Assign Custom Keywords to Bookmarks and Search in Firefox

This article provides a quick overview and step-by-step instructions on how to assign custom keywords, such as @wiki, to search engines and bookmarks in the Firefox Web Browser. By configuring these shortcuts, you can bypass navigating to a website's homepage and instead execute targeted searches or open specific pages directly from the Firefox address bar. Below, you will learn how to set up these time-saving keywords using Firefox's built-in search settings, website search fields, and the bookmark manager.

Method 1: Assign a Keyword to a Built-in Search Engine

Firefox comes with several pre-installed search engines and allows you to add more. You can assign or change the custom keyword for any of these directly in the browser settings.

  1. Click the menu button (three horizontal lines) in the top-right corner of Firefox and select Settings.
  2. In the left-hand sidebar, click on Search.
  3. Scroll down to the Search Shortcuts section.
  4. Locate the search engine you want to modify (for example, Wikipedia).
  5. Double-click the space in the Keyword column next to that search engine.
  6. Type your desired keyword (such as @wiki) and press Enter to save it.

If a website is not listed in your Firefox search settings, you can turn its on-page search bar into a keyword bookmark.

  1. Go to the website you want to search (for example, dictionary.com).
  2. Right-click directly inside the website's main search input box.
  3. Select Add a Keyword for this Search… from the context menu.
  4. A "New Bookmark" dialog box will appear. Give the bookmark a recognizable name.
  5. In the Keyword field, type your custom shortcut (such as @dict).
  6. Choose a folder to store the bookmark in and click Save.

Method 3: Manually Add a Keyword to an Existing Bookmark

You can assign a keyword to a standard bookmark to open it quickly, or modify the bookmark's URL to make it act like a search engine.

  1. Press Ctrl + Shift + O (Windows/Linux) or Cmd + Shift + O (Mac) to open the Firefox Library.
  2. Click on Bookmarks in the left sidebar and locate the bookmark you want to use.
  3. Click on the bookmark to highlight it. Doing this will reveal its details at the bottom of the window.
  4. If you just want the keyword to open the webpage, simply type your shortcut into the Keyword field at the bottom.
  5. If you want the bookmark to perform a search, first do a test search on that website and copy the resulting URL. Paste that URL into the bookmark's URL field, and replace your test search word in the URL with %s (for example: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?search=%s).
  6. Type your custom shortcut (such as @wiki) into the Keyword field.
  7. Close the Library window; your changes are saved automatically.

How to Use Your Custom Keywords

Once your keyword is assigned, using it takes only a few keystrokes:

  1. Click the Firefox address bar or press Ctrl + L (Windows/Linux) or Cmd + L (Mac) to highlight it.
  2. For a standard bookmark, type the keyword and press Enter to immediately load the site.
  3. For a search bookmark or search engine, type the keyword, press the Spacebar, and type your search query (for example: @wiki solar system).
  4. Press Enter to go directly to your search results.