Lance Whitney / Elyse Betters Picaro /

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key takeaways

• If you use multiple search engines, pay attention.
• Firefox's new feature that makes it easy to switch up your search.
• This feature is in a recent update of the open-source browser.

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Although I adopted Zen Browser and Opera as my default browsers, I still have a lot of respect for the Firefox web browser (Mozilla, not so much).

Firefox is still in the game, and I cannot imagine a digital world without it.

One reason I have so much respect for Firefox is that it has brought some fantastic features to the fore, and the developers have done it again. Let me explain.

It's all about search engines

I tend to use different search engines for different purposes. For example, when I want better privacy, I use DuckDuckGo. When shopping, I might use Amazon, and if I need AI, I might opt for Perplexity.

In other words, multiple configured search engines are necessary.

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For most browsers, you configure individual search engines. Some browsers even allow you to configure a search engine such that it'll be used by first typing a keyword in the address bar (such as duck for DuckDuckGo).

In a recent update, Firefox has made this so much easier. Instead of having to take the time to configure the search engines I want to use (and how I use them), I can simply select the tool I want to use and run my search.

The new feature was added to the browser without much fanfare, and I believe it's something every web browser developer (or team of developers) should consider adding. Given that there are so many search engines now (some of which are all about AI, and some that totally shrug off that particular technology), it should be easy for users to select whatever search engine they want to use, without having to add a search engine, customize its keyword, and then remember to use the keyword when searching.

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Let me show you how easy it is to select your favorite search engine in Firefox. I'll be demonstrating this on Firefox 145.0.1 running on Pop!_OS Linux. I have also tested the feature on MacOS to confirm it works across platforms. Make sure you've upgraded Firefox before trying this; otherwise, the feature might not be available to you.

How to use the new Firefox search feature

This is very easy to do. Are you ready?

1. Open Firefox

Of course, the first thing to do is open Firefox. Once you've done that, make sure to open the New Tab tab (Ctrl+T or Cmd+T).

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2. Select the desired search engine

Directly to the left of the address bar, you'll see a new drop-down. Most likely, it'll have the Google icon. Click that drop-down, and all of the available search engines appear. From that list, select the search engine you want to use.

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Any and all search engines you've added to Firefox appear in this drop-down.

Jack Wallen

3. Search away

After selecting your search engine, type your search string and enjoy the results.

It's that easy.

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If you don't find your search engine of choice

You will probably find plenty of search engines to choose from. If you don't find the one you want, click Search Settings at the bottom of the search engine drop-down. In the resulting window, click Add at the bottom of the Search Shortcuts section, and add the necessary search engine.

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You can add as many search engines as needed.

Jack Wallen

The only trick for this is knowing the URL to add. If you have a particular search engine you want to use, you'll want to do a quick bit of research to find the specific URL to use.

Also: Firefox just made it easier to separate your work and personal browsing - here's how

You can also give the search engine a keyword to use in the address bar.

Jack Wallen

For example, if you want to add the Brave search engine, the URL would be:

https://search.Brave.com/search?q=%s

Once you add the search engine, it'll appear in the drop-down.

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