see: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/keywordurl-hack/

It was removed from firefox because search hijackers could "lock aka require lots of things to be done to remove it" the search preference.

Amazing, thank you!

Understand, but I never had that problem. And now I no longer have an extremely useful function that I typically use dozens of times a day and have been using for many years.

Isn't there anyway to work around this? I need to the main address bar to search google (or some other default I select) and the search bar set to a different, but changeable search engine.

I'm also having this same problem... it's the first thing that Firefox has ever done that's made me contemplate getting a different browser. The "update" seems like a step back, and a removal of a very good feature. I'm in the same boat of wondering if there's any work-arounds or add-ons to restore the old usage, even if it comes at the risk of having my address bar's search engine occasionally hijacked.

So I used the add-on, but there were some problems. My solution was to:

1. Type the following into your address bar: about:config

2. Say you understand about the "voiding of the warranty"

3. Search for the string "keyword.URL" (now I'm trying to remember if that string already existed or not...if it doesn't show up for you, right-click and go to New, and then select String...name it "keyword.URL").

4. Set the value to: https://www.google.com/#safe=active&output=search&sclient=psy-ab&q=

This should fix it.

keyword.URL is not in fx 23 +

Starting with Firefox 23 the keyword.URL pref is no longer supported and it is no longer possible to specify the search engine for the location bar that way.
The search engine that is used on the location bar and on the about:home page is the search engine that is selected in the search Bar on the Navigation Toolbar.
You can install the Keyword Search extension to specify with search engine to use for the location bar and which search engine to use for the about:home page via the Options/Preferences windows of this extension, accessible via the about:addons page.

• Keyword Search: https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/keyword-search/

• • FIX**

This makes keywords typed into URL bar always perform a Google search instead of what the addon search bar has currently selected.

type about:config into URL bar click "I'll be careful I promise" search for "keyword.URL" right click >modify >(change to) "https://www.google.com/#q="

DONE!

Ecg3500, keyword.url requires a addon to work as stated by cor-el.

for the latest Firefox, I would prefer Combine Your Firefox Search Bar and Address Bar . just make the toolbar clean...

1. go to about:config

2. look for browser.search.defaultenginename

3. Change its value to "Google" without the quotation marks.

It should look like this

browser.search.defaultenginename default string Google

5. You're welcome.