Hello thestilow,

Would you try this please :

Type in the address bar about:config and press Enter (promise to be careful, if asked)

Type in the search bar and look for the preference :

keyword.enabled and set its value to false

Then close and restart Firefox.

(this will disable searching from the address bar)

To disable all other bleep I think you are talking about :

Type in the search bar browser.urlbar.

Look for the preference :

browser.urlbar.maxRichResults

And set its value to 0 (= zero)

Then close and restart Firefox.

Should this not be what you want, then change the value back to 10 (= default)

In case you are also seeing this "Search with .... " :

Type in the address bar and look for the preference :

browser.urlbar.oneOffSearches and set its value to false

Then close and restart Firefox.

'Hope this helps ......

See also this pref on the about:config page:

• browser.urlbar.autoFill

Enacted all of the above. The search crap went away, but the <Return> key still doesn't work unless I click/tab out or click the -> sign at the end of the line.

While I am somewhat conversant in the about:config page, none of the browser.urlbar entries looked like they would help with this (unless the key is an obscure one). And I don't know about enough about the structure to go poking around (in a reasonable amount of time).

thestilow said

Enacted all of the above. The search crap went away, but the <Return> key still doesn't work unless I click/tab out or click the -> sign at the end of the line.

I did what McCoy listed and it works. As far as your [ENTER] (or RETURN) key... mine works. Make sure your cursor is not being 'focused' elsewhere. Otherwise, clicking the 'Enter/Go Right-Arrow' is not such a bad deal, yes/no?

~Pj

Yes, it's a bad deal. If I am typing, I don't want to have to reach for my mouse in order to execute; I'm going to hit <Enter>.

I use Firefox both at work and at home. At work the version is controlled by IT so it's one of the ESR releases. No problems with <Enter>. Additionally, creating a new tab with an address bar doesn't result in a "right-arrow" at the end of the bar...it's the down-caret. At home, with 66.0.3, clicking into the address bar produces a "right-arrow". No <Enter>. No bueno.

The only threads I remember where Enter did not work involved completely disabling all of the four types of autocomplete suggestions, and as far as I can tell, that has been fixed by now.

I cannot think of any reason that moving focus out of and back into the address bar should make the Enter key work when it didn't work the first time. You would expect consistent behavior, so this is very odd.

Instead of changing focus, does it make any difference if you press the Esc key once to cancel the autocomplete drop-down and then press Enter?

Also, what was the last version where the address bar worked normally?

I'm not sure about the last version, sorry. I allow updates automatically, so I don't pay attention. Which I should.

Escape before <Enter> does not work.

Behavior: 1. Create new tab (address bar shows "down-caret") 2. Verify cursor is blinking in address bar 3. Begin typing (down-caret immediately changes to green "right-arrow" 4. At this point I have to click off in some manner or click the right arrow. Interestingly, changing tabs will work. Also, Alt-Tab all the way around to the original tab (not actually changing tabs) also works. But hitting <Enter> immediately does NOT work.

thestilow said

I'm not sure about the last version, sorry.

But probably at some point after the release of Firefox 66 on March 19, 2019?

If you haven't already, could you test in Firefox's Safe Mode? In its Safe Mode, Firefox temporarily deactivates extensions, hardware acceleration, any userChrome.css/userContent.css files, and some other advanced features to help you assess whether these are causing the problem.

If Firefox is not running: Hold down the Shift key when starting Firefox. (On Mac, hold down the option/alt key instead of the Shift key.)

If Firefox is running: You can restart Firefox in Safe Mode using either:

• "3-bar" menu button > "?" Help button > Restart with Add-ons Disabled
• (menu bar) Help menu > Restart with Add-ons Disabled

and OK the restart.

Both scenarios: A small dialog should appear. Click "Start in Safe Mode" (not Refresh).

Any improvement?

Sorry for the late reply, but I've been busy and haven't really had time to check stuff out. I did *not* do a "safe mode" restart (yet), but I did have all my add-ons drop out because of the glitch in 66.0.3. Have since updated to 66.0.4 and no improvement.

Oh, and it still didn't work in 66.0.3 with all the add-ons killed.

