How do I change the default search engine in firefox 14?
I had tried to change my default search engine to no avail. Had read a lot from the help file but it seems none of the recommendations had work. The problem is in the upper right hand corner search box where the default as of now (the search engine when I open firefox for the first time) is Yahoo. I had tried to change this to goggle by clicking the drop down arrow and select a new search engine but does not take effect. Yahoo is still in effect as the search engine in spite of making the change. I had also followed the advise of some to change the default engine by typing "about:config" in the address bar and reset some values but yet after closing and opening firefox again, Yahoo is still the default search and could not be change by selecting in the drop down list of the search.
Chosen solution
Thank you for your reply but I had manage to correct the problem already. What I did is to select from the drop down list Ask.com (it seems that this is the only option that work) a window did appear asking me that a change from the search engine was made and whether I would use Ask.com to be the search engine or keep using Yahoo.com. I choose to use Ask.com and disable the protection on the search engine. The change toke effect and after that I could change from the drop down list a different search engine like Google. I put a note above in closed parenthesis, that it seems only Ask.com works as I tried before to change the search engine to Google but no windows did come out asking me if I would change the default search engine.
Again thank you very much to both of you, for the reply and for your valued time in trying to solve this problem.
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One of your add-ons may be resetting those about:config preferences at Firefox startup.
Try disabling all nonessential extensions here, then restart Firefox and see whether you've managed to knock it down:
orange Firefox button or classic Tools menu > Add-ons > Extensions category
See also https://support.mozilla.org/kb/Troubleshooting+extensions+and+themes
If you do not keep changes after a restart then see:
Suluhisho teule
Thank you for your reply but I had manage to correct the problem already. What I did is to select from the drop down list Ask.com (it seems that this is the only option that work) a window did appear asking me that a change from the search engine was made and whether I would use Ask.com to be the search engine or keep using Yahoo.com. I choose to use Ask.com and disable the protection on the search engine. The change toke effect and after that I could change from the drop down list a different search engine like Google. I put a note above in closed parenthesis, that it seems only Ask.com works as I tried before to change the search engine to Google but no windows did come out asking me if I would change the default search engine.
Again thank you very much to both of you, for the reply and for your valued time in trying to solve this problem.
Oh, I think you're searching in an add-on search bar instead of Firefox's built in search box. Maybe it's the "Widgi Toolbar Platform" extension? You could try disabling it and see whether you can get the normal search box back.
orange Firefox button or classic Tools menu > Add-ons > Extensions category
No I don't think so because I don't have that toolbar when I made a check. I think it was one software from yahoo or software that supports yahoo search that I had installed and which I did not notice upon installation, that it changed my default search to Yahoo. Maybe the soft used a protection on the search so that the search engine could no longer be change to any other except Yahoo.
Well anyway like I had told you on my previous response, the problem had been solve by changing the search to Ask.com in which a small pop up window came out asking me if I would like to change the default search to Ask.com and DISABLE THE PROTECTION on the search engine, of which I did.
I could now change my search engine to any engine I like that I had added on the search box of Firefox like Google, Bing, Amazon, eBay, twitter and many others after disabling the protection on the search bar of which I could not do before the change.
Thank you.