Firefox: форум сообщества

My current version of Firefox is 151.0.4 (64-bit) & for the past 2 weeks or so every time I use the search bar to google something it triggers one of those "We've detected unusual activity from your network" requiring a Captcha. At first I tried all of the typical stuff [antivirus, vpn, extensions, etc...] to make sure that wasn't the issue. But as of yesterday & confirmed today I can actually go to Google's website first & do the search from there with no issue & no captcha.

So, whatever the issue is has to do specifically with doing the search via the search bar... for some reason. Is this a bug in the browser, or is there perhaps some setting that could cause this to happen in the about:config page? Though, I doubt a setting could be it because I've changed the settings I've changed now for years without causing this issue.

It appears thousands of others have the same issue with NOTHING affecting the search bar handoff to the address bar (changing true/false in about:config does NOTHING, v148.xx). Why not just do away with any search bar and do everything from the address bar? That way enough will be annoyed they'll find an operational browser. Like too many "upgrades," this one went seriously backwards.

A while back they made an annoying change to the search field and I wondering if there's a setting to get it back to the way it was.

My default search is Google but lets say I want to buy something. I type "garden hose" in the search field and switch the search to Amazon. Nothing happens. It used to go automatically at that point. Now I need to press enter or the arrow next to the search field. Not a big deal but why did they change that?

Next I want to find out about the 15th US president. I open another tab and search for the "15th president" and it goes to Amazon again. I realized I changed my default search engine. It used to be that I could temporarily change the search engine and it would immediately go back to my default.

I think these 2 facts make the current search field much worse than before.

Is there some way to change it back? I looked over the settings but couldn't find anything.

While using Mozilla Firefox on Windows 11, the search function within a ChatGPT conversation sometimes fails to detect text that is clearly present. When I search for a phrase that was previously discussed, I often receive a pop-up sound and a message stating “phrase not found,” even though I can manually locate the same phrase by scrolling through the conversation. This appears to be an issue with how in-page search is functioning in this context.

Hello! I saw that the Test day event had started. In Firefox Beta, I entered messaging-system-action.testday in about:config, put it on a string and set the value to testday as it said in the instructions. When I restarted Firefox, the welcome window did not appear and there was also no letter S next to the search as it should be. Please help!

Thanks for the answers!

Vexi

I need to stop google from automatically searching in the address bar so I can use about.config.

No help has worked from the web. Commands suggested by users don't exist or they use circular logic. In other words I can't go to about.config and make changes because I can't get to about.config because google searches it. I have turned off everything and nothing gets rid of the google search. I can go to other searches but that doesn't help.

bold text When tring to open a know web site this https://orbitsearchonline.com always says it cannot verify as a secure site or something close to that. I think this is a tracker.

June 15, 2026

Dear Mozilla Firefox:

Re: Very Transient Search Specifications

Having disabled AI search capabilities satisfactorily, I am now plagued with re-establishing search specifications innumerable times a session. I open a tab. I set my safe search requirements followed by several items under “All Search Settings,” then save and Exit. I open a new tab and repeat all the steps. I back up out of that search list, not backing up past the window with the saved settings to find they are nevertheless reset back to default, necessitating that I repeat all the steps. I leave this window of Firefox open but minimized and open a new Firefox window and repeat all the steps.

Of what use is saving the settings? They don’t persist within tabs, across tabs, or across windows. These inconveniences began with the introduction of AI services to Firefox. Yes, I delete cookies and set other parameters in the name of privacy, but not with the expectation that saving search settings during a session will prove meaningless. Please let me know and understand how to have both privacy and utility.

A long time Firefox user and supporter.

I am trying to change my default search engine to Firefox and it isn't allowing me. What could be preventing this? and how do I get around it? Thank you in advance for your help.

каждый раз когда я закрываю все в кладки в firefox после того как я захожу в браузер снова у меня открываеться сайт яндекса и поиск ведеться только через яндекс пока я не выберу снова google, как решить эту проблему?

In Firefox 148.0, I am encountering an issue related to input‑focus behavior on the default New Tab Page. I would like to confirm whether this behavior is now hardcoded or whether any configuration options remain available to modify it.

Issue description

When opening a new tab, Firefox displays a search box in the center of the page. In previous versions, this search box could function as a true input field. However, in Firefox 148.0, any attempt to type into this field results in the input focus being immediately transferred to the address bar (Awesome Bar). As a result, the central search box no longer accepts direct input and appears to function only as a visual entry point.

Configuration options already tested

Based on documentation and community discussions for earlier Firefox versions, I attempted to locate and modify the following about:config preferences:

• browser.newtabpage.activity-stream.improvesearch.handoffToAwesomebar
• browser.newtabpage.activity-stream.improvesearch.handoffToAwesomebar2

Neither preference exists in Firefox 148.0. I also reviewed other Activity Stream and URL bar–related preferences but did not find any that influence this focus‑handoff behavior.

Current observations

Testing suggests that Firefox 148.0 may have removed the internal toggles that previously controlled this behavior. The focus handoff from the New Tab Page search box to the address bar appears to be enforced at the application level, with no remaining user‑configurable switches exposed through about:config.

Questions for clarification

1. 1 Has the focus‑handoff mechanism for the New Tab Page been fully hardcoded in Firefox 148.0, making it no longer configurable through about:config?

1. 2 Is there a new or undocumented preference that restores the ability for the New Tab Page search box to receive input directly?

1. 3 Are there design documents, Bugzilla tickets, or release notes that describe the removal of the previous handoff preferences?

1. 4 If this behavior is now intentional and no longer user‑configurable, is using an extension (e.g., New Tab Override) the only remaining method to prevent focus from being redirected to the address bar?

Any technical insight or references from developers or community members would be greatly appreciated.

I'm running Windows 11 Pro on a desktop PC. I have used Firefox "Search by Image" many times and I haven't had a problem in the past. A few days ago the search failed for "some" images and now it fails for any and all images that I drag and drop into my browser. Important: It does work for images on the internet. My problem: (1) I drag and drop an image into my browser. (2) I right-click on the image. (3) I select "Search by Image". (4) I select a search engine. Absolutely nothing happens. I've tried with various images and various search engines. Still nothing happens. I don't think I'm doing anything different than I've always done. I haven't changed any settings in Firefox. Any ideas?