Uninstall search plugins: Difference between revisions

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: ''This article applies to both [[Mozilla Suite]] and [[Firefox]].''
'''This article does not apply to Firefox 2 or later.'''  Starting in Firefox 2, you can remove search engines using the new search engine manager,  accessible by clicking on the [[Search Bar]] icon,  then clicking on "Manage Search Engines" from the drop-down list.


After installing plugins from [http://mycroft.mozdev.org/ Mycroft] you might want to get rid of those you don't use.
This article describes how to remove search engines from the [[Mozilla Suite : FAQs : Status | Mozilla Suite / SeaMonkey]] Internet Search preferences or from the Search Bar in Firefox 1.5.x and earlier.


# Go to the installation directory of the application (Mozilla Suite or Firefox). (see note 1)
==Manual removal==
# Locate the subfolder "searchplugins". (see note 2)
With the application closed, open the '''searchplugins''' folder in the following locations. Note that Firefox 1.5 and SeaMonkey place manually installed search engines ("custom" search plugins) in the [[profile folder]] so you may have search plugins in two locations.
# Delete both SRC and GIF/PNG files for each search plugin.
* Mozilla Suite:  [[Installation directory]].
# Restart the application and deleted plugins will disappear.
* SeaMonkey:  Default search plugins: [[Installation directory]] .  Custom search plugins: [[profile folder]].
* Firefox 1.0.x: [[Installation directory]].
* Firefox 1.5:  Default search plugins*:  [[Installation directory]] .  Custom search plugins: [[profile folder]].


Example: If you want to get rid of the default Google search plugin, you will delete "google.src" and "google.png".
Delete both .src and .gif or .png search plugin files for the search engine you want to remove.  For example, to remove the Webster search engine, you would delete the files "webster.src" and "webster.gif".  Restart the application and it will be gone.


===Notes===
If you removed a search plugin because it was broken, please go to the [http://mycroftproject.com/ Mycroft Homepage] and "judge" this plugin.
<ol>
<li><ul><li>On Linux, you will need root privileges, unless you've installed the program somewhere the user has access to. To obtain root privileges, either
# Logout and log in as root
# Fire up the console and type su (followed by the root password)
Note: Both procedures require root password. The second enables you to work only in console mode only.


The path may vary and doing a search on your computer (from "/") for "firefox", "mozilla", "searchplugins", "plugins" will help. If Mozilla Suite and Firefox were installed using a standard update manager and not manually, this path is ususally "/usr/lib/mozilla-<version>" and "/usr/lib/firefox-<version>" for Mozilla Suite and Firefox users respectively. eg. "/usr/lib/mozilla-1.7.3" and "/usr/lib/firefox-1.0".
==Search plugin managers==
Note: Do not confuse your installation folder with your [[profile folder]].</li>
* [https://addons.mozilla.org/extensions/moreinfo.php?id=1563&application=firefox SearchPluginHacks] extension
* [http://maltekraus.de/Firefox/Search-Engine-Ordering/ Search Engine Ordering] extension
* [http://www.svenbader.de/anwendungen/e_firefox.htm Search Plugin Manager] utility for Windows


<li>On Windows, this is usually "C:\Program Files\Mozilla\"  and "C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\" for Mozilla and Firefox users respectively. This path may vary on a per computer basis and doing a search on your computer for "Mozilla", "Firefox", "searchplugins" will help.</li>
[[Category:Installation and update (Firefox)]]
 
[[Category:Issues (Firefox)]]
<li>On Mac OS X, it is usually under your Applications folder.</li></li></ul>
[[Category:Searches (Firefox)]]
 
[[Category:Issues (Mozilla Suite)]]
<li>Note for Mac OS X users:
[[Category:Searches (Mozilla Suite)]]
The "searchplugins" folder is within the Firefox/Mozilla Suite Applications folder (Mozilla.app or Firefox.app), but clicking on it will start the program. To open this folder and see the folders beneath: Ctrl-click "Mozilla.app" or "Firefox.app" and select "Show Package Contents". The folder should be at one of the following locations:
<pre>/Applications/Firefox.app/Contents/MacOS/searchplugins
/Applications/Mozilla.app/Contents/MacOS/searchplugins</pre>
</li>
</ol>

Latest revision as of 00:20, 23 March 2013

This article does not apply to Firefox 2 or later. Starting in Firefox 2, you can remove search engines using the new search engine manager, accessible by clicking on the Search Bar icon, then clicking on "Manage Search Engines" from the drop-down list.

This article describes how to remove search engines from the Mozilla Suite / SeaMonkey Internet Search preferences or from the Search Bar in Firefox 1.5.x and earlier.

Manual removal

With the application closed, open the searchplugins folder in the following locations. Note that Firefox 1.5 and SeaMonkey place manually installed search engines ("custom" search plugins) in the profile folder so you may have search plugins in two locations.

Delete both .src and .gif or .png search plugin files for the search engine you want to remove. For example, to remove the Webster search engine, you would delete the files "webster.src" and "webster.gif". Restart the application and it will be gone.

If you removed a search plugin because it was broken, please go to the Mycroft Homepage and "judge" this plugin.

Search plugin managers