what their users thing and fix it, or even offer a way to turn it off. Stick with 22. And since you're still on 22, you can be forgiven for not realizing that the developers could ever be so stupid as to remove a feature like this one.
Firefox is turning into apple: Do it our way, or screw you. That's not a good thing.
Modified by cptjeff
So who are these developers anyway? Sound like poorly-adjusted engineers to me. Something makes sense based on a broad assumption about the ideal user and is imposed on everyone, ideal or not. When we complain, we're told that it's good for us, so just lie back and take it.
IMO Mozilla is now more like Google. Both were disruptive, matured into excellent products with a thrilled user base, earned mainstream status, and responded by dumbing down the product. Google is getting rich by allowing advertisers to target customers with pinpoint precision based on Google's sophisticated data mining. I'm not sure where Firefox is getting its high-and-mighty attitude from, but it doesn't matter whether it's greed or arrogance; the result is the same.
I'm getting ready to dump Gmail (someone actually told me that the best email service at this point is AOL!!), and Firefox will probably fall soon thereafter.
locking this thread as it has gone off topic from the Owner's original topic
Just unlocking the thread to point out a new add-on that may well be the solution for many readers and posters in this thread.
- add-on: Keyword Search
- from: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/keyword-search/
- developer's site and comments (NOT an official Firefox dev afaik) : https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/keyword-search/developers