For a new search I open up a new tab and start typing in the Awesome Bar. Then, before I hit ENTER, I Alt+Tab to a different program in Windows and Alt+Tab back to FF with the INTENT of typing/pasting the rest of my search query, only to find out that what I had typed initially has been replaced with the new tab's URL (homepage). This does not happen when I set the new tabs to be FF's default or I use a tab that is NOT new (no problem when The problem does not occur when I navigate to my homepage from an old tab and try to search. It's quite common for me to Alt+Tab away from FF in the middle of typing my search query so that I can type in particular phrases precisely (e.g. an error message). Here are some workarounds that are problematic, please do not suggest them: 1. Do not set new tab to display homepage / do not have a homepage / set new tabs to be FF default then press Alt+Home to view homepage. 2. Use search bar (Ctrl+K) instead of awesome bar. Can't use shortcuts for different search engines in search bar, also doesn't give suggestions. 3. Start the query with what's on the other window; type or paste in this information first. This problem did not exist for earlier versions of FF. It started a few versions ago.