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As you type in the address bar, Firefox suggests web pages you've visited, bookmarked or tagged, or open in a tab. Get to sites with fewer keystrokes.

The Firefox {for not fx56}location bar, also called the URL bar or [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Address_bar address bar]{/for}{for fx56}[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Address_bar address bar], also called the URL bar or location bar{/for}, displays a page's web address (URL). We call it the Awesome Bar because it remembers those web pages you've visited before, guesses where you're trying to go and displays a list of suggested pages or searches you can choose from. The more you use it, the better it gets. This article covers the details of how the {for not fx56}location{/for}{for fx56}address{/for} bar autocomplete feature works. {for not fx48} <!-- TO LOCALIZE THE CAPTIONS FOR THIS VIDEO, SEE https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/localize-a-support-video#w_localize-video-caption-files --> [[Video:http://youtu.be/U7stmWKvk64]] {/for} The {for not fx56}location{/for}{for fx56}address{/for} bar can also be used for other types of searches. For more information, you can see: * [[Search the web from the Address Bar]] * [[How to search IMDB, Wikipedia and more from the address bar]] __TOC__ = How to use the autocomplete list = Just start typing in the location bar and the autocomplete drop-down will show matching web pages from your browsing history, open tabs, [[How do I set up Sync on my computer? | sync'ed web pages]], as well as pages you've bookmarked or tagged. Matched terms are highlighted, making the list of results easy to scan. Icons will indicate whether a matching result is an open tab or a bookmark. When you see the page you want, just click on it or use the up and down arrows on your keyboard to highlight it and then press {for win,linux}{key Enter}{/for}{for mac}{key Return}. {for not fx48} ;{for win}[[Image:Awesome 29 - Win]]{/for}{for mac}[[Image:Awesome 29 - Mac]]{/for}{for linux}[[Image:Awesome 29 - Lin]]{/for} {/for} {/for} {note}Firefox will also suggest popular search suggestions from the default search engine. See [[Use popular search suggestions in the Firefox Search bar]] and [[Search suggestions in Firefox]] for more information.{/note} The part of the entry that matches what you've typed will show in '''bold'''. The location bar will display matching results for * Web addresses and page titles from your history * Page titles, web addresses and tags from your Bookmarks * Pages you currently have open in other tabs (see below under [[#w_switch-to-tab|Switch to tab]]) * Pages that are sync'ed with other devices. The {for not fx56}location{/for}{for fx56}address{/for} bar also learns from your browsing behavior. It adjusts results based on how frequently you visit each page, how recently you visited there, and what result you clicked on for the characters or words typed. This way, pages you visit all the time will show up at the top of the list, often after typing only one character. == URL autocomplete == In addition to the autocomplete drop-down list for pages you've been to before, Firefox will also complete the URL in the {for not fx56}location{/for}{for fx56}address{/for} bar. For example, if you type "aw", Firefox may fill in "esomefoundation<!-- -->.org/" to complete the address "awesomefoundation<!-- -->.org" if you've visited that site before. Pressing {for win,linux}{key Enter}{/for}{for mac}{key Return}{/for} in this case would take you directly to that address. ;{for win}[[Image:Autocomplete 29 - Win]]{/for}{for mac}[[Image:Autocomplete 29 - Mac]]{/for}{for linux}[[Image:Autocomplete 29 - Lin]]{/for} === Prevent Firefox from automatically completing URLs === If you want to turn off the feature that automatically fills in URLs as you type in the {for not fx56}location{/for}{for fx56}address{/for} bar, you can change a preference setting in the [[Configuration Editor for Firefox|Firefox Configuration Editor]] (''about:config'' page). Follow these steps: #[[T:aboutconfig]] #At the top of the ''about:config'' page, type '''autoFill''' in the Search field (or scroll through the list to find the {pref browser.urlbar.autoFill} preference). #Double-click the {pref browser.urlbar.autoFill} preference to set its value to '''false'''. (You can then close the ''about:config'' page.) {note}{for not fx56}'''Note:''' This setting only affects the autocomplete feature that fills in URLs within the location bar. To also turn off or restrict autocomplete results displayed in the drop-down list below the location bar, see [[#w_how-can-i-control-what-results-the-location-bar-shows-me|How can I control what results the location bar shows me?]] (below).{/for}{for fx56}'''Note:''' This setting only affects the autocomplete feature that fills in URLs within the address bar. To also turn off or restrict autocomplete results displayed in the drop-down list below the address bar, see [[#w_how-can-i-control-what-results-the-address-bar-shows-me|How can I control what results the address bar shows me?]] (below).{/for}{/note} == Switch to tab == The location bar also searches through your open tabs, displaying results with a tab icon and the text "Switch to tab". Selecting these results will switch you to the already open tab instead of creating a duplicate. ;{for win}[[Image:Switch tab 29 - Win]]{/for}{for mac}[[Image:Switch tab 29 - Mac]]{/for}{for linux}[[Image:Switch tab 29 - Lin]]{/for} {note} '''To turn off the "Switch to tab" option temporarily''', press the {button ALT} key while clicking on the page in the autocomplete list that appears below your address bar. This will open your page in a new tab instead of switching to an existing one.