# Deprecation of OpenSearch XML add-ons & current users

**URL:** <https://discourse.mozilla.org/t/deprecation-of-opensearch-xml-add-ons-current-users/46868>\
**Category:** addons.mozilla.org\
**Created:** [October 16, 2019, 12:20am UTC](https://discourse.mozilla.org/t/deprecation-of-opensearch-xml-add-ons-current-users/46868 "2019-10-16T00:20:39Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 14\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![jscher2000](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex001/user_avatar/discourse.mozilla.org/jscher2000/32/28202_2.png) [@jscher2000](https://discourse.mozilla.org/u/jscher2000)\
**Post date:** [October 16, 2019, 12:20am UTC](https://discourse.mozilla.org/t/deprecation-of-opensearch-xml-add-ons-current-users/46868/1 "2019-10-16T00:20:39Z")

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Hi, I wanted to confirm that users will not lose use of previously installed OpenSearch XML search engine plugins when they are removed from AMO. (Seems that they shouldn’t.)

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**Author:** ![stig](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex001/user_avatar/discourse.mozilla.org/stig/32/24662_2.png) [@stig](https://discourse.mozilla.org/u/stig)\
**Post date:** [October 16, 2019, 6:08am UTC](https://discourse.mozilla.org/t/deprecation-of-opensearch-xml-add-ons-current-users/46868/2 "2019-10-16T06:08:36Z")

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And will you still be able to install them directly from pages offering OpenSearch for their site? (Via “Add” in the dropdown on Firefix’ search field).  
I am for example offering it on [https://www.rockland.dk/](https://www.rockland.dk/) (Yes, most likely I’m the only one who would install it for my homepage, but that’s just a quick example site).

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**Author:** ![jefferyto](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex001/user_avatar/discourse.mozilla.org/jefferyto/32/30084_2.png) [@jefferyto](https://discourse.mozilla.org/u/jefferyto)\
**Post date:** [October 16, 2019, 10:26am UTC](https://discourse.mozilla.org/t/deprecation-of-opensearch-xml-add-ons-current-users/46868/3 "2019-10-16T10:26:15Z")

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From the [announcement](https://blog.mozilla.org/addons/2019/10/15/search-engine-add-ons-to-be-removed-from-addons-mozilla-org/):

> …Mozilla intends to deprecate OpenSearch and eventually remove it from Firefox.

and

> For Search Engine add-ons to continue working, they must be converted to an extension using the WebExtensions API by December 3, 2019.

According to the [Firefox release calendar](https://wiki.mozilla.org/Release_Management/Calendar), Firefox 71 is scheduled to be released on that day (Dec 3), so I would expect OpenSearch support to be removed in Firefox 71. (I would expect all previously installed OpenSearch add-ons will be removed / stop working, and no new OpenSearch add-ons can be installed.)

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**Author:** ![jscher2000](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex001/user_avatar/discourse.mozilla.org/jscher2000/32/28202_2.png) [@jscher2000](https://discourse.mozilla.org/u/jscher2000)\
**Post date:** [October 16, 2019, 3:00pm UTC](https://discourse.mozilla.org/t/deprecation-of-opensearch-xml-add-ons-current-users/46868/4 "2019-10-16T15:00:31Z")

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> [@jefferyto](#):
>
> According to the [Firefox release calendar](https://wiki.mozilla.org/Release_Management/Calendar), Firefox 71 is scheduled to be released on that day (Dec 3), so I would expect OpenSearch support to be removed in Firefox 71.

I don’t think OpenSearch support is being completely removed from the product in the immediate future. The current Firefox Nightly still allows installation of OpenSearch plugins directly from websites (item on the bottom of the Page Actions menu on sites that offer one).

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**Author:** ![jorgev](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/71c47a/32.png) [@jorgev](https://discourse.mozilla.org/u/jorgev)\
**Post date:** [October 16, 2019, 3:45pm UTC](https://discourse.mozilla.org/t/deprecation-of-opensearch-xml-add-ons-current-users/46868/5 "2019-10-16T15:45:34Z")

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The timeline on the email only addresses the AMO plan. There are no concrete dates for the eventual changes in Firefox.

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**Author:** ![jefferyto](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex001/user_avatar/discourse.mozilla.org/jefferyto/32/30084_2.png) [@jefferyto](https://discourse.mozilla.org/u/jefferyto)\
**Post date:** [October 16, 2019, 7:05pm UTC](https://discourse.mozilla.org/t/deprecation-of-opensearch-xml-add-ons-current-users/46868/6 "2019-10-16T19:05:19Z")

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Oh I see - good to know.

So in this sentence:

> For Search Engine add-ons to continue working, they must be converted to an extension using the WebExtensions API by December 3, 2019.

What will happen on December 3, exactly? I get that search engine add-ons will be removed on Dec 5, but how will they cease to “continue working” on Dec 3?

