Discussion on How to Change Your FireFox Location Bar Search Engine

August 21, 2010: 10:09 pm
Thanks for this! Installed a product that changed my loc bar search engine to Yahoo, which is quite annoying for a developer like me.

August 13, 2010: 5:15 pm
THanks soooooooooooooooo much! yours was the first and best i came across....fixed a irritating issue. i didnt even know exactly why it had changed, but it had and now i can be quickly taken to where i want. thanks so much!

July 21, 2010: 3:30 am
Great!!!

July 20, 2010: 2:04 am
Awesome!!! Works great. Simple and clean.

July 16, 2010: 4:19 pm
Thank you sooo much for this :) We need more people like you in this world

July 15, 2010: 5:18 pm
Thank you!

July 15, 2010: 4:41 pm
Thank you, you're a genius.

July 11, 2010: 2:01 pm
You are currently my hero for telling me how to fix this! Some malware called "MS BING" was ruining my awesome surfing experience!

June 29, 2010: 1:32 pm
Thank you!!! I got stuck with AOL search and it is awful. I am so glad to have google's "I'm feeling lucky" search back!

June 26, 2010: 2:58 am
Thank you! Even though I had uninstalled a toolbar, my address bar searches were still being routed through a very odd site. This is phenomenally better.

June 26, 2010: 1:52 am
Thank you..that was very helpful.

June 25, 2010: 6:24 pm
Thank you! im tired of those programs that change default search.

June 23, 2010: 10:35 pm
Thanks for this Tip - it had us stumped until now!

June 13, 2010: 6:34 pm
i love you. soooo much.

May 30, 2010: 8:37 am
Thank you so much! This was driving me mad!

May 17, 2010: 4:30 am
Thank you

May 9, 2010: 7:27 am
Thanks for the post. An ask toolbar installation had changed my location search from google to ask. I have been grappling to get it back to google. Thank you.

April 30, 2010: 10:10 am
now thats what i call clean instruction thnx alot i had chrome and i really like it but i had to switch to firefox since the internet speed was veyr low and i was sad i didnt have google thingy thnx

April 14, 2010: 3:44 pm
Thanks so much! I had an Ask.com website in the keyword.URL and google is just so much better. Thanks again!

April 12, 2010: 11:19 pm
I actually was in search of how to do this because I accidentally a full install on AIM rather than a custom install. It robbed my Firefox off its innocence, like completely. It changed my homepage, it installed a toolbar, it changed the default search engine (in the upper right corner) to AIM, and changed the search engine my address bar normal uses. I had no clue to change it back, but this helped very much. Almost 5 years since this was posted and its still extremely valuable. Thanks

April 12, 2010: 9:36 am
It's unbelievable that nearly five years after you made this post people are still having to make use of it because Yahoo is still carrying out these hit-and-runs. My crime was to install a Firefox upgrade. Next thing I know, I have a Yahoo toolbar, which I got rid of. A few minutes later I type search terms into the address bar, only to taken to a Yahoo page. Thank you so much for taking the time to direct us how to get rid of the Yahoo disease. It's a despicable style that they adopt, and Mozilla should be ashamed for packaging it with their upgrades.

April 7, 2010: 4:08 am
I have done everything you asked but when I turn laptop off and come back its back to yahoo.. its driving me nuts!! its only been since I installed 3.6 on mozilla :o( I am using Vista can anyone help me please..I Loathe YAHOO

March 29, 2010: 11:23 pm
Hi, I tried this and nothing happens. Help! I want to get rid of Yahoo!

March 28, 2010: 5:18 am
Thank you very much! You've stopped me going insane. Take that MyWebSearch! :D

March 15, 2010: 1:58 pm
Another thank you. Firefox has ALWAYS used the google search for me, but after I installed the latest updated version, I started getting the annoying yahoo search. Problem solved.

March 3, 2010: 4:54 pm
great, thanks! finally got rid of stupid winamp search!

