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A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11Google became the default search engine in Linux Mint’s repository version of Firefox as part of a commercial and technical partnership with Mozilla announced on January 10, 2022. Mint said the change also brought its Firefox build closer to Mozilla’s configuration and reduced the work needed to maintain it. The announcement did not disclose the payment amount or contract terms, and it does not establish what Mint’s default or deal terms are today.
What changed in Linux Mint’s Firefox?
Linux Mint said it would move its repository version of Firefox closer to Mozilla’s build and default configuration. That included replacing Mint’s search-engine defaults with Mozilla’s set, which included Google. This was a change to the default configuration—not a removal of users’ ability to choose another search engine.
The change was announced on January 10, 2022. Firefox 95 already included it in the Linux Mint 20.3 beta; Firefox 96 was used for the broader transition. Mint’s January 11 update described its scope as repository Firefox in Mint 19.x, 20, 20.1, 20.2, and LMDE 4. Those release details describe the 2022 transition, not a current support matrix. Linux Mint’s announcement and its Firefox 96 update provide the project’s account.
Was this a commercial deal?
Yes. Linux Mint project lead Clem described the Mozilla relationship as both commercial and technical. Mint said Google was the only search engine generating income for Linux Mint in Firefox under the arrangement described in that January 2022 post. The same post named Yahoo, DuckDuckGo, and Startpage as income-generating engines in other browsers—a distinction specific to the time and browser context.
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Mint did not publish the payment amount, calculation, duration, or other terms of its Mozilla agreement. The post also gave non-financial reasons for the change: making Firefox easier to maintain and develop, aligning the Mint experience more closely with Mozilla’s version, and meeting Mozilla’s requests concerning the product’s name, branding, and identity. The available announcement establishes a commercial relationship and changed defaults; it does not establish that money was the sole motive.
What did the change mean for users?
Mint said the transition applied to Firefox installed from its official repositories as a .deb package. Its update said Firefox Flatpak, downloads from Mozilla, PPA builds, and other browsers were outside the change described in those posts.
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Settings that users had not explicitly changed could follow the new upstream defaults. Mint said users who had already selected Google as their default would retain it as a core engine; users relying on Mint’s Yahoo, DuckDuckGo, or Startpage defaults could find the default changed to Google. DuckDuckGo remained available in Mozilla’s configuration, though Mint noted that it used a different URL. To choose another available engine, review Firefox’s search settings and select the preferred option.
How does this fit Linux Mint’s earlier search partnerships?
Mint had connected search defaults with project funding before the Mozilla partnership. In a 2008 post, it described a customized Google search plugin and said it generated substantial revenue for the project. In 2011, Mint announced a DuckDuckGo partnership involving revenue sharing from sponsored links. These historical arrangements show that search partnerships were not new to Mint, but they do not reveal the financial terms of the 2022 Mozilla deal. Mint’s Google plugin post and its DuckDuckGo partnership announcement describe those earlier arrangements.
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Why do Firefox defaults change?
Search defaults can vary by time and market. Mozilla’s 2014 announcement described a five-year Yahoo partnership for the U.S. default experience while keeping Google as a pre-installed option. In 2017, Mozilla announced Google as the default in the United States, Canada, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. These announcements are historical examples, not evidence of Mint’s current default or of the terms of Mint’s 2022 deal. Mozilla’s 2014 announcement and its 2017 announcement specify their respective contexts.
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Mozilla also announced a separate Google agreement in 2011, saying it extended for at least three years and that its terms were confidential. Those terms concern Mozilla’s agreement, not Linux Mint’s 2022 partnership, and should not be applied to it. Mozilla’s 2011 announcement gives that separate account.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What is known about the arrangement today?
The documented Mint change is from January 2022. The available information does not establish whether the same commercial arrangement or Firefox default remains in place in 2026. Linux Mint’s August 2026 blog result says search engines are configurable, but does not specify the current Firefox default or partnership terms. Treat the 2022 details as historical rather than assuming they still apply.
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