When you need to search for something, what do you do? Most likely you answered: “I type a search string in the address bar and press Enter to see Google results.” While that’s probably how most people search, there are still others who don’t like the idea of a URL bar and integrated search or who prefer to use a search engine other than Google. .
Back in the days of dinosaurs and 33.6 thousand modems, we had to first go to google.com, yahoo.com, altavista.com, dogpile.com or excite.com, chiseling our search strings into those stone manually and hopefully the gods will smile at us with the results we are looking for. We don’t have a built-in search bar or a one-size-fits-all search engine.
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Now, we have options.
Fortunately, firefox Lets you search how you want. So instead of a built-in address bar, you can separate the URL and search functions, as well as choose which search engine you want to use by default.
Why would you want a separate search and address bar?
I have a very useful reason for that.
Type zdnet.com in your address bar and you will end up at the ZDNET website. But what if you want to do some research on ZDNET.com? You can go to google.com, type zdnet.com in the search field and be provided with all sorts of information. With a separate search bar, just type zdnet.com in the field and press Enter to bring up the same results.
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You see, no matter what you type in the separate search bar, it will be seen as a search string and nothing else. In addition, the separate search bar will also give you search-related suggestions.
For example, if you type zdnet.com in the search bar and press Enter, you can hover your mouse over the magnifying glass to bring up a drop-down menu. Click the drop-down menu and you’ll see related searches. In the results section, you will also see options that you can use to search for strings.
While it may not be as convenient as the built-in address bar, it does give you more options. When you’re serious about your searches and that’s a good thing.
Let me show you how to configure Firefox’s search feature to better suit your needs.
How to split the search bar
What you need: The only thing you need is to install the Firefox browser. It doesn’t matter which platform you are using (I will demonstrate on Pop!_OS), as long as the browser is up to date and running normally.
That’s it. Configure your search.
Open the Firefox Settings window from the drop-down menu. Screenshots of Jack Wallen/ZDNET
In the Firefox Settings window, click the Search item in the left navigation.
Click Search to find this section of the Settings window. Screenshots of Jack Wallen/ZDNET
In the results window, click to enable Add toolbar search bar. You don’t need to click the Save button as the changes will happen automatically.
Enable the Private Search Bar in Firefox. Screenshots of Jack Wallen/ZDNET
At this point, you should now see separate search and address bars on Firefox’s toolbar.
Separate search and address bars are more suitable for some people. Screenshots of Jack Wallen/ZDNET
How to change your default search engine
Go back to Settings > Search and you’ll see a Default Search Engine section with a drop-down that might indicate Google as the default. Click that drop-down menu and you can choose from Amazon, Bing, DuckDuckGo, eBay, Google, and Wikipedia.
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My favorite search engine is DuckDuckGo, as they are more privacy-based than Google (in the long run). However, you should choose the search engine that best suits your needs.
Choose your desired search engine for Firefox. Screenshots of Jack Wallen/ZDNET
In the same section (below the search drop-down menu), you can also customize search suggestions by turning the following options on or off:
- Provide search suggestions.
- Show search suggestions in the address bar results.
- Show search suggestions before browsing history in the address bar results.
- Show search suggestions in Windows Private.
I leave everything as default (so all but Show Search Suggestions in Private Windows are enabled).
Once you’re done, close the Settings tab and you’re done. Now you can enjoy a Firefox search experience that’s more tailored to your needs.
Happy searching!
