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Mozilla Firefox - Searching

Use Other Search Engines Besides Google

SUMMARY: Search Yahoo, Ask, Technorati, or other search engines directly from Mozilla Firefox.

In Mozilla Firefox, if you type in a search query in the textbox next to the "G" (near the top of the browser window) and press ENTER, Firefox will query the Google search engine for your search terms. You can either click on this textbox or press Ctrl + K to switch the cursor to this box.

However, you can change this option to search other engines, including:

* Amazon.com
* Answers.com
* Creative Commons
* eBay
* Yahoo
* Wikipedia

To make this change, click on the "G". You can then select one of the listed search engines to change Firefox's default. Or, you can select another search engine not in this list.

1. Select "Manage Search Engines" from the aforementioned pull-down.

2. The "Manage Search Engine List" dialog box appears. Select "Get more search engines".


Firefox's "Manage Search Engine List" dialog box



3. A webpage appears in Firefox with options to add more engines to the list, including:

* Ask.com
* ESPN
* IMDB (Internet Movie Database)
* Live.com
* Weather Channel

Click the "Add to Firefox" button next to the search engine you wish to add.


Adding Technorati search engine support to Firefox



4. A dialog box appears asking you to confirm adding the search engine support to Firefox. Click "Add".


5. Now, to search the web using your downloaded search engine (e.g. Technorati), just click the "G" pull-down and choose your search engine. The "G" will turn into the search engine's logo (e.g. the Technorati logo).

7. Type in a search query and press ENTER, and the installed search engine will be used to find results for your query.

This tip was written for Mozilla Firefox v3.0.4. Screenshots and instructions for other versions may vary.

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The MalekTips website was created in 1998 by Andrew Malek of Envision Programming. The page's goal is to freely disperse computer-related tips, hints, and informative articles. Tips are organized to be easy to find, and are presented clearly, in easy-to-understand language. MalekTips also provides information and links to public-domain, open source, freeware, shareware, and commercial software available for download. < more >