Google in Firefox: What to Know About Setting a Default

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To make Google the persistent default in Firefox, choose it under the browser’s Default search engine setting. On desktop, go to Menu > Settings > Search. On Android, tap the search-engine icon in the address bar, open Search settings, then choose Default search engine and select Google if it is listed.

Change the default in desktop Firefox

1. Open the Firefox menu and select Settings. In some contexts, this screen may be called Preferences.

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2. Select Search in the left pane.

3. Under Default search engine, choose Google from the dropdown. Mozilla’s Manage Firefox search settings help page describes this dropdown as the control for choosing the search engine used by default.

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4. Enter a search in the address bar to confirm Firefox uses Google.

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Change the default in Firefox for Android

1. Tap the search-engine icon in the address bar.

2. Tap Search settings, then Default search engine.

3. Choose Google if it appears in the list. Mozilla’s instructions for managing default search engines in Firefox for Android describe this route.

One-time Google search or a permanent default?

Selecting Google from the address-bar search-engine menu can use it for a single search without changing Firefox’s saved default. To have later address-bar searches use Google too, change the Default search engine setting for your platform.

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If Google is missing or the setting changes back

Google is not in the list

Firefox’s built-in search-engine options can vary by region and language. Mozilla documents adding a custom engine; the controls depend on the platform and Firefox version. For Android, open Search settings > Default search engine > Add search engine if that option is available. Mozilla’s Add or remove a search engine in Firefox help page gives Google’s search URL as https://www.google.com/search?q=%s. The %s represents the place where Firefox inserts your search terms.

The default keeps changing

Review your installed extensions. Mozilla notes that an extension can set a new default search engine. If an extension changed the preference, check its settings or disable it, then select Google again under Firefox’s Default search engine control.

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