For the Google website you can set your preferences on the Google.com page via the gear icon (click > Search settings) at the top right.

Results Window: Open search results in a new browser window.

If you are referring to the Search Bar located next to the URL/Location/Address bar in the default installation of Firefox, you can do one of the following:

1. After entering your search word(s) in the Search Bar, you can use Alt+Enter to open the results in a new tab
2. You can change a preference to always open a new tab when searching from the Search Bar by pressing only the enter key (not the URL/Location/Address Bar):
   
   • type about:config in the URL/Location/Address Bar
   • if you see a warning, accept it (promise to be careful)
   • Filter = browser.search.openintab
   • double-click on that preference in the lower part of the screen to toggle to "true" (the default is "false")
     • See: http://www.longworth.eu/2011/02/27/mozilla-firefox-open-search-bar-results-in-a-new-tab/
     • For help with opening/using about:config, also see: http://kb.mozillazine.org/About:config
     • Also see: http://kb.mozillazine.org/About:config_entries (click on "Browser", scroll down to browser.search.openintab)

Thanks, but i want it to open a new tab rather than a new browser window. I'd have thought there'd be an option for this sort of thing but there doesn't appear to be ...

cheers

Sorry, that reply was aimed at cor-el (thanks)

Helper7677 ... thanks, i'd forgotten about about:config !! Unfortunately it doesn't appear to make any difference, i've tried setting it to true and falsed and restarting ff after each but it still just overwrites the current tab. However, Alt+Enter does the job just fine !! I'll have to get used to doing that (as Alt+Click doesn't work) Thanks !

meave:

If you feel that my reply solved your problem, please take a couple of minutes to return to the forum, log in with your User ID/Name and Password and click "Solved" next to my reply. That will help others with a similar problem, find a solution to their problem. Thanks.

You could have an add-on (Extension or Plugin) interfering with the correct functioning of the reset preference. You may need to use Safe Mode to locate the problem:

• See: http://kb.mozillazine.org/Safe_Mode
• Firefox 4 users, hold the Shift key while clicking the Firefox 4 desktop icon to enter Safe Mode.
• Firefox Safe Mode is a diagnostic mode that disables Extensions and some other features of Firefox.
  • In Firefox 4, Safe Mode also disables Plugins and Hardware Acceleration.
  • If you are using a theme, switch to the DEFAULT theme: Tools > Add-ons > Themes before starting Safe Mode (In Firefox 4, Tools > Add-ons > Appearance). See: http://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Using%20themes%20with%20Firefox#w_managing-themes-and-personas
  • When entering Safe Mode, do not check any items on the entry window, just click "Continue in Safe Mode".
  • Test to see if the problem you are experiencing is corrected.
• If the problem does not occur in Safe-mode then disable all of your Extensions and Plug-ins and then try to find which is causing it
  1. by enabling one at a time until the problem reappears.
  2. You can also enable a few at a time (3-5), keeping track of what you just re-enabled to see if the problem re-occurs; this will help narrow down the possibilities if you have a large number of add-ons.
  3. You MUST close and restart Firefox after EACH change via File > Restart Firefox (on Mac: Firefox > Quit).
  4. You can use "Disable all add-ons" on the Safe Mode start window.
• See the following for more information
  • http://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Troubleshooting+extensions+and+themes
  • http://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Troubleshooting+plugins
  • http://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Basic+Troubleshooting

If you want to use the mouse then middle-click (or hold down Ctrl and left-click) the search bar Go button.

The reference about "Results Window: Open search results in a new browser window." on the Google settings page will open the results in a new tab in Firefox.

"If you want to use the mouse then middle-click (or hold down Ctrl and left-click) the search bar Go button. "

That's the one !! Cheers Cor-el. Shame i can't set this as the default..

Helper7677 : I'll try your advise and report my findings.

Cheers all !