Tuesday, October 27, 2009

How to Add a Custom Search Engine to Firefox's Search Bar (Windows Version)

Firefox has a Search Bar that is located to the right of the Address Bar, near the top of your Firefox window. It comes with Google, Yahoo, and some others pre-installed. If you have a website that you frequently visit, or a site that you would like to search more quickly, this tutorial will help you create a search engine that is customizable to the site of your choice.
It used to be a long and complicated process, but with Firefox 3, it's incredibly easy, such that a wikiHow article is hardly warranted, but a long article was here and needed to be updated with the simpler method, so here we are.
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1. Install the Add to Search Bar extension from Mozilla.
2. Restart Firefox.
3. Browse to a site you'd like to search from the search bar.
4. Right-click in that site's own search bar and choose Add to search bar.
5. Type the name you'd like Firefox to display when no search parameters are entered. This will appear in grey.
6. Accept the icon or browse to choose another on your PC.
7. Enter a keyword (optional).
8. Click OK.

* Alternately, browse to Mycroft Project to search for a pre-made search engine for Firefox.