February 28, 2010: 3:01 pm
Thank you thank you thank you! I've been searching everywhere for a way to change the default search engine for the search bar and you've provided it! I absolutely love you sooooooo much right

February 23, 2010: 3:25 pm
I couldn't get rid of the spam Yahoo search. Thanks so much for the information. Dick

February 15, 2010: 5:43 am
instead of typing that im feeling lucky search just type "https://www.google.com/search?ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=navclient&gfns=1&q=" which is the default value there u can also right click and select reset

February 11, 2010: 12:28 pm
Thank you! I was forever having issues with this due to a installed PDF creator that was just buggy to begin with. It further frustrated me that it was gone. I'm so glad for it to be back again.

February 5, 2010: 11:03 pm
You are an angel. Thank you for the advice on on to make Firefox use Google as default. Having to default to Yahoo was so annoying. THANKS YOU!

January 26, 2010: 6:39 am
Many thanks - have been trying to get rid of the wretched Ask.com for ages. Sorted!

January 24, 2010: 5:31 pm
Thanx :)

January 22, 2010: 3:00 pm
Thankyou SO MUCH that was so helpful!

January 21, 2010: 12:57 pm
Thank you, very helpful!

January 10, 2010: 10:35 am
Thank you soooooo much!!!!!! Mine did this but it took me to "My Web Search" a engine i had NEVER used before! this really helped! thanks!!!

January 9, 2010: 8:33 am
Thanks so much! I was really pissed of when i found out it had been changes, stoooopid Yahoo and their evil tactics.

December 29, 2009: 2:13 pm
Thank you so much! i hate it when i typed the first few letters to facebook or whatever and wanted to jump straight to the website and it just brings up the AOL search engine. With this i changed that. Thanks again!

December 28, 2009: 10:07 am
I want to change the default to just a google search instead of I am lucky. How do I do this? It used to come back with all of Googles results.

December 28, 2009: 10:03 am
Thanks for the tips on yahoo taking over my status bar search. This happened when I was updating Java. It asked me if I wanted to add a Yahoo tool bar. OF course I checked the no box. So how did it take over my status bar search? Yahoo is nothing more than a virus in my opinion!

December 26, 2009: 3:45 am
Thank you!

December 26, 2009: 12:46 am
Awesome! Thank you so much, this has been driving me NUTS!

December 17, 2009: 7:53 am
THANK YOU so much, I've been wondering about this one for ages.

November 24, 2009: 11:40 am
Actually yahoo is still used when I type any single word search into the address bar. Multiple word searches will use Google with this fix.

November 5, 2009: 12:59 pm
Thanks! Very useful... Who uses Yahoo anyway?

November 5, 2009: 4:55 am
thanks for sharing. greetings from germany

October 21, 2009: 3:54 am
Thanks! =) In new russian version firefox set yandex search for keywords by default. Didn't know how to get rid of it! Thank you so much!

October 21, 2009: 12:00 am
Alternatively you can right-click and choose reset, which will take it back to it's default value. Thank you for the info though, I would've never of known how to do it elsewise. Sister installed ASK toolbar[or something similar, set it to ASK in anycase, which I would never EVER use], which overwrote the default value. D;

September 14, 2009: 12:19 am
OMGOSH! THANK YOU SOO MUCH! i thought it was something wrong with the themed i downloaded, but when i went back to the original theme, it didnt work! D:

August 25, 2009: 10:21 am
MAD PROPS yahoo is a self installing terd-fest thank you for getting my luck back

August 22, 2009: 5:34 am
my firefox is behaving exactly like people have described those with the "save search settings" plugin, but i don't have that. at least, it doesn't appear in my add-ons, extensions, or plugins list. any other suggestions?

August 13, 2009: 9:42 pm
This happened to me when I installed AIM. It changed the default search in the address bar. It was was very annoying when it continued after I removed AIM search from the Search Engine toolbar. Thanks for this handy tip.

