I deliberately set Firefox to provide a separate search input box to the right of the address bar. This way I can simply disambiguate between performing a search and typing an address manually.
When I enter an address into the address bar and hit the [ARROW DOWN] key, sometimes FF enters one of the search engine icons below the bar instead entering the list of bookmarks (that’s perhaps because the list of bookmarks is getting populated asynchronously). This is very disturbing and unwanted, particularly as I enabled the search engine input box to the right, so I can use that when I want to perform a search.
How can I disable search engines from being provided in the address bar?
When the separate search input field is enabled, I don't believe it makes sense to also provide a one-time exception feature to the address bar. It's faster to just type CTRL+E on the keyboard to enter the Search input field.
So, I just tried your suggestion. Unfortunately, the setting you suggested doesn’t disable, or hide, the above mentioned area (see screenshot).
I’m a fast typer who learned to professionally type without reading for verification, I require deterministic results, independent from asynchronous fetch results. (In a worst case scenario, typed text input should be buffered and be evaluated only after all bookmarks are available.)
I see, you do not want to disabling searching, you want to hide the search engine icons bar at the bottom of the address bar drop-down.
Currently, the only way to remove that would be to uncheck them in the Search Shortcuts / One-click Search Engines box on the Search tab of the Options page. But this will interfere with using them on the Search bar, so that isn’t a solution for you.
This bar should only becomes a factor if you press the up arrow key while your cursor is in the address bar, or press the down arrow key enough times to reach the bar. Otherwise, it should not be interfering.
I run into what the original post is talking about all the time and it’s very irritating. There’s no use or utility to those search buttons in the address bar for many of us, especially when the search bar is separate (as the poster showed).
I think this issue is reproducible. Well, sort of …
The reproducible situation depends of whether Firefox can load the bookmarks list fast enough before I start typing into the address bar.
For instance, having started my Windows machine, then starting Firefox immediately after signing-in to Windows, then hitting the first few letters of my bookmarks immediately when the Firefox application window appears, it regularly happens that the blue “Google” bubble appears in the address bar instead of Firefox listing my filtered bookmarks to select from.
So, I believe this is a race-condition bug.
Either acting on keyboard input in the address bar should be deferred until the bookmarks list has been read (this is preferred), or there should be an option to hide the bar below the bookmarks list.
Did work, doesn’t now.
I’ve tried all the above using Bing, DuckDuck and Google, all of them still jump to the address bar as soon as you try to use the normal search box.
About time Mozilla began to listen to what people want rather than following the example of MS and Google.
Mozilla has become a little too dictatorial.
Maybe it’s time for a change.
I’ve tried all the above using Bing, DuckDuck and Google, all of them still jump to the address bar as soon as you try to use the normal search box.
Presumably you found the setting by now. Otherwise: to keep the cursor in the search box on the built-in Firefox Home / new tab page (so it doesn’t jump up to the address bar), go into about:config and set this preference to false:
Thanks, you’ve been a great help, but after the last update it turned pear shape again.
So after over twenty years of using Firefox I’m considering dumping it for Brave and Waterfox.
The main issue is that it’s become impossible to prevent the search in the Address bar and the poor updates, the latest has just wiped out several user functions on a forum I use. Yes it was the update, a second computer worked fine until I updated it to double check to confirm it was Firefox.
As for the search in the Address bar setting keyword.enabled and browser.fixup.alternate.enabled to false, browser.urlbar.suggest.searches to false, Which worked fine before the latest update. Considering the number of people asking for this to be disabled, it seems that Firefox isn’t listening.
Google’s claim that people were confusing the search box and address box on the tool bar may seem to make sense, but many of us actually remove the search function from the address bar to prevent this happening.
Although those who claim it’s a common sense solution don’t have difficulty with regards having mental or visual issues reading what’s in the address bar.
The images below show before and after the last update.
Thanks for your time and effort, it’s greatly appreciated.
Hi wilf, what version are you using? In Firefox 150.0.1, keyword.enabled still works normally for me: false forces terms to DNS resolution instead of search.
Try using the Settings page (about:preferences#search) to turn off dynamic search suggestions (magnifying glass icon), in case the preferences have changed.
If the unwanted entries do not have the magnifying glass, how are they identified? The clock icon indicates search history. Site icons can indicate browsing history or possibly something sponsored.
For the broken rich text editor, what site is that? Can you tell which plugin they’re using?
hi, I’m using version mint-001-1,0 -150.0.0.1 which worked well before the update that included the VPN.
The site is https://uotw.catsboard.com/ which other than the reply function works well for been on it’s last legs.
Sorry I can’t tell the plug-in but dynamic search seems to have worked for the search.
That said, there’s now guarantee as in the past that the next update will just over-ride the changes.
I must have changed the search setting about a dozen times, so for now I’ll stay with Waterfox.
It would be interesting what the results would be if Firefox did a poll on the address search, even if it’s just to show how small of a minority the haters are in.
