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How is it that I still can't use different search engines in the address bar and the search bar?

  • 5 replies
  • 1 has this problem
  • 12 views
  • Last reply by cor-el

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Why even have the option for the search bar? I've looked around the web a lot and I'm obviously not the only person who wants this feature. It used to be a feature way back, and the only explanation I've found for removing it is that some shady apps could change the search settings and "average users" had trouble switching them back. OK, fine, but has no one figured out how to solve that without just removing the feature all together? Even if there is no way to fix that, if I am aware of the risks and want to set it up that way anyway, why can't I? I can't even find an extension to do it! Everywhere I look on the web it tells me to use keyword searches, but that is in no way the same or as convenient. I also don't get why, if keyword searches don't present a security problem, I can't just have any search in the search bar automatically add the keyword...

This has actually been frustrating me since Mozilla took the feature out years ago, but I'm just extremely surprised that there is apparently still no fix for it anywhere. I'm hoping I just missed something and someone can point me to a hidden setting or an extension or something!

Thanks!

Why even have the option for the search bar? I've looked around the web a lot and I'm obviously not the only person who wants this feature. It used to be a feature way back, and the only explanation I've found for removing it is that some shady apps could change the search settings and "average users" had trouble switching them back. OK, fine, but has no one figured out how to solve that without just removing the feature all together? Even if there is no way to fix that, if I am aware of the risks and want to set it up that way anyway, why can't I? I can't even find an extension to do it! Everywhere I look on the web it tells me to use keyword searches, but that is in no way the same or as convenient. I also don't get why, if keyword searches don't present a security problem, I can't just have any search in the search bar automatically add the keyword... This has actually been frustrating me since Mozilla took the feature out years ago, but I'm just extremely surprised that there is apparently still no fix for it anywhere. I'm hoping I just missed something and someone can point me to a hidden setting or an extension or something! Thanks!

All Replies (5)

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Do you mean the classic short search bar for the main toolbar? In the long run, the goal has been to consolidate it with the address bar and retire it. Until then, I suspect it won't get any feature improvements. The main reason people mention for using it now is that it's easy to resubmit the existing query to a different search site (not overwritten by the URL).

At this point, the only way to submit a search from the search bar to a non-default search engine is to click its button or if you are a keyboard person, press the down arrow key to highlight the button before pressing Enter. If there is one you strongly prefer, moving it up the list on the Settings page page would reduce the number of arrow presses (you can drag up and down in the Search Shortcuts box).

Some add-ons may create their own search box(es) on a drop-down panel. However, extensions cannot manipulate the built-in search bar or steal the Ctrl+E or Ctrl+K shortcuts so it would be a revised workflow.

(Search engine keywords are only for the address bar.)

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Yes, that's what I meant. I want to be able to use Google browse by name in the main address bar, but regular Google in the search bar, like how Firefox used to work.

I still just don't get why this is so unattainable. Extensions can change my search engine. It's how I got BBN in the address bar. Why are they only allowed to change both simultaneously instead of just one? It was such a convenient feature back when we had it.

Another unwanted side effect of this is that my option to search when I right click is BBN, which is almost never what I want, but I can only change that by changing the default search engine, which gets rid of BBN in my address bar, where it is almost always what I want.

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I can't tell you what goes through the mind of UI designers.

I can tell you that if you make Google your default search engine and make Google BBN the first search engine in the search shortcuts box, then after typing your query in the address bar, you can use Alt+Down to select BBN and press Enter to submit that.

Or you can use a context search extension to gain flexibility on the right-click context search.

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Well that's very frustrating. Thank you for your response though!

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Note that you can use the '@' shortcut in the location/address bar to initiate a search and select your search engine.