Set your default search engine in Firefox's settings

Open Firefox and go to Settings (the menu button with three horizontal lines in the top right, then select Settings). On the left sidebar, click Search. Under "Default Search Engine," you'll see a dropdown menu showing your current default — usually Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo, or another option. Click the dropdown and select whichever search engine you want to use when you search from the address bar or the search box on the new tab page.

That's the entire process. Once you select a new default, Firefox remembers it. Every time you type a search query into the address bar or use the search box, Firefox will send that search to your chosen engine instead of the one it used before.

Key Takeaways

  • Your default search engine is the one Firefox uses when you search from the address bar or the search box on a new tab.
  • Change it by opening Settings, clicking Search on the left sidebar, and selecting a different engine from the "Default Search Engine" dropdown.
  • Firefox comes with several search engines built in: Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo, Wikipedia, and others depending on your region.
  • You can add search engines that aren't in the default list by visiting their website and using the browser's "Add Search Engine" option.

The difference between your default search engine and your homepage

Your default search engine and your homepage are two separate things, and changing one doesn't affect the other. Your homepage is the page Firefox opens when you start the browser or click the home button. Your default search engine is only used when you actually perform a search — either by typing in the address bar or using the search box on the new tab page.

If you want to change your homepage instead, that's in the same Settings menu but under Home on the left sidebar. You can set it to a blank page, your most visited sites, or a custom URL.

Adding a search engine that isn't in Firefox's default list

Firefox includes several search engines by default, but you can add others. Visit the website of any search engine you want to use — for example, Ecosia or Startpage. Look for a search box on their homepage. Right-click inside that search box and select Add Search Engine. Firefox will add it to your list of available search engines.

Once you've added a new search engine this way, it appears in your Search settings under "One-Click Search Engines." You can then set it as your default by going back to Settings > Search and choosing it from the "Default Search Engine" dropdown. If you later decide you don't want a search engine you added, you can remove it by clicking the three-dot menu next to its name in the One-Click Search Engines section and selecting Remove.

Why you might want to change your default search engine

Some people switch to DuckDuckGo or Startpage because these engines don't track your search history or build a profile of your interests the way Google does. Others prefer Bing if they use other Microsoft products, or they choose a privacy-focused engine like Ecosia, which donates search revenue to environmental projects.

Your choice of search engine doesn't affect your browser's security or how websites load — it only changes where your search queries go. If you're unhappy with your current default for any reason, switching takes less than a minute.

What happens to your old search history when you switch

Changing your default search engine doesn't delete any search history you built up with your previous engine. If you used Google as your default for months and then switch to DuckDuckGo, Google still has a record of those searches in your Google account (if you were signed in). Switching forward only affects new searches you perform.

If you want to clear your search history with a particular engine, you'll need to visit that engine's website and manage your account settings there. For Google, that means going to myactivity.google.com. For Bing, it's in your Microsoft account settings. DuckDuckGo doesn't store search history by design, so there's nothing to clear.

Search engine shortcuts in the address bar

Firefox lets you search with a non-default engine without changing your settings. If you've added multiple search engines to your One-Click Search Engines list, you can type a keyboard shortcut followed by your search term directly into the address bar. For example, if you've added Wikipedia as a search engine, you might type @wikipedia your search term and press Enter to search Wikipedia instead of your default engine.

To see which shortcuts are available for your added search engines, go to Settings > Search and look at the "One-Click Search Engines" section. Some engines come with a preset shortcut (like @duckduckgo or @wikipedia), and you can edit these shortcuts by clicking the three-dot menu next to each engine and selecting Edit.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will changing my search engine affect my bookmarks or passwords?

No. Your search engine choice is completely separate from your bookmarks, saved passwords, browsing history, and other Firefox data. Changing it won't touch any of that information.

Can websites force me to use a different search engine?

Websites can't change your default search engine without your permission. If you see a button that says "Set as default search engine," clicking it will change your setting, but you have to click it deliberately. Malware could theoretically change it, which is why keeping your browser and operating system updated matters.

What if I want different search engines for different types of searches?

You can use the address bar shortcuts to search with a non-default engine on the fly. For example, keep Google as your default but type @duckduckgo your search when you want privacy, or @wikipedia your search when you're looking for encyclopedia information. This is faster than changing your default each time.

Does my search engine choice affect which ads I see?

Your search engine shows ads based on your search query in that moment, not on a profile it built over time. Google and Bing do build profiles and use them to target ads across the web, but that happens through your account and cookies, not through your choice of default search engine. Switching engines helps only if you also manage your accounts and cookies.