topic Re: v149 ruins the best feature FF had, the alternate, customized search box, in Discussions

v149 ruins the best feature FF had, the alternate, customized search box,

GordonG — Fri, 03 Apr 2026 17:44:22 GMT

The best feature that set Firefox apart from Chrome, Edge, etc. is (that is, was) the secondary Search field one got by using Customize Tool Bar and moving the Search field to the tool bar. I could so very easily choose which search engine**, but v 149 has made ever choice require switching to the mouse and an extra THREE CLICKS. And I see no advantage to this new system, and no conflict that it has solved.

Before, I would type into that field and an array of search engines** opened up . I used the tab key, one time for the first one, or 2 or 3 times, even up to 12 times. for the second or third one etc, and pressed Enter. NOW I to have reach for the mouse, click on the down arrow next to the G (to see that list), find and click on my choice, and click on the right-pointing arrow in the search box, just to do the same thing. Changing from keyboard to mouse and 3 separate clicks. It takes 10 times as long.

This was the one feature that set FF above the others. If this doesn't change back, or become optional, I hate to say it but I will look elsewhere.

**Firefox provided a list but one could add more: like Wikip, Youtube, ebay, Amazon, Google Play, Google Maps, Translate, Bing, M-W dictionary, DuckDuck go, Perplexity

Re: v149 ruins the best feature FF had, the alternate, customized search box,

TechHorse — Fri, 03 Apr 2026 19:51:27 GMT

GordonG, with the new search bar you can use alt+down presses instead of the previous tab presses. Or alt+down followed by the first letter of the desired search engine.

In a future release this will be enough to activate the search straightaway, but for now you'll also need to press enter afterwards.

Re: v149 ruins the best feature FF had, the alternate, customized search box,

YD-Fr — Sat, 04 Apr 2026 15:37:34 GMT

No TechHorse, I totally agree with GordonG. This feature was unique, and I used it every day, simple access to every search engine in one click. Now, there is no difference with the search button of the adress bar. I don't want and don't need there Firefox suggestions.

Please, bring back the ultra-functional seach bar!

Re: v149 ruins the best feature FF had, the alternate, customized search box,

GordonG — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 02:20:26 GMT

TechHorse, thank you for your suggestions. I spent the last couple days trying to be made happy by your suggestions, and also by Andy Burns's advice in the Firefox newsgroup on how to do everything in the keyboard, without switching to the mouse. But nothing made me happy. It's not a matter of principle. It's more like getting comfortable in bed... Some positions are comfortable and others aren't, although if one has no choice he may sleep sitting up or some other way he finds uncomfortable.

By waiting a bit I also got an answer in the newsgroup from Nobody, who referred me to <https://www.askvg.com/how-to-restore-old-classic-search-bar-in-mozilla-firefox-149-and-later/> , which seems to have solved my, our, problem. I recommend it.

But I have a question, Why does MS and now FF make changes, even undesired changes, and at the same time provide a way not to have to use them, but then not tell the public about the method not to use them. Why do each of us either have to search for a method, or search and not find one, or in most cases think there is nothing he can do and he just has to live with something he doesn't like? Why didn't Firefox include in its Release notes for v149 how to undo this change that so many don't like?

Re: v149 ruins the best feature FF had, the alternate, customized search box,

Agentvirtuel — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 02:57:59 GMT

Hello

https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=2012951

https://connect.mozilla.org/t5/discussions/update-149-0-made-searching-more-difficult/td-p/120608