Search engines help us navigate the web, but Google and Bing aren't the only helpers that exist out there. There are also a myriad of specific search engines, like Creative Commons or Answers.com. Sometimes, one other search engine is more helpful than the other. If you're an avid user of Firefox, the search engine bar is actually more useful than you think, and includes all of these helpful services. Read on to find out how to utilize these search engines in the Firefox browser.
To change your default search engine in Firefox, locate the search bar in the top, right-hand corner of the screen. Click on the logo of the search provider that is currently selected. A list of the search engines currently installed for Firefox will then be displayed. Click the one you wish to use, and the current search engine logo will change to reflect your selection.
Now whenever you search for something using the Firefox search bar, the search engine you have selected will be the one that's used to complete the search.
By default, Firefox only comes with a handful of useful search engines. Thanks to Firefox add-ons, however, you can expand the default list of by tacking on your favorites.
To begin adding new search engines to Firefox, click on the search engine logo in the search bar, then click Manage Search Engines. A new dialog window will appear with a listing of the installed search engines. Click on the blue link labeled, "Get more search engines..."
This link will take you directly to the search engine section on the Firefox Add-ons website. Search through the search engine add-ons listing until you find a new search engine that interests you. When you're ready to install the new search engine, click on the "Add to Firefox" button.
When you do this, a new dialog window will pop up asking you if you want to install now. Download and complete the install of the add-on you selected.
After the installation, you will be prompted to restart Firefox. Upon restarting, the search egnine add-on that you installed will be available for you to select in the list of available search engines.
If you decide that you no longer want a search engine installed, you can easily remove it from Firefox. From the main Firefox window, click on the search engine logo in the search bar, and select the "Manage Search Engines" option.
This will open a new dialog window containing a list of the search engines that you have installed in Firefox. To remove a search engine, select it in this list, then click the Remove button. You can also move a search engine up or down in the list by clicking the appropriate buttons. When you have finished configuring your search engine options, click the OK button to be returned to the main Firefox window.
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CMart
March 09, 2011 at 11:54am
A much better way to add new search engines is via the "Add to Search Bar" add-on to Firefox -- https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/add-to-search-bar/
Once installed, all you need to do is go to a site who's search you want to add to your search bar (like TripAdvisor, or CNET Reviews, or even MacLife itself :)), right-click on the seach field on that site and select "Add to Search Bar". You can name it what you wish and it works pretty perfectly.
