Address Bar Updates - Now Live in Firefox Nightly

[cbellini]

Exciting Updates to the Firefox Address Bar: Get Nightly and Test Them Now!Hello Firefox community! We're excited to share the latest updates to the Firefox Address Bar! These new features aim to improve your search browsing experience by making it faster, more intuitive, and easier to discover tools you already love. Whether you're a long-time Firefox user or exploring its capabilities for the first time, we’ve got something that’ll enhance your web experience. What’s New:

• Unified Search Button: A new, easy-to-access button in the address bar helps you switch between search engines and search modes with ease. This feature brings the simplicity of mobile Firefox to your desktop experience
• Search Term Persistence: Now when you refine a search in the address bar, the original term sticks around, making it easier to adjust your queries and find exactly what you're looking for
• Secondary Action Buttons: Ever needed to access more options for a specific result? These buttons allow for a streamlined experience, whether you're switching tabs or performing quick browser actions—all without disrupting your workflow
• Intuitive Search Keywords: You can access various address bar search modes with convenient and descriptive keywords (e.g. @bookmarks,@tabs,@history, @actions).
• HTTP As the Exception: For a more secure web experience, we'll now display the HTTP protocol prominently, so you know when you're on a non-secure site, while HTTPS will be hidden to reduce clutter.

How Does This Benefit You?

For our long-term Firefox users who appreciate the balance between power and simplicity, these updates give you more control and smoother navigation without overwhelming your current browsing setup.

For newer users, especially those looking for intuitive, fast-paced productivity, these features ensure you can search, switch, and perform tasks quickly, all while keeping privacy and user choice at the forefront. Your Feedback Shapes Firefox!

We’re inviting you to test these features in Firefox Nightly and share your thoughts. Whether you love how easy it is to switch search engines or have ideas for what’s next, your feedback will help us refine and perfect these features before their full release.

Join the conversation and let us know how we can continue building a better Firefox—one that respects your preferences, enhances your productivity, and keeps you in control.We invite you to join the discussion and help us shape the future of Firefox Search.

When sharing feedback, we'd also love to know:

• How long have you used Firefox?
• Is Firefox your default browser?

Happy browsing!

— The Firefox Search Team

[yoasif]

The new widget next to the address bar looks like a drop-down, but it isn't.

Once you select a search engine, the dropdown looking widget turns into a chiclet that requires you to "eXit" the mode to select a new search engine.

[zotan]

The dropdown should only be visible when the search bar is focused or the new tab / blank page is open, as it serves no purpose otherwise and gets in the way visually. Alternatively, it'd be awesome if we could get a preference to change this behavior specifically, instead of opting out of the entire redesign.

[ThePillenwerfer]

"... instead of opting out of the entire redesign."

That's assuming we can.  However I really can't see it remaining on the screen all the time.

Personally it fills me with indifference as the current system does all I wish it to and there's no sign that the new one will fail to.

I'm more concerned about the great big gap to the left of the Firefox View icon.

[Agentvirtuel]

Hello

https://firefox-source-docs.mozilla.org/devtools-user/browser_toolbox/index.html

Try userChrome.css

.titlebar-spacer[type="pre-tabs"]{display:none!important;}

[daleharvey]

> The dropdown should only be visible when the search bar is focused or the new tab / blank page is open

There is work being done to implement that  behaviour @ https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1928132

[tilwiti]

Hi, @cbellini !

Great update! I have a few feature requests to enhance the functionality:

1. Please add an option to keep the dropdown menu visible in popup windows. This is especially important because:
   • The screenshot button disappears in popups, even when pinned to the toolbar
   • While right-click works, just got used to this handy button above.
2. It would also be fantastic to have custom action capabilities, such as:
   • Setting automatic page refresh intervals (e.g., every 5 minutes)
   • Custom query integrations like ntfy.sh for link sharing and so on

These additions would make the popup windows more complete and versatile for power users.

[tilwiti]

Firefox is my default browser, I have been using it since spring, but I miss a lot of Vivaldiesque stuff. Don't spy on them, but I think they might inspire you.

[DuncanLang]

The new unified search button is neat, but I think the button being part of the address bar should be dependant on whether you have the search box in the toolbar, as the button would make more sense in the search box. Because I use the separate search bar, I don't use the address bar much for searching and the unified search button being in the address bar feels completely out of place .

[DuncanLang]

In regards to the HTTPS change: I don't find any part of the URL to be considered clutter. Even if HTTPS is standard across all domains I access, the whole point of the address bar is to display the URL of the page I'm currently on, so the HTTPS it's still part of the URL and I wouldn't want any part to be hidden. This also adds a new annoyance when trying to select or copy text from the URL as clicking on it will now move the text over to add the HTTPS back to the URL.

[BelFox]

Hi @cbellini, thanks for sharing this update with us!

I've been playing around with the new address bar and search for a bit. I like most of the changes. However, I have a lot of search engines installed (EDIT: 40, not all visible in mock-up below). This makes for a looooong dropdown list. This makes it more cumbersome to access the 'special' searches (like Bookmarks, Tabs, History, Actions) because I need to scroll all the way down.

