Independent search box toolbar no longer lets you hit enter to go to your default search provider

[shin0bi272]

I just noticed in firefox 128.0 that I can no longer click in the search box and hit enter to go to my default search provider's homepage.  That was the way I got to that page for years and now all of a sudden it doesnt work.  While sure I can just search using that search provider in that box, that box also keeps a record of my searches while going to the search provider homepage doesnt. 

[ultros]

+1
I have this same workflow with 'Ctrl + K + Enter' to arrive at search provider with independent search box.
If this conflicts with updated features, etc., I'd be ok with updating an about:config flag.

[Quickusername]

This is a really terrible change, I gotta say.

[jscher2000]

I don't know whether this will get rolled back. I assume (?) it was removed because no one thought it was important. Either way, you can type a space in the search bar before pressing Enter/Return to force Firefox to load a results page.

[KellyClowers]

Seems like a weird one to remove at all, I wonder if it just broke. It doesn't seem like it would have a big maintenance cost or interfere with other stuff...

[Crezo]

No, it's not just broke. See Bugzilla Bug 1894910. Quote: "We have decided to remove the "open search page for a blank search" functionality for the separate search bar. Pressing enter in the search bar to open the search sites homepage and then start a search, rather than typing the search and then pressing enter, doesn't seem to adding much value."

So it was was treated like a bug and removed on purpose, however strange it may sound.

[KellyClowers]

How odd. Maybe it doesn't add much value, but that would only matter if you were implementing it for the first time. No reason to change established behavior if it isn't hurting anything. Remember: Users hate change 

[bookerdana]

I use various searches ,ie Yandex even Internet archive...I hate change the lessons functionality

[agedude]

Whoever made this decision is wrong, it added a lot of value to me over several years

[dbunting]

Or better yet, add bookmarks to your favorite Search provider(s) on the Bookmarks Toolbar and yank the Search box from the display.

[Gonzague]

How is that an improvement? It's still more clicks if you want to do a regular search. That feature was useful as a bookmark and as regular search, that's why it was convenient. That change is a plain downgrade.

[fredflintstone]

This was the primary way I have interacted with search and despite firefox's nagging prompts, I do not wish to change that. I would like to see this reverted.

signed, person with browser.search.openintab set to true

[Rodanio2463]

Same problem here, also search bar history seems undeletable now...

I hope this gets reverted soon

[Gmetotbo]

Search history access by Mozilla appears to be the reason why this happened.

"All the data shall be ours."

[ambro]

Yes, this change is just horrible. I hope they bring the functionality back even if as a switchable preference.

[rChaz]

Sooooooo annoying that Mozilla removed this feature. Would have been nice to mention this in the release notes so I wouldn't think I was going crazy wondering why my long-established searchbox workflow wasn't working anymore.

Thanks anyway to jscher2000 for providing a workaround!

[lonc]

100% agree. A lot of wasted time trying to figure out thinking it was an accidental change on my part. I totally DESPISE the change. Kudos to Crezo for his informative post.

[FairMaven]

Cannot upvote strongly enough. Downgrading to 127 this is so unusable.

[ambro]

If they don't bring back the "Enter in search bar takes me to the default search engine home page", 127 will be my last Firefox. So annoying!

[FF-gets-worse]

Firefox, the browser which gets worse and worse. It's like they WANT the world to use anything-with-chromium. So many dumb decisions in the last I'd say ~8 years.

[Adrian4711]

The German-language version of Mozilla's help page on how to install an older version of FF literally advises users to "USE AN UP-TO-DATE VERSION OF A DIFFERENT BROWSER" instead of downgrading. They're not even hiding it anymore. I used to believe they were just a wee bit tonedeaf and pathologically disinterested in user feedback. But no, they are ruining FF intentionally.

[Crezo]

Of course "Pressing enter in the search bar to open the search sites homepage and then start a search, rather than typing the search and then pressing enter" may be not the best option for text search, but I used this functionality to do image search. You can't just use Google Lens directly from Firefox's search bar, but you could use it to go to Google's main page, click on camera icon and drag-and-drop an image. That was a relatively fast way to do image search. At first I was furious at Mozilla devs, – not for the first time they ruin features I use. However, 'Search by Image' add-on basically solved my problems now.

