Change the Firefox Location Bar Search Engine

When you type in a word or phrase in the Firefox location bar you are either taken to Google’s search result page for the search term or, if the term has an authority website, to a website that is the authority for that search term. While most users might like the idea that Google is the default search engine and have nothing to object about that fact some would probably like to change the default search engine in Firefox to another one.

The major difficulty is to find the correct url of the new search engine to replace the Google url. But let me first explain where you can change the search url in Firefox. You need to type about:config in the address bar of Firefox and filter for the phrase keyword.URL. This parameter contains the search url that will be used when typing in a word or phrases in the location bar.

You can’t just add the url that you would enter to visit the search engine there, e.g. yahoo.com or wikipedia.com because the search – normally – uses special parameters. The best way to discover the correct url would be to perform a search at your search engine of choice and copy / paste that url after modifying it a bit. If you search at Yahoo you discover lots of irrelevant option parameters that do not need to be added.

The Yahoo url that could be added would be http://search.yahoo.com/search?p= for instance or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ for Wikipedia. It’s all about a little trial and error but I think it’s well worth the effort.

• Reddit
• StumbleUpon
• Delicious
• Digg
• Twitter

Tags: address, bar, firefox, firefox tips, location bar
Categories: Browsing, firefox

Related posts:

8 Responses to “Change the Firefox Location Bar Search Engine”

1. Dan says:

   April 21, 2008 at 2:22 am

   Anyone know how to change it to Scroogle?
2. Angelo R says:

   April 21, 2008 at 2:44 am

   Hey I actually did a short video tutorial on something quite like this, but it involved incorporating the search bar into the address bar to save space -> http://youtube.com/watch?v=RXGpBYjnFkE
3. TBIRD7777 says:

   April 21, 2008 at 7:00 am

   OR!!!!! Just go and download the GROOWE Toolbar and pop your search word into the Default Search area (NO, not the Location Bar)and Search on 7 Search Engines at once!!!

   http://www.groowe.com/

   What search engines you ask?!! You can select from at least 16 of your choice….

   OR

   add more Toolbars at Groowe’s bequest Yes, they list 71 Toolbars you can download and install at a flick of your mouse.

   No, I don’t work for these folks, i just like the base Toolbar!

   TBIRD7777
4. anonynuse says:

   August 25, 2008 at 2:01 pm

   for secure, no record searches —> Scroogle

   in firefox,
   1. goto about:config —>
   2. search keyword.URL —->
   3. change to = http://ssl.scroogle.org/cgi-bin/nbbw.cgi?Gw=s
   4. ?????
   5. CAKE
5. third row guy says:

   November 16, 2008 at 2:16 pm

   @anonymous:
   thx, but the url doesn’t match.

   use these:

   1. goto about:config —>
   2. search keyword.URL —->
   3. change to = http://ssl.scroogle.org/cgi-bin/nbbw.cgi?Gw=
   4. ?????
   5. CAKE

   now, it’s working.
6. greg says:

   January 19, 2009 at 5:12 am

   thanks, my used computer had been using yahoo search, which i dislike
7. Desu says:

   March 7, 2009 at 4:44 pm

   Great info from all you guys. Thanks.

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

1. Make Firefox Search an Alternate Search Engine - FileFront Gaming Forums says:

   June 3, 2008 at 1:55 am

   [...] to change your homepage. I assume you are using FireFox Modify Firefox Address Bar Search Change the Firefox Location Bar Search Engine That should help you out. __________________ Blame Dreadnought[DK]. Its the RIGHT thing to do. [...]