How to Fix if Location bar Searches are Affected
If a term is entered in the Location bar, Firefox sends a request to your ISP to see if the term is actually a website address. If the server returns a no-such-domain error, Firefox will then initiate a search using the site listed in the keyword.URL preference . A number of ISPs and DNS servers are set not to return a no-such-domain error, and will redirect to their own search site instead.Make sure that the keyword.URL preference is set to the search site you want and that it's turned on.
Steps to Follow
- In the Location bar, type about:config and press Enter.
- The about:config "This might void your warranty!" warning page may appear. Click I'll be careful, I promise!, to continue to the about:config page.
- In the filter box at the top, type keyword.
- In the resulting grid, make sure the preference keyword.URL is set to the site you want to use. (For examples, see our article on Location bar search). To reset it to the default, right-click on the preference and select Reset.
- Make sure that the preference keyword.enabled is set to true. If it is not, double-click on it to set it to true.
- Some service providers offer "DNS Assistance" which is what is doing the redirecting. Check with your provider to see if you can opt out of this service.
If you are unable to opt out from your service provider, the following workarounds may help you retain the ability to search from the location bar:
Only do multi-word searches from the Location bar. If you put multiple words in your search terms, Firefox will start with a Location bar search. You can often use a dummy word that is ignored by the search engine (such as the + character). For example, you will need to type + searchterm when the search term is one word (that space is important) but only search terms when the search terms are multiple words.
You can set up a smart keyword that corresponds to the search and prepend your search with this keyword. For example, you can use the keyword g to search Google. From then on, you would just have to type g searchterm to perform a search from the location bar.If you have a router, ask your ISP about changing your DNS server.
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