This site will have limited functionality while we undergo maintenance to improve your experience. If an article doesn't solve your issue and you want to ask a question, we have our support community waiting to help you at @FirefoxSupport on Twitter and/r/firefox on Reddit.

Search Support

Avoid support scams. We will never ask you to call or text a phone number or share personal information. Please report suspicious activity using the “Report Abuse” option.

Learn More

Start page "search" will not work, typing words, have to go to address bar to get a search going.

more options

When I go to the start page, after clicking the Mozilla Firefox icon, if I type something in the box and hit "search", it doesn't do anything. I have to go up to the address bar to search anything. It's not like Google, where I can type in some words, e.g., CBS (the news station and hit search and get results). Any ideas?

When I go to the start page, after clicking the Mozilla Firefox icon, if I type something in the box and hit "search", it doesn't do anything. I have to go up to the address bar to search anything. It's not like Google, where I can type in some words, e.g., CBS (the news station and hit search and get results). Any ideas?

Chosen solution

hello mdchlanda, first please see if installing the search reset addon can resolve the issue: https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/searchreset/ (a restart of the browser is necessary afterwards).

otherwise try the following steps in order to manually restore the search function on the default homepage:

  1. go to firefox > help > troubleshooting information and click on profile folder/show folder. a windows explorer window should open up - in there delete the file named chromeappsstore.sqlite.
  2. then enter about:config into the firefox location bar (confirm the info message in case it shows up) & search for the preference named browser.startup.homepage_override.mstone - right-click and reset that entry to the default value.
  3. restart firefox
Read this answer in context 👍 2

All Replies (3)

more options

Chosen Solution

hello mdchlanda, first please see if installing the search reset addon can resolve the issue: https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/searchreset/ (a restart of the browser is necessary afterwards).

otherwise try the following steps in order to manually restore the search function on the default homepage:

  1. go to firefox > help > troubleshooting information and click on profile folder/show folder. a windows explorer window should open up - in there delete the file named chromeappsstore.sqlite.
  2. then enter about:config into the firefox location bar (confirm the info message in case it shows up) & search for the preference named browser.startup.homepage_override.mstone - right-click and reset that entry to the default value.
  3. restart firefox
more options

This answered the question. Thanks to madperson and have a nice day.

more options

I have the same problem, but this solution didn't work for me. Any other ideas?

Firefox ver. 20.0.1 Windows 7 Home Premium