Windows 10: Firefox Search shortcuts rolling out for Searching Made Faster

Brink · Oct 18, 2018

Search is one of the most common activities that people do whenever they go online. At Mozilla, we are always looking for ways to streamline that experience to make it fast, easy and convenient for our users.Our Firefox browser provides a variety of options for people to search the things and information they seek when they’re on the web, so we want to make search even easier. For instance, there are two search boxes on every home or new tab page – one is what we call the “awesome bar” also known as the URL bar, and the other is the search box in the home/new tab pages.

In the awesome bar, users can use a shortcut to their queries by simply entering a predefined keyword (like @google) and typing the actual search term they are seeking, whether it’s the nearest movie theater location and times for the latest blockbuster movie or finding a sushi restaurant close to their current location. These Search Keywords have been part of the browser experience for years, yet it’s not commonly known. Here’s a hint to enable it: Go to “Preferences,” then “Search” and check “ One-Click Search Engines”.

This brings us back to why we started our latest refinement: Search shortcuts, which is starting to roll out to US users today.

How does it work?

We are getting one step closer to making the search experience even faster and more straightforward. Users in the US will start to see Google and Amazon as pinned top sites, called “Search shortcuts”. Tapping on these top sites redirects the user to the awesome bar, and automatically fills the corresponding keyword for the search engine. Typing any search term or phrase after the keyword “@google” or “@amazon” and hitting enter, will result in searching for the term in Google or Amazon accordingly, without having to wait for a page to load.

These shortcuts are easy to manage right from the new tab page, so you can add or remove them as you please. To remove the default search shortcuts, simply click on the dots icon and select “unpin.” If you have a search engine you’d rather have listed, click on the three dots on the right side of your Top Sites section and select “Add search engine.”

What to expect next

We are currently exploring how to expand this utility outside of the US. We expect to learn a great deal in the coming weeks by analyzing the user sentiment and usage of the new feature. User feedback and comments will help us determine next steps and future improvements.

In the spirit of full transparency that Mozilla has always stood for, we anticipate that some of these search queries may fall under the agreements with Google and Amazon, and bring business value to the company. Not only are users benefiting from a new utility, they are also helping Mozilla’s financial sustainability.

In the meantime, check out and download the latest version of Firefox Quantum for the desktop in order to use the Search Shortcuts feature when it becomes available.
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Source: Searching Made Faster, the Latest Firefox Exploration - Future Releases

Tip Latest Firefox Released for Windows

:)

rtwjunkie · Oct 18, 2018

Search Question

I believe he means the search box at TPU. In that vein, neither of your suggestions worked. However, they both work quite well on the interwebs.
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Which is why I suggested he try there instead. TPU is too limited of a user base to search here alone for anything gaming related.

OrbitzXT · Oct 18, 2018

Firefox Search Box Text

In previous versions of Firefox, I was able to find the option to disable the browser from showing previously entered text into a search or text box. For example, the User Name box on this forum, I type "O" and OrbitzXT pops up. Other text in other search boxes has been popping up as well. I am using Firefox 3.6, I've tried clearing histories and such and it still remembers text in the boxes. Any ideas how to disable this? I don't see any such option in Tools -> Options.

Ahhzz · Oct 18, 2018

Search Question

I've done some searching on here over the years, and mostly been aggravated at the results. Case in point: 5 minutes ago I went to search for anyone having issues with 5.1 audio on Wolfenstein new order. So, I started simple with
New Order
. that didn't go well. So, I swapped to "New Order". That gave me this result

Search Results for Query: "new order"

The following words were not included in your search because they are too short, too long, or too common: new

Is there any way to change or improve our search engine? Or is there a better way to search for something like that?

Windows 10: Firefox Search shortcuts rolling out for Searching Made Faster

Firefox Search shortcuts rolling out for Searching Made Faster

Firefox Search shortcuts rolling out for Searching Made Faster

Firefox Search shortcuts rolling out for Searching Made Faster

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