July 13, 2009: 5:29 pm
Thank you! I was having trouble removing the traces Ask.com toolbar had left in my PC (note to self: don't let friends install anything without supervision) and this helped me to erradicate it from my browser :D

June 12, 2009: 12:05 pm
hi this is arun

June 11, 2009: 3:11 am
Thank you so very much. AIM possessed my browser and i was slightly annoyed there. I have google again. =]

June 7, 2009: 10:28 am
Thank you so much for this! Although for me, it was ,"ask.com," not Yahoo.

June 1, 2009: 3:32 am
Thank you!! I was so pissed when MS Live hijacked Firefox...

May 29, 2009: 12:06 am
Thanx!!! This info was just what I needed, you ROCK!!! and yahoo sux! Xxapp

May 27, 2009: 9:00 pm
~THANK YOU~ You're the only site I found that listed exactly what I was looking for and it worked perfectly. ~Thank you so much!~

May 7, 2009: 5:07 pm
If the trick mentioned above doesn't work for you, look if your Firefox Add-On list contains something called 'Search settings plugin'. This was most probably added by the program PDFcreator, which unfortunately also contains Yahoo spyware. Just get rid of this add-on, and you're done.

May 6, 2009: 5:24 am
thank you so much. finally it's fixed ! :D

May 3, 2009: 6:11 pm
Thank you for this great tip. Save me a lot of time!

April 29, 2009: 8:21 pm
AWESOME! Thanks so much....had so many problems with this >.<

April 28, 2009: 4:45 am
I went through a few guides that did not fix this problem. I did did exactly what this one said and it worked perfectly. Thank you so much :)

March 24, 2009: 6:27 am
You are welcome alienman. Soumya Sinha Simple Thoughts.

March 24, 2009: 5:46 am
thank you!!!!! as old as this article is, it is a godsend

March 16, 2009: 10:27 am
Thanks for sharing.

March 16, 2009: 5:12 am
I had this problem too after I downloaded megaupload. The above instructions worked until I closed the browser and then it would default back to yahoo. Here is how I got rid of it: I uninstalled megaupload, which didn't fix it, but probably helped. Next I opened a browser - click the 'tools' tab, then click 'add-ons', this will open a smaller 'add-ons' box. Under 'extensions' was "megaupload search engine" (which shouldn't have been there after I uninstalled the program, but was), after I deleted this I restarted mozilla, and yahoo's search engine was gone.

February 26, 2009: 4:42 pm
I installed SHOUTcast on my computer, and from what I can remember, it did not say anything about toolbars, but when I opened FireFox, I had a toolbar, and a new default search-engine. Thanks for the help.

February 23, 2009: 10:27 pm
HUGE thanks! I was at my wits end there. What an invasion of privacy. Almost like breaking into my house, moving my living room around and then nailing everything down. Not exactly, but flipping annoying!

February 22, 2009: 6:56 pm
praise the you!!

February 22, 2009: 12:55 am
Thank you, this helped me get rid of live search, annoying stuff.

February 6, 2009: 12:33 am
You can add this string to the keyword.URL after about:config------> https://www.google.com/search?ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=navclient&gfns=1&q= Microsoft Live Search hijacked my address bar without my consent, so fu.ck them!!!!

January 27, 2009: 2:10 pm
Thanks a lot! It was so annoying to be constantly sent to Yahoo for no apparent reason (I certainly never consciously added it) and removing the toolbar, changing the homepage etc. didn't seem to do anything. Much better now!

January 19, 2009: 4:46 am
THANK YOU!

January 15, 2009: 12:06 pm
Thanks, you've saved me a huge headache.

January 7, 2009: 9:07 pm
Thanks for these instructions! I used them and it worked!

January 6, 2009: 1:29 pm
Ok, I did the process, but after I close firefox, Yahoo takes over again...Any ideas?

December 25, 2008: 10:53 am
Thanks so much, Yahoo is stupid.

December 14, 2008: 8:36 pm
[...] this... How to Change Your FireFox Location Bar Search Engine [...]

November 23, 2008: 1:47 pm
THANK YOU!!!! I had downloaded the new AIM, and suddenly that was my default search! D: I used the modified one someone here put to make it Google instead of I'm Feeling Lucky. You win >9000 internets.

