Which search engine do you have selected in the Search Bar?

The Search engine that is set in the Search Bar will be the one which is used there (the Search Bar), the Location Bar, the default Homepage, and the new tab page.

Google is selected in the search bar and works fine, new tab page opens up a sort of tiled screen of my most visited websites i think

Problem is not that another search engine is being used, its that no search engine is being used

It may help Ed if you are able to provide further information

• What happens from the search bar does that work ?
  • And what search engine does it use
• Give examples of what happens with the location bar to lead you to think it uses no search engine
• Example Try typing into the location bar the word hello what happens ?
• Compare that with what happens if you do that on the search bar
• (With my setup I get this page https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=hello&hl=en&btnG=Google+Search&sourceid=Mozilla-search&start=0 )

No problem! If i type Hello. It takes me to www.hello.com. If i type hello Ed, i get problem loading page, page. Address isn't valid.

Search bar search is google and when i type hello i get https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=hello&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&channel=sb&gfe_rd=cr&ei=nvftU6rEHOHH8gfMtYKwCQ

(same as you!)

Hope that helps!

I guess you or an addon has changed one of the Fiirefox settings.

Look for the preference keyword.enabled ; and set that to true

• see http://kb.mozillazine.org/Keyword.enabled
• You will need to navigate to about:config filter for then toggle the pref.
  1. Navigate to about:config by keying that into the addressbar and pressing the Enter Key on the keyboard.
  2. Accept any warning you see
  3. Filter for keyword';by keying that into the Search Line to find the preference named keyword.enabled
     • Filter for keyword ; by keying that into the Search Line to find the preference named keyword.enabled
  4. Select and Right click the preference. Use the toggle option that to changes the value from false to true
  • See also http://kb.mozillazine.org/About:config

As a test to see if addons interfere try in Firefox's safemode. You may for instance find the pref gets reset by an addon if you the addon is have such an addon active.

• Use NewButton → Help
  → SafeMode (Restart with Add-ons Disabled …)
• See Diagnose Firefox issues using Troubleshoot Mode

if it does not work then as you did not include your full troubleshooting information please paste your troubleshooting information into a separate reply (edit out any print related information to saves pace). Make other comments separately so we see them easily.

Edit tidied up some typos

Thank you! John!

You're welcome.

Glad it worked and thanks for posting back to let us know.

I now see there's a few typos in my last post but you obviously managed to make sense of it.