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Have no search bar with FF 34 update; how to get it back?

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I'm not an expert user. My search bar disappeared with FF 34 ... there's just a blank space where it used to be. Yes, I can search using address bar and default search engine, but lost access to all other search engines that I could use for specialty searches when the search bar was visible. Options > Search lists all my other search engines under something called "One click," but cannot select any of them and, as I said, there's no discrete search bar at all. How do I get it back?

I'm not an expert user. My search bar disappeared with FF 34 ... there's just a blank space where it used to be. Yes, I can search using address bar and default search engine, but lost access to all other search engines that I could use for specialty searches when the search bar was visible. Options > Search lists all my other search engines under something called "One click," but cannot select any of them and, as I said, there's no discrete search bar at all. How do I get it back?

Asịsa ahọpụtara

Firefox 34 changed the search bar in significant ways, and it could be that your Noia 4 extension is no longer working with those changes. The Noia 4 page has been removed from the Add-ons site, but in a cached copy saved by Google the author pointed to these similar extensions as potential replacements:

You might also want to disable the Organize Search Engines extension to see whether that has become incompatible.

You can review and disable, and often configure settings for and remove, extensions on the Add-ons page. Either:

  • Ctrl+Shift+a
  • "3-bar" menu button (or Tools menu) > Add-ons

In the left column, click Extensions.

Usually a link will appear above at least one disabled extension to restart Firefox. You can complete your work on the tab and click one of the links as the last step.

Any difference?

Gụọ azịza a na nghọta 👍 4

All Replies (10)

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hello GSetter, could you try the following: please go to the firefox menu ≡ > + customize in order to go into the customization mode - in there you'll find a button labelled "restore defaults" which you can hit. does this help?

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Sorry ... didn't work, but thanks. Still no Search Bar.

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You can try to disable OMTC and leave hardware acceleration in Firefox enabled.

  • about:config page: layers.offmainthreadcomposition.enabled = false

You can open the about:config page via the location/address bar. You can accept the warning and click "I'll be careful" to continue.

You can check if there is an update for your graphics display driver and check for hardware acceleration related issues.

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Asịsa Ahọpụtara

Firefox 34 changed the search bar in significant ways, and it could be that your Noia 4 extension is no longer working with those changes. The Noia 4 page has been removed from the Add-ons site, but in a cached copy saved by Google the author pointed to these similar extensions as potential replacements:

You might also want to disable the Organize Search Engines extension to see whether that has become incompatible.

You can review and disable, and often configure settings for and remove, extensions on the Add-ons page. Either:

  • Ctrl+Shift+a
  • "3-bar" menu button (or Tools menu) > Add-ons

In the left column, click Extensions.

Usually a link will appear above at least one disabled extension to restart Firefox. You can complete your work on the tab and click one of the links as the last step.

Any difference?

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In the address bar, type about:preferences#search<enter>

If you miss being able to switch search engines without going crazy with menus, try this out;

Context Search {web link} Expands the context menu's 'Search for' item into a list of installed search engines, allowing you to choose the engine you want to use for each search.

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Many thanks, to all, especially jscher2000. The one that did it was to disable Organize Search Engines. I also removed Noia 4 and updated with one of your suggestions. FredMcD, had previously installed Context Search, which I make use of frequently, and it doesn't seem to have contributed to the issue.

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Just to add to those with questions, I saw jscher2000's suggestion, but also found another much simplier from c.r. on another thread to change the browser.search.ShowOneOffButtons value to false in about:config. That worked easily for me, and somewhat differs from cor-el's suggestion above.

Changes took effect when I closed FF 34, and reopened. All was as before. Whew...

Here's the link to that thread

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1033968#answer-659828

My thanks to all in the forum. When I did my original update when the version came back, I quickly changed back to FF 33 until the intrepid ones here came up with a solution. Couldn't live without the Mozilla Support forum. You all are great!

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GSetter said

Sorry ... didn't work, but thanks. Still no Search Bar.

I had the same thing- a blank space where my search bar was. I clicked the default choice in customize and the entire bar with all my custom buttons disappeared, along with the blank space left when search bar disappeared.

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Type about:customizing<Enter> in the address bar. On the bottom, just to the left of center, press the Show Hide Toolbars button.

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Hi nanciewanda, if you hid the main Navigation Toolbar in the Classic Theme Restorer Options, you may need to unhide it in order to re-customize again. (I haven't tested that particular feature myself.)