I also wonder how OpenSearch engine discovery can be foreseen (currently only possible from Search bar)?

I've made a mock-up with a few suggestions. I would love it if you guys could take a look at it! Thanks 🙂

[SouthFresh]

The search term feature remaining has been happening in my iOS Firefox for a couple months, and it is absolutely horrible.

How do I EDIT the URL if I want to? Say to add "&UDM=14" to clean up the search if on Google?

Being able to confirm you're at the correct URL is a security feature that I'm not willing to let go.

[Josh_B]

Hey SouthFresh,

You can go to about:preferences, and navigate to the search settings. Find the setting for "Show search terms in the address bar on results pages" and flip the checkbox to turn off the persistent search term feature.

[Josh_B]

Ahh, actually, I see you said iOS. I'm not sure there's a pref on there.

[SouthFresh]

No worries on that, I know I was talking about a separate product, but the concept remains the same.  I'm glad to hear that the feature can be disabled on desktop.

Thank you very much for this!

I still feel that in the current security landscape, hiding the actual URL is not as safe as it seems. I'm not sure if only specific sites will allow for this behavior or not, but URL visibility/editing isn't something that should be tossed by the wayside.

[Josh_B]

At least on desktop persistent search features are currently limited to search engines pre-configured by the Firefox team. So on desktop, if you add a search engine Fx team won't hide the URL and display the search term while you search with that engine.

[bappity]

not a big fan of the removal of the top bar padding with the sidebar revamp on. I implore that you re-implement at least some amount of padding on the top so that the window can be easily grabbed and dragged from any part of it.

This update has had me misclicking into the input field of the address bar when I've tried and gives very little real estate for grabbing and dragging now.

[Allan-L]

Fullscreen BUG ? my address/search bar is persistent on fullscreen mode (F11)

Ubuntu 24.04
firefox-nightly (134.0a1~20241101094230) and (134.0a1~20241031093845)

if you need more info, please reply

[Agentvirtuel]

Hello

An https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1928292 - https://connect.mozilla.org/t5/discussions/address-bar-help-search-bar-drops-down-into-window-when-i...

https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1928255

[Synchro]

"Unified Search Button: A new, easy-to-access button in the address bar helps you switch between search engines and search modes with ease. This feature brings the simplicity of mobile Firefox to your desktop experience"

Looks good, but it requires some polishing:

I chose the engine through this button. -> I get the result. -> I want to search something new using another engine. -> But at first I need to click the "x" in this button, the button becomes more narrow, then click the "v" there and choose new engine. Too many clicking and mouse moving...

"Search Term Persistence: Now when you refine a search in the address bar, the original term sticks around, making it easier to adjust your queries and find exactly what you're looking for"

Please keep this switchable. Some people might prefer to see the original term, I prefer to be able to reach the URL.

"Intuitive Search Keywords: You can access various address bar search modes with convenient and descriptive keywords (e.g. @bookmarks,@tabs,@history, @actions)."

Are one-character keywords supported only for Latin script now? I tried Cyrillic script keywords and it looks like they work with 2 or more characters. By the way when keybords have more than one scripts layout symbol "@" is usually only in Latin one, so if you want to type "@закладки" (bookmarks), you need to switch to Latin at first, type "@", then switch back to Cyrillic, then type "закладки". Any switching to Latin is not convinient when you are aimning to search for something only in Cyrillic or other script.

PS: I've been using FF for PC since 2020. For Android - also since 2020 or maybe a couple of years earlier. Yes, both of them are my default browsers.

[Cabbage]

For me, moving the different search engines I commonly use behind a dropdown menu is an objective downgrade in QoL. It's more clicks and more mouse movement than it used to be when the search engines were all available at the bottom of the URL suggestion window. I'm not a fan.

[TechHorse]

Sorry if this is the wrong place or if this has already been changed, but is there any possibility of changing the special address bar searches (tabs, history, bookmarks) so that they are also activated by following there character with tab?

What I mean is, if I press "d [tab]" then the address bar switches to 'search DuckDuckGo' mode.

So I would expect "* [tab]" to switch to 'search bookmarks' mode. However this doesn't work, and I have to remember that it is "* [space]" or just "*" instead.

Would adding a tab press as an activator for these special searches be possible? But without removing the pre-existing activators. Wouldn't want to annoy anyone who is used to pressing "% [space ]" to search open tabs etc.

Speaking of not removing any pre-existing activators, I hope that the new "@bookmarks" etc. activators do not mean that the previous "*" etc. activators will be removed! They are after all much quicker to type. Thanks for reading.

[kolia]

I don't like it. It's one extra click and a tiny dropdown now. Search engine icons under suggestions weren't taking too much space, what's the point of changing it? Plus, constantly having a logo on screen really downgrades apprehension. Also, now I can't change the search engine to handle my request with keyboard if I've already typed in anything into the address bar: I have to remove what I entered to be able to use Shift+Tab.

The only problem I had with the old version of the search engine selection was that I'd incautiously choose "Settings" with keyboard from time to time.

[myspace]

Cool update, thanks for sharing! Testing it out now.