Search Bar

This article applies to Firefox.

Firefox's Search Bar is a convenient way to search using your favorite search engines. The default is Google.

Using Search Bar

To search, click in the Search Bar (or press "Ctrl+K") and start typing. Hit "Enter" and your search will be run. You can use "Alt+Enter" to open search results in a new tab.

The Search Bar supports more than one search engine. To see the list of available engines click the icon at the left of the bar, and a list showing the choices will appear. You can also use "Ctrl+Up"/"Ctrl+Down" to to cycle between the available choices.

Installing search plugins

To add new searches to the Search Bar, click the search icon and then click "Add Engines...". You will be taken to Firefox Central page where you can install a few more search plugins. The most comprehensive collection of search plugins is available at mycroft.mozdev.org.

You can always uninstall search plugins you don't like.

• Linux users: On Linux, you will need root privileges, unless you've installed the program somewhere the user has access to. To obtain root privileges, fire up the console and type su (followed by the root password). Then type firefox.

Clearing search history

You can clear the previous searches from the Search Bar. Just right-click it and select "Clear Search History". You can delete individual elements by selecting them and pressing "Shift+Del".

Advanced Search Tips and Tricks

Google

There is a way to turn safesearch off in Google without setting preference cookies. Simply go to the Firefox folder (Not the profile folder) in My computer -> Local Disk -> Program Files -> Mozilla Firefox -> Search plugins Open up Google.src and add <input name="safe" value="off"> inbetween <input name="oe" value="utf-8"> and <interpret browserResultType="result" then save and restart Firefox.

See also

• Using keyword searches from the Location Bar.
• The list of extensions to the Search Bar at The Extensions Mirror.
• Mycroft search plugin for MozillaZine Knowledge Base