This appears to be part of a long-term plan to consolidate to one box. For now, you can use an add-on to restore separateness.

https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/keyword-search/

Note: I haven't tried it myself.

I have tried it and it works for me
but please also read the other posts in this short thread as there are a couple of good alternative workarounds ~J99

As I understand it: the powers that be decided this makes it easier for users to keep control and harder for toolbar hijacks. It also apparently fits in with future plans that may include merging the two bars and possibly introducing search tabs. There are a couple of add-ons that make the behaviour more like it was.

• Try https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/keyword-search/
• see addon developers comments
  https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/keyword-search/
  http://mike.kaply.com/2013/08/11/keyword-search-updated/

Hello warolo, see also the next : keyword.URL Hack! add-on

thank you

Ok, thanks for the info. I decided to just put it on default then remove the search box all together.

What I would like to see is an input like:

az:<search> for amazon, eb:<search> for ebay, etc... with other customizable acronyms. Preferably an option where firefox figures out the search url automatically from the page's search functions.

Thanks again -W

You can set a keyword for an installed search engine via Manage Search Engines (click the search engines icon on the search bar).
That also allows to switch easily between search engines when searching via the location bar and you also do not have a problem with one word searches.

wow, now thats exactly what i've been waiting for for quite some time, I knew i wasn't the only one who thought it'd be nice.

Thanks,--W

Glad you like it. Some of us see advantages in the old system, but without a doubt this is something that benefits the majority of users.

Any change is likely to be unpopular with some users but I guess the aim should be to enhance for the benefit of the majority.

I will mark jscher's answer as the solution

1) I want to register myself as a user whom this change does not help. I like the two bars, one which I keep for Wikipedia and another for my default search engine.

2) In my case the keyword.URL is still there on the about:config page, and it still has the Google string I used, but that seems not to matter, even though I've made sure the value for keyword.enabled is 'true'.

3) I'd really like to know which preferences will get affected if I reset firefox--I read in one of the other threads that that would reset the address bar search function?

I think the way it was remove you can only use an addon. You not change any config settings to get this behaviour back.

• Alternatively you can also use manually setup single letter keyword from the manage search engines option as mentioned above by cor-el

To register your complaint please use

• https://input.mozilla.org/en-US/feedback

(From a supported version of Firefox)

2) keyword.URL is gone from Firefox 23+. You only have it in about"config now because it has a user set Value. With a manual reset for that preference in about:config or the Rest procedure more than likely it will disappear, without the add-on to restore that function.

"2) keyword.URL is gone from Firefox 23+" I was not thinking about keywod.URL and so I think I should expand on the last answer I gave.

I find Mike Kaply's extension convenient
but entering keywords is still an option, including for quickly selecting the individual search engines from the location bar.

1. Ensure navigation bar including search bar is visible
2. Cick the lefthand down arrow adjacent to the icon for the active search engine -- the search engines list -- and include a manage search engines option
3. Click manage search engines and you get in a scrollable pane in a Manage search engines list dialogue -- but have greyed out options buttons
4. Click on a particular search engine to select it -- the options buttons become active
5. Click on the edit keyword button. Add your keyword, a single letter or short combination. Note this is case sensitive.
6. Now use the address |awesome| location bar, whichever name you are familiar with. Clear any content [Ctrl+A, Ctrl+Del] type the keyword a space and your search term. The search will use the search engine associated with the keyword. Not the currently active search bar search engine.

P.S No idea where this value is stored, but I did not search through places.sqlite.

Hi urvashi, you wrote:

3) I'd really like to know which preferences will get affected if I reset firefox--I read in one of the other threads that that would reset the address bar search function?

When you use the Reset feature, most preferences get reset to default values, while critical personal data such as bookmarks is retained. Please see this article for specifics: Refresh Firefox - reset add-ons and settings

With respect to address bar search, Firefox will restore the standard behavior, which is that the address bar search will use the search engine selected on the search bar. It will be reset to Google.

"[Ctrl+A, Ctrl+Del]"

i think you mean CTRL+L ;)

Ctrl + L moves focus to the location bar

Ctrl + A then selects all the content
Ctrl + Del, or a plain Del, or Ctrl + X then deletes that content.

not sure why you would need to click the bar, then ctrl+A to highlight, then clear the content, when you can ctrl+L to select all text in the address bar then just type to replace.

Try it. If you already have content and type you are amending pre-existing content and will likely get some odd result or a 404 error.

If it is a newtab and only saying "search or enter text that is ok, because that is not really text it is a label.