{/note} == Search the web == If the location bar doesn't come up with the result you want (or any results), it just means that it isn't in your history, bookmarks or tags. The good news is that you're not out of luck because you can also search the web right from the {for not fx56}location{/for}{for fx56}address{/for} bar. Just press {for win,linux}{key Enter}{/for}{for mac}{key Return}{/for} and the term you've entered in the {for not fx56}location{/for}{for fx56}address{/for} bar will become a search based on your default search engine. For details, see [[Search the web from the Address Bar]]. == What can I do to get the best results? == * When you want to go to a web page you've visited before, type a few letters from its web address or page title. Scroll through the autocomplete entries and find the page in the list (type in another letter if you don't see it listed). Press {for win,linux}{key Enter}{/for}{for mac}{key Return}{/for} to go to the selected web address. Firefox will give this entry/result combination higher weight in the future. * Do not clear the browsing history - usually the richest source of autocomplete entries is from the title/web address combination. [[Delete browsing, search and download history on Firefox|Clearing browsing history]] will remove these entries from the results. * Bookmark and tag frequently-used pages. The location bar will match on the name you give the bookmark and also tags associated with the bookmark. See the [[Create bookmarks to save your favorite webpages]] article for more information on how to use bookmarks in Firefox. You can improve your autocomplete results by tagging pages with easily-typed tag names. {for not fx56} = How can I control what results the location bar shows me? = == Changing your location bar settings == You can turn off the location bar autocomplete feature or restrict the results to exclude your open tabs, bookmarks or history: # [[T:optionspreferences]] # Select the {menu Privacy} panel. # Below ''Location Bar'', select any of the following: #;[[Image:location bar settings 43]] #* '''History''': suggests pages that you've previously visited. #* '''Bookmarks''': suggests pages that you've bookmarked. #* '''Open Tabs''': suggests pages that you have open in another tab. #* '''Change preferences for search engine suggestions…''': To enable or disable search engine suggestions, click this link to be taken to the ''Search'' settings panel. Add a check mark next to '''Provide search suggestions''' there to enable search suggestions from your preferred search engine for the Search bar, home page and New Tab page, or remove the check mark to disable them. To enable or disable search engine suggestions for the location bar, add or remove a check mark next to '''Show search suggestions in location bar results'''. # [[T:closeOptionsPreferences]] {/for} {for fx56} = How can I control what results the address bar shows me? = == Changing your address bar settings == You can turn off the address bar autocomplete feature or restrict the results to exclude your open tabs, bookmarks or history: # [[T:optionspreferences]] # Select the {menu Privacy & Security} panel. # Below '''Address Bar''', select any of the following: #;[[Image:Fx56AddressBarSettings]] #* '''Browsing history''': suggests pages that you've previously visited. #* '''Bookmarks''': suggests pages that you've bookmarked. #* '''Open Tabs''': suggests pages that you have open in another tab. #* '''Change preferences for search engine suggestions''': To enable or disable search engine suggestions, click this link to be taken to the ''Search'' settings panel. Add a check mark next to '''Provide search suggestions''' there, to enable search suggestions from your preferred search engine for the Search bar, home page and New Tab page, or remove the check mark to disable them. To enable or disable search engine suggestions for the address bar, add or remove a check mark next to '''Show search suggestions in address bar results'''. # [[T:closeOptionsPreferences]] {/for} == Removing autocomplete results == If you want to remove an entry from the autocomplete list: # In the {for not fx56}location{/for}{for fx56}address{/for} bar, use the up and down arrow keys on your keyboard to highlight the entry. # Press {for win,linux}{key Delete}{/for}{for mac}{key Shift}+{key Delete}{/for} to remove the item from the list. If you want to remove all the history results from the autocomplete list, clear Firefox's browsing history. See the [[Delete browsing, search and download history on Firefox]] article for instructions. {note}'''Note''': Autocomplete items from bookmarks will not be removed from the results if you attempt to delete them or clear the browsing history. These items have a star. To remove these items, [[How do I delete a bookmark?|delete the associated bookmark]], or [[#w_changing-your-location-bar-settings|exclude bookmarks in the location bar settings]].{/note} == Changing results on the fly == If you are looking for a specific type of result, like a bookmark or tag, you can speed up the process of finding it by typing in special characters after each search term in the location bar separated by spaces: * Add '''<nowiki>^</nowiki>''' to search for matches in your browsing history. * Add '''*''' to search for matches in your bookmarks. * Add '''+''' to search for matches in pages you've tagged. * Add '''%''' to search for matches in your currently open tabs. * Add '''~''' to search for matches in pages you've typed. * Add '''#''' to search for matches in page titles. * Add '''@''' to search for matches in web addresses (URLs). * Add '''$''' to search for matches in suggestions. For example, if you're looking for a page you bookmarked called ''Mozilla Firefox Support'', you might type ''mozilla''. The autocomplete results appear, but might not show the page you want. You can narrow your results down to bookmarks only by making your search string ''mozilla  *''. If you still have too many results, you can further restrict the search by making your search string ''mozilla  *  support  #''. Now the autocomplete list will only show bookmarked pages with ''mozilla'' and ''support'' in the page title.