In 66.0.4 safe mode, <Enter> seems to work fine on a new tab.

Is there a CSS code that affects this?

Double-check 66.0.4 in "normal" mode, I have to click *somewhere* to get <Enter> to work. To include inside the bar. No click, no go.

thestilow said

In 66.0.4 safe mode, <Enter> seems to work fine on a new tab.

But not when you already have a page loaded and you want to navigate the current tab to a different page.

Is there a CSS code that affects this?

Hmm, do you mean is it possible that something in a userChrome.css file could be causing this problem? I don't know. If I need a form field not to do something when a user presses Enter, I used to need a script. I can't recall any style rules that can do that.

You can try to disable hardware acceleration in Firefox.

• Options/Preferences -> General: Performance
  remove checkmark: [ ] "Use recommended performance settings"
  remove checkmark: [ ] "Use hardware acceleration when available"
• https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/performance-settings

Close and restart Firefox after modifying the setting for changes to take effect.

• https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/troubleshoot-extensions-themes-to-fix-problems

You can check if there is an update for your graphics display driver and check for hardware acceleration related issues.

• https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/upgrade-graphics-drivers-use-hardware-acceleration

• sigh*

Turning off HW acceleration...no-go. Updating graphics drivers...no-go.

Still have the issue.

I can't think of any setting to replicate the problem. Maybe there is some gunk in the program folder. For that we typically recommend:

Clean Reinstall

This takes about 5 minutes. It's not about your settings, it's about making sure the program files are clean (no inconsistent or alien code files). As described below, this process does not disturb your existing settings. It's not essential to uninstall Firefox, but you can if you like, saying No to any request about removing personal data.

(A) Download a fresh installer for Firefox to a convenient location, either:

• Standard Release (Firefox 66): https://www.mozilla.org/firefox/all/
• Extended Support Release of Firefox 60: https://www.mozilla.org/firefox/organizations/all/

(B) Exit out of Firefox (if applicable).

If you use Microsoft Office, please change your default browser to Internet Explorer temporarily before the next step.

(C) Using Windows Explorer/My Computer (hold down the Windows key and press E to launch it), right-click > rename the program folder as follows (you might have one or both):

C:\Program Files (x86)\Mozilla Firefox =to=> C:\Program Files (x86)\OldFirefox

C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox =to=> C:\Program Files\OldFirefox

(D) Run the installer you downloaded in step (A). It should automatically connect to your existing settings.

Any improvement at your next startup?

If you have intentionally introduced Autoconfig or policies.json to your current program folder, you will need to migrate them to the new folder manually, but preferably after testing.

You can create a new profile to test if your current profile is causing the problem.

See "Creating a profile":

• https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/profile-manager-create-and-remove-firefox-profiles
• http://kb.mozillazine.org/Standard_diagnostic_-_Firefox#Profile_issues

If the new profile works then you can transfer files from a previously used profile to the new profile, but be cautious not to copy corrupted files to avoid carrying over problems.

• https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/recovering-important-data-from-an-old-profile

jscher2000...clean reinstall did not cure the issue.

cor-el...will have to try your suggestion another time.

thestilow said

Behavior:

1. Create new tab (address bar shows "down-caret").
   
   
2. Verify cursor is blinking in address bar.
   
   
3. Begin typing (down-caret immediately changes to green "right-arrow".
   
   
4. At this point I have to click off in some manner or click the right arrow. Interestingly, changing tabs will work. Also, Alt-Tab all the way around to the original tab (not actually changing tabs) also works. But, hitting <Enter> immediately does NOT work.

So, after the last character is typed, you still have a blinking cursor. You press [Enter] and nothing happens. Is the cursor still there, blinking in the Address Bar?

Whether it's there or not, what happens when you press [Enter] and wait up until 2 minutes before doing anything else?

~Pj

Pj said

So, after the last character is typed, you still have a blinking cursor. You press [Enter] and nothing happens. Is the cursor still there, blinking in the Address Bar?

Yes

Whether it's there or not, what happens when you press [Enter] and wait up until 2 minutes before doing anything else?

Nothing. Waited about 3 minutes.