[VexingRaven]

Just adding to the voices saying I used this all the time and was blindsided by its removal.

[Laugh_Out_Loud]

I made an account specifically to add to this conversation. This was incredibly useful. With it gone, it's noticeably hurt my workflow efficiency.

[DeGiraffe]

Really hoping this will be fixed in a future version, what a waste of time, I can't believe anyone thought this needed "fixing". Gonna be downgrading for now, fingers crossed we at least get an option to turn it back on in a future release.

[SlayerOfTears]

Man, this is disappointing. I've always pressed Enter on my search bar to bring up Google. I liked doing that, as it kept the search bar empty, and it's just how I am. The excuse that it didn't "add much value" is ridiculous, and no developer should think that way. I'm genuinely considering switching to Chrome after this. I'd rather not, as I'm comfortable and familiar with Firefox too much, but I can't stop trying to open up a blank search like I used to, and even using a bookmark for Google isn't helping.

[Domonoky]

Firefox Team, please revert this !

[Netscrape]

[Jarska]

I agree with everyone. Terrible change. Please revert the change as soon as possible.

[Fael2587]

Absolutely! People could still type and search directly in the bar if they wanted too, that wasn't broken, so why the hell did they mess with it!? Honestly, there are less and less features keeping me from switching to GC. The two main reasons were the loading of all pages at start and the lack of scrolling tabs. Now that they "fixed" the first one, when they implement the scrolling tabs officially, rather than in the flags, I'll be switching, no doubt.

[Arco]

Agreed, totally annoying! For now i'll put a google bookmark near the searchbar, if it won't work for me, i'll downgrade. Maybe it'll actually be a good change, but i was so used to a blank search routine.

[zakon]

I have the same problem. I hope they bring this option back

[Hon]

Please bring it back, thank you!

[little96]

I really loved this feature. Please give it back ❤️

[zakon]

This is the answer from support:

Regarding this functionality was deliberately removed.

A possible workaround is to press space before pressing enter, and this will take you to your default search page with an empty search box within it.

However, if you want Mozilla to make a change (or undo a change) then the best place to voice your opinion is on their official feedback forum.

there is a thread on this subject on that site: https://connect.mozilla.org/t5/discussions/independent-search-box-toolbar-no-longer-lets-you-hit-ent... 

So if you wanted, you could give kudos to (i.e. upvote) the opening post on that thread and / or state your opinion on it, as Mozilla uses that site to gauge interest in ideas via karma and comments.

[HikesinRain]

Just adding my consternation that this great function was deliberately removed, and pleading for them to put it back. 

[るーた]

私はキーワードで検索したいときにキーワードの入力後Enterキーを押下し、Googleマップや翻訳を利用したいときは検索欄に空欄の状態でEnterキーを押下していました。
現在は空欄で利用できないため非常にストレスです。

I used to press Enter after typing keywords when I wanted to search by keywords, and press Enter leaving the search field blank when I wanted to use Google Maps or translation.
Now it is very stressful because I can't use it with a blank field.

[mozikep]

This was what I did nearly every time I'd open Firefox.  I have my home page as APOD, so I see a fun science picture when it opens.  Then I always just go to the search box and hit enter, which took me to Google's home page.  From there, there is a quick link to Gmail.  The "hit space and then enter" work-around doesn't work for this, since it doesn't bring you to the home page.

[IAMCOMPLETELYFE]

The reason this is important is that Microsoft hijacks the search results page so I can't get back to my search results. IF I start with the search page and open the results in a tab I can continue on. When I can't easily get to the basic search web page I can't always use search results.

This is a bad change, we need an option setting to change this back so that ENTER brings up the basic search web page..

[NotAlex]

Adding to the comments. It seems like an odd choice to remove this from an accessible point of view. Typing Gmail into the url bar is more clicking than the single click for a blank search to google home page to get to ones email. This brings good usability value as It’s a lot harder to navigate via typing for some. That or it’s time to remove the Firefox “homepage” so the new tab is now google.