How Firefox One-Off Search Engine Buttons Work

This article explains the functionality and customization of the one-off search engine buttons located at the bottom of the Firefox address bar dropdown. You will learn how to use these shortcuts to quickly search specific websites, filter your local browser data, navigate the feature using keyboard shortcuts, and manage which search providers appear in your browser.

Basic Functionality

The one-off search buttons allow you to perform a single search using an alternative search engine without changing your default search provider. These buttons appear in a row at the very bottom of the address bar dropdown menu, labeled "This time, search with:" as soon as you interact with the address bar.

There are two main ways to use them with a mouse:

  • Search Immediately: Type your search term into the address bar, then click the icon of the search engine you want to use (such as Wikipedia, Amazon, or DuckDuckGo). Firefox will immediately execute the search on that specific platform.
  • Enter Search Mode: Click the address bar without typing anything, then click one of the one-off buttons. The address bar will display a blue tag with the name of that search engine. Type your query and press Enter to see search suggestions and results exclusively from that provider.

Using Keyboard Shortcuts

You do not need to use a mouse to access the one-off search buttons. Firefox provides dedicated keyboard navigation for this feature:

  1. Click the address bar or press Ctrl + L (Cmd + L on Mac) to focus on it.
  2. Type your search query.
  3. Press Alt + Down Arrow (Option + Down Arrow on Mac) to skip the suggested websites and highlight the first one-off search button at the bottom.
  4. Continue pressing Alt + Down Arrow (or use the Left and Right arrow keys in some configurations, or Tab) to cycle through the available search engines.
  5. Press Enter when your desired search engine is highlighted to execute the search.

Local Browser Search Buttons

At the end of the one-off button row, Firefox includes three default buttons that search your local browser data rather than the web: Bookmarks (star icon), Tabs (tab icon), and History (clock icon).

Unlike web search buttons, clicking these does not take you to a new webpage. Instead, clicking one converts the address bar into a local filter. For example, typing a word and clicking the Tabs button will filter the dropdown menu to only show currently open tabs that match your text.

Customizing the Buttons

You can easily add, remove, or reorder the buttons that appear at the bottom of the dropdown menu.

To hide or show existing buttons:

  1. Click the address bar and select the Gear icon located at the far right of the one-off buttons row. This opens the Firefox Search Settings.
  2. Scroll down to the Search Shortcuts section.
  3. Check or uncheck the boxes next to the search engines to toggle their visibility in the address bar dropdown.

To add a new search engine button:

  1. Visit a website that offers a compatible search feature (such as YouTube or IMDb).
  2. Right-click inside the Firefox address bar.
  3. If the site is supported, you will see an option that says Add "[Website Name]". Click it.
  4. The website's icon will now appear in your one-off search button row at the bottom of the address bar dropdown.