November 22, 2008: 1:09 pm
Thank you for this info! The same thing happened to me when upgrading to AIM --it took over my search engine and gave me a toolbar I didn't need. These posts were sigh of relief---now I can get back to work! Thanks again.

November 19, 2008: 4:43 pm
Nice work man very useful

November 18, 2008: 3:12 am
Perhaps, yahoo's creator comes from a communist country, they implement the communist policy in browsers. How the heck would my grand pa remove Yahoo from search engine. I tried uninstalling yahoo installer service while i was in a Remote Desktop session. It shut down the computer without warning. Who ever is thinking evil, will die in vein.

November 14, 2008: 10:41 am
AIM does the same

October 31, 2008: 2:39 am
I think I love you. Glad I could get rid of shitty Yahoo

October 11, 2008: 12:48 am
Theirs also another one you all can use. So it doesnt just come up with the first page on the google search. It comes up with the actual results. About:Config keyword.URL And place this as the string. "https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=" Fuck Yahoo!

September 29, 2008: 2:35 am
i have always go for right click for a selected word i want to know more about, the right-click menu always used to say: search google for "***", but now it says search yahoo for "***", how can i have google back instead of yahoo?

September 14, 2008: 11:20 am
Thank you. Worked great.

August 6, 2008: 6:31 am
Thank you so much for this. I'm finally free of a major annoyance (A.K.A. Yahoo).

May 8, 2008: 10:33 am
Thanks answer 29!

April 7, 2008: 6:42 pm
Groovy!! Typed in a failed web address, and got jumped on by Yahell. Heh, realized I wanted to be able to use the Address bar for easy searching, and through Google, not Yahoo. So, a few words into Google it self, I see this, and it works great!! Thanks a bundle!!!

March 14, 2008: 3:29 pm
Thank you. Worked in flock as well. :D

February 28, 2008: 8:49 pm
I didn't install anything or change any settings that I know of. I was surfing and one second my search was Google, the next it was yahoo. I don't know how it happened, I just know that it sucks. I'll be putting a link to this article in my next blog posting. Thanks for the info.

February 23, 2008: 6:56 am
yeah yahoo is desperate it seems i had to change... keyword.url browser.search.defaultengine delete Save Search settings delete all temp files before it wouldnt come with yahoo anymore i really hate yahoo, there should be a law against this sort of stuff. i mean theres laws for everything else and the internet is a growing part of ALL our lives. BAN FORCED APPS!!!

January 28, 2008: 8:17 pm
If anyone is still having problems with the search bar constantly reverting to yahoo, look in your Add-Ons / Plug Ins and look for a plug in named Save Search Settings (or Settin). Remove it, and then shut down the browser, restart it, delete all temporary files, then type this in the about:config area: https://www.google.com/search?ie=UTF-8&q= and it should revert to a normal, regular google search. man I hate yahoo!!!

December 7, 2007: 4:59 pm
i've been searched for Live Search engine suspicious files in my computer everywhere! so it was a parameter in about:config.. -_- thank you so much you saved my life ^^

December 7, 2007: 7:35 am
thanx it worked

November 17, 2007: 9:05 pm
Man u saved my freaking life.Thank you so damn much. Yahoo. IS EVIL!

September 12, 2007: 8:44 pm
Thanks for this fix....damn yahoo, installed Mega Manager for Firefox and Yahoo takes over without my notification....thats why I don't use Yahoo.....

August 29, 2007: 6:44 am
I am glad I got back my Google search, thanks to you buddy. Yahoo should improve their search engine or just stick to answers and email. Their search is shyte and they are forcing us to get the crappy search by default. Bad Vx

August 27, 2007: 12:19 am
my thnaks from Argentina, the reason i don't use yahoo as a search engine is because i don't like it!!!. I was realy tired. Thanks

August 14, 2007: 12:25 pm
thanks alot you have solved a great problem

August 13, 2007: 4:59 pm
had to remove MS live search - thank you very much !

