Change your default search engine in Firefox's settings in under a minute

Open Firefox and select the menu button (three horizontal lines) in the top right corner. Click Settings, then choose Search from the left sidebar. Under "Default Search Engine," click the dropdown menu and pick a different search engine from the list — Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo, Wikipedia, and others are built in. Your choice takes effect immediately for searches typed in the address bar and the search box on the new tab page.

If you want a search engine that is not on the default list, you can add it manually. Scroll down to "One-Click Search Engines" and visit any search website you use regularly. Right-click the search box on that site, select Add a Keyword for this Search, give it a short name, and save it. You can then set it as your default by going back to the dropdown and selecting it, or use it by typing its keyword in the address bar followed by your search term.

Key Takeaways

  • Firefox's Settings menu under Search lets you pick a default search engine from Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo, Wikipedia, and others in seconds.
  • The default search engine applies to searches typed in the address bar and the search box on new tabs.
  • You can add any search engine not on the built-in list by right-clicking its search box and selecting the keyword option.
  • Changing your default does not affect search engines you use by visiting their websites directly.

Where to find the search settings

The Settings menu is in the top right corner of Firefox, marked by three horizontal lines (sometimes called a hamburger menu). Click it and look for Settings near the bottom of the dropdown. On the Settings page, the left sidebar shows several categories — click Search to open the search options.

If you are using Firefox on a Mac, the menu button is in the same location. The steps are identical across Windows, Mac, and Linux versions of Firefox.

Picking from Firefox's built-in search engines

Under the "Default Search Engine" heading, you will see a dropdown menu showing your current choice. Click it to see all available options. Firefox includes Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo, Ecosia, Wikipedia, and Amazon by default — the exact list may vary slightly depending on your region and Firefox version. Select whichever engine you prefer, and it becomes your default immediately.

Below the default engine dropdown, you will see a section called "Search Shortcuts." This shows all the search engines Firefox knows about, even if they are not set as default. You can toggle any of them on or off here. Turning one off removes it from the one-click search options on your new tab page, but you can always turn it back on later.

Adding a search engine that is not on the list

If your preferred search engine does not appear in Firefox's built-in options, you can add it yourself. Visit the search engine's website in Firefox — for example, go to DuckDuckGo.com or Startpage.com. Find the search box on the page, right-click inside it, and select Add a Keyword for this Search. A small dialog will appear asking you to name the search engine and create a short keyword (like "ddg" or "sp").

Type your chosen keyword and click Add. The search engine is now saved in Firefox. You can use it by typing the keyword in the address bar, followed by a space and your search term — for example, typing "ddg privacy tools" will search DuckDuckGo for "privacy tools." If you want to make this custom search engine your default, go back to Settings > Search and select it from the "Default Search Engine" dropdown.

What happens when you change your default

Changing your default search engine affects only searches you perform through Firefox's address bar and the search box on new tab pages. If you visit a search engine's website directly — by typing google.com or duckduckgo.com into the address bar — you will use that site's search function regardless of your Firefox default setting.

Your choice also does not affect other browsers on your computer. If you use Chrome, Safari, or Edge, they have their own separate default search engine settings. Changing Firefox's default does not change theirs.

Removing or hiding search engines you do not use

Under "Search Shortcuts," you can toggle any search engine on or off. Turning one off hides it from the one-click search options that appear on new tab pages, but it does not delete it from Firefox entirely. You can turn it back on anytime by returning to the same menu and clicking the toggle again.

If a search engine appears in your shortcuts that you did not add, it may have been installed by an extension or add-on. Check your installed extensions in the left sidebar under Extensions & Themes. If you find one you do not recognize or want, you can remove it there, and its search engine will disappear from your shortcuts.

Using search engine shortcuts in the address bar

Once you have multiple search engines set up in Firefox, you can use any of them without changing your default. Each search engine in your shortcuts has a keyword or shortcut — for example, Google might be "g" and DuckDuckGo might be "d." Type the keyword in the address bar, press Space, then type your search term. Firefox will search using that engine and show you results without changing your default setting.

To see the keyword for each search engine, go to Settings > Search and look at the "Search Shortcuts" section. The keyword appears next to each engine's name. You can also edit these keywords by right-clicking a search engine in that list and selecting Edit.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use different search engines for different types of searches?

Yes. Set one as your default for the address bar, then use keywords to search with others. For example, set Google as default but type "wiki privacy" in the address bar to search Wikipedia instead. This way you get your preferred engine for most searches but can quickly switch when you need something specific.

What if Firefox keeps changing my default search engine back?

An installed extension may be overriding your choice. Go to Settings > Extensions & Themes and look for any add-ons you do not recognize or trust. Remove the suspicious one, then set your default search engine again. If the problem continues, check whether any recently installed software added an extension without your knowledge.

Does changing my search engine affect my privacy?

Different search engines have different privacy policies. Google, Bing, and Yahoo collect more data about your searches. DuckDuckGo and Startpage claim not to track searches. Read the privacy policy of any search engine you are considering to understand what data it collects and how it uses it.

Can I set a different default search engine just for private browsing?

Firefox does not offer separate search engine settings for private windows. Your default applies to both regular and private browsing. However, you can use search engine keywords to quickly switch to a privacy-focused engine when you need it, even if another engine is set as default.

What happens to my search history when I change search engines?

Changing your default search engine does not affect your existing search history in Firefox. Your history stays the same. If you want to clear your search history, go to Settings > Privacy & Security, scroll to "History," and click Clear Recent History.