topic Re: Google Search repeatedly showed CAPTCHA in Firefox desktop after a Firefox update in Discussions

Google Search repeatedly showed CAPTCHA in Firefox desktop after a Firefox update

maxxbox — Sun, 11 Oct 2026 12:34:45 GMT

Shortly after a Firefox update, Google Search started showing the “Our systems have detected unusual traffic from your computer network” CAPTCHA on nearly every search in Firefox on my desktop PC and laptop.

The issue did not occur in Chrome on either computer. Firefox on my phone, connected to the same Wi-Fi network, also worked normally. Disabling all Firefox add-ons and restarting the router did not resolve the issue.

The timing makes me wonder whether this could be related to the updated Firefox desktop interface, but I cannot confirm that as the cause.

Steps to reproduce

Open Firefox on a desktop computer.
Search for something using Google Search.
Repeat with a few different search terms.

Actual result

Google displays a CAPTCHA warning about unusual traffic for almost every search.

Expected result

Google Search loads normally without repeatedly asking me to complete a CAPTCHA.

Environment

Firefox version: 157.0.1 (64-Bit)
Operating system: Windows 11 Pro 26H2
Devices affected: desktop PC and laptop
Comparison: Chrome works on both computers; Firefox on my phone works on the same Wi-Fi

Troubleshooting

Disabled all Firefox add-ons: no change.
Restarted the router: no change.

Could the updated Firefox desktop interface or browser-window layout affect how Google evaluates Firefox searches?

see https://cdn.ebnermediagroup.de/pctipp_de/pctipp/img/1/6/2/6/2/1/1/20220215GoogleTrafficCGNAT_teas_640.webp

Re: Google Search repeatedly showed CAPTCHA in Firefox desktop after a Firefox update

Agentvirtuel — Sun, 11 Oct 2026 13:21:14 GMT

Bonjour

If it's not already experimented, nevertheless, you can use alternative search engine
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/change-your-default-search-settings-firefox

This similar discussion thread
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1606479

Re: Google Search repeatedly showed CAPTCHA in Firefox desktop after a Firefox update

dftf — Mon, 12 Oct 2026 10:17:37 GMT

@maxxbox : Google services don't like Firefox, either because of the more-effective ad-blockers it still allows, or I've also heard some AI agent bots pretend to be Firefox too.

Install the Chrome Mask extension (https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/chrome-mask/) and set Firefox to lie on sites like Google Search, GMail, Google Docs and YouTube and pretend to be Chrome when necessary.

Re: Google Search repeatedly showed CAPTCHA in Firefox desktop after a Firefox update

KLA — Wed, 14 Oct 2026 14:15:56 GMT

After hours of intermittent troubleshooting over the past few weeks, I narrowed down the issue to a privacy and security setting - "Clear cookies and site data every time you close Firefox". Unchecked this and all appears to be working as it should.