June 20, 2007: 3:34 pm
I followed your directions, but I'm still getting the yahoo/earthlink search when I type a keyword into my address bar. SUPER annoying, because it always tells me my keyword is not a valid address and gives me a dns error. anyone else having this problem? and does anyone know how to fix it????

June 12, 2007: 9:34 pm
My objections are two-fold. 1. Yahoo forces the change without adequately informing you. 2. Yahoo makes it very hard to remove it. 3. Not to mention that Google search is significantly superior to Yahoo search. I don't subscribe to "evil" theory either. Both of them are, as you said, mega corporations with their shareholders interest at heart. Currently however Google is playing fairer than Yahoo.

June 12, 2007: 3:29 pm
Agree with Rob Wynne. I took your suggestion and adapted it slightly so I get a full Google search, not just "I'm Feeling Lucky." Great help, thanks! But don't necessarily agree with so many people that Yahoo is more evil than Google; they're both big companies with their own interests at heart.

February 21, 2007: 5:02 am
Thanks for this. It allowed me to solve a tagental problem, which was changing the default behaviour of the google search so it was *not* "I'm feeling lucky" :)

December 4, 2006: 7:19 pm
I didn't get the help I want! I went to google and put in "How to change theme of search bar on Firefox"! It gave me this! Please send me the info that I need. Thank you!

November 16, 2006: 8:37 am
Thank you SO much, this helped me alot!

November 3, 2006: 5:29 pm
Thank you sooooooo much for the instructions on how to get rid of yahoo as the location bar search engine in firefox.

October 8, 2006: 5:24 pm
[...] Hat tip to Simple Thoughts, which I found from searching “firefox search engine url address bar“. [...]

October 2, 2006: 2:29 pm
No I found The answer after 3 days of searching I Just Want to say THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

September 15, 2006: 9:55 am
Dumping Google and Yahoo for Microsoft Live Search I am generally skeptical of Microsoft's Franco-Soviet development process. Nonetheless, I have been using a number of common Microsoft programs, such as Windows XPWindows Live MessengerWordpad because they work better than competitors. Yet whe...

July 19, 2006: 1:32 pm
Thank you so much. It is so irritating that Yahoo would install this malware. But with Yahoo, that's what you get. Thanks again, I can't wait to get rid of that Yahoo crap.

July 5, 2006: 8:14 am
Nice, solved a persistent and annoying problem. Just to add, Google also have evil things (google analytics). Just download the CustomizeGoogle to erradicate these ads activity.

June 29, 2006: 9:45 am
OK, I got it now. There are two other changes you have to make. start again with about:config then type "browser.search" in the Filter bar. There is a setting called browser.search.defaulturl it should be set to https://www.google.com/search?lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q= also a setting called browser.search.defaultenginename Make sure you change that from "Yahoo" to "Google"

June 29, 2006: 9:38 am
I tried the about: config, then keyword:URL, then I changed the value, and it didn't work for me. I rebooted the computer -- still no luck. What else can I do?

May 17, 2006: 8:42 pm
thank u soooooooo much...i tried uninstalling mozilla to reinstall it and it didnt get me back to where i wanted to be, but you have! thanks again!!!

May 15, 2006: 11:39 am
[...] ——— UPDATE: If you default search engine for the address bar has been tinkered with by some application you will have to follow the instrucitons on this page to restore them to 'i am feeling lucky google search' how to fix address bar search Posted by allthingsnerdy Filed in Firefox, All, Productivity [...]

December 16, 2005: 3:24 pm
further proof that yahoo is evil and trying to force their crappy, 2nd rate search engine down people's throats is the fact that when you update Konfabulator they try to trick you into setting yahoo as your default home page and search engine. jeez!

November 25, 2005: 4:13 am
yes yahoo really crosses the line when it comes to their IM installation. they are indeed evil. thanx for the firefox search tip...

November 1, 2005: 10:15 am
Thank you so much for posting these crucial tips! Yahoo is an incredibly evil entity . We need brave people like you to defeat it! Manuel

October 31, 2005: 2:16 am
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