Firefox Address Bar Symbols for Bookmarks and History

This article explains how to quickly filter your search results in the Mozilla Firefox address bar using specific keyboard symbols. By typing an asterisk (*) or a caret (^) alongside your search terms, you can bypass standard web searches and exclusively search through your saved bookmarks or past browsing history.

Filtering Strictly to Saved Bookmarks

To search only within your saved bookmarks, use the asterisk (*) symbol.

1. Click on the Firefox address bar (or press Ctrl + L on Windows/Linux, Cmd + L on Mac).
2. Type * followed by a space.
3. Type the keyword for the bookmark you are trying to find.

Firefox will immediately remove all standard search engine suggestions and history results, displaying only the bookmarks that match your text.

Filtering Strictly to Browsing History

To search only within your past browsing history, use the caret (^) symbol.

1. Click on the Firefox address bar.
2. Type ^ followed by a space.
3. Type the keyword or website name you previously visited.

The dropdown menu will now exclusively show pages you have visited in the past that match your search term, ignoring your bookmarks and live web search suggestions.

How to Use These Symbols Effectively

You do not have to type the symbol at the very beginning of your search. If you have already typed your search term into the address bar, you can simply add a space at the end of your text and type * or ^ to apply the filter retroactively.

Additional Firefox Address Bar Symbols

For further control over your address bar results, Firefox supports a few other single-character filters that work the exact same way:

• Percent (%): Filters results strictly to your currently open tabs.
• Plus (+): Filters results strictly to bookmarks to which you have added specific tags.
• Question Mark (?): Filters results strictly to search engine suggestions.
• Tilde (~): Filters results strictly to pages you have typed directly into the address bar before.