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**Author:** ![jorgev](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/71c47a/32.png) [@jorgev](https://discourse.mozilla.org/u/jorgev)\
**Post date:** [October 16, 2019, 7:27pm UTC](https://discourse.mozilla.org/t/deprecation-of-opensearch-xml-add-ons-current-users/46868/7 "2019-10-16T19:27:49Z")

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I can see how that phrasing is confusing. It’s really referring to you as a developer continuing having a valid search listing on AMO and, longer term, having a working add-on for Firefox users. It didn’t intend to say current search engines installed in people’s profiles would cease working then.

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**Author:** ![johnmaverick74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e99b99/32.png) [@johnmaverick74](https://discourse.mozilla.org/u/johnmaverick74)\
**Post date:** [October 18, 2019, 4:57pm UTC](https://discourse.mozilla.org/t/deprecation-of-opensearch-xml-add-ons-current-users/46868/8 "2019-10-18T16:57:40Z")

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@jorgev,

I would be interested in @stig 's case as well.

It’s extremely useful to go to the firefox’s page menu and be able to choose “add this search engine” without having to leave the search engine page (e.g.: having to go to the AMO page)

tks

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**Author:** ![jorgev](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/71c47a/32.png) [@jorgev](https://discourse.mozilla.org/u/jorgev)\
**Post date:** [October 18, 2019, 5:03pm UTC](https://discourse.mozilla.org/t/deprecation-of-opensearch-xml-add-ons-current-users/46868/9 "2019-10-18T17:03:21Z")

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Something like that is being considered for the Firefox side of things, but it’s out of my domain, so I can’t make any promises about it.

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**Author:** ![johnmaverick74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e99b99/32.png) [@johnmaverick74](https://discourse.mozilla.org/u/johnmaverick74)\
**Post date:** [October 18, 2019, 5:08pm UTC](https://discourse.mozilla.org/t/deprecation-of-opensearch-xml-add-ons-current-users/46868/10 "2019-10-18T17:08:28Z")

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Since opensearch will not be supported, this means we will cease to be able to add search engines from the menu until this is implemented in Firefox (which, by current standards, means MANY years! - This feature, in my case, this is extremely useful and i would hate to loose it)

So, this means a few steps backward… again…

Why not support both and deprecate OpenSearch ONLY when the new api has feature parity with this?

What’s the big rush about it???

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**Author:** ![jorgev](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/71c47a/32.png) [@jorgev](https://discourse.mozilla.org/u/jorgev)\
**Post date:** [October 18, 2019, 5:25pm UTC](https://discourse.mozilla.org/t/deprecation-of-opensearch-xml-add-ons-current-users/46868/11 "2019-10-18T17:25:30Z")

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Like I said before, the post and email are all about removing support from AMO. That doesn’t impact any features in Firefox. I can’t say much about what the timeline for changes in Firefox will be like.

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**Author:** ![jscher2000](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex001/user_avatar/discourse.mozilla.org/jscher2000/32/28202_2.png) [@jscher2000](https://discourse.mozilla.org/u/jscher2000)\
**Post date:** [October 18, 2019, 10:02pm UTC](https://discourse.mozilla.org/t/deprecation-of-opensearch-xml-add-ons-current-users/46868/12 "2019-10-18T22:02:37Z")

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> [@johnmaverick74](#):
>
> What’s the big rush about it???

Based on my searches in Bugzilla, there’s no big rush to remove OpenSearch support from Firefox. It may not be a web standard, but it is well established and used by many sites. If anything, Mozilla is under pressure to better support OpenSearch plugins advertised in web pages (similar to Chrome’s tab-to-search feature).

> **[OpenSearch description format | MDN](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/OpenSearch)**
>
> The OpenSearch description format can be used to describe the web interface of a search engine. This allows a website to describe a search engine for itself, so that a browser or other client application can use that search engine. OpenSearch is...

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**Author:** ![evilpie](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex001/user_avatar/discourse.mozilla.org/evilpie/32/30580_2.png) [@evilpie](https://discourse.mozilla.org/u/evilpie)\
**Post date:** [October 19, 2019, 10:53am UTC](https://discourse.mozilla.org/t/deprecation-of-opensearch-xml-add-ons-current-users/46868/13 "2019-10-19T10:53:16Z")

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My extension [Add custom search engine](https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/add-custom-search-engine/) uses OpenSearch files and the `window.external.AddSearchProvider` API. Mozilla once already [tried to remove](https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1503551) that function, but luckily reverted the change after too much breakage. I think Firefox should natively support adding custom search engines like Chrome.

I really don’t understand Mozilla’s vision for search engines.

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**Author:** ![shanshandehongxing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@shanshandehongxing](https://discourse.mozilla.org/u/shanshandehongxing)\
**Post date:** [September 23, 2020, 8:19am UTC](https://discourse.mozilla.org/t/deprecation-of-opensearch-xml-add-ons-current-users/46868/14 "2020-09-23T08:19:56Z")

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> [@evilpie](#):
>
> I really don’t understand Mozilla’s vision for search engines.

I think Mozilla was very afraid of users got attacks or phishings if they accessed some fake search engines via the OpenSearch plugins that they have installed from unclear source. However the new APIs need to be robust enough to be the replacement.