Entering an keyword in the adressbar leads to google and not to the website as in the older version; how can I change this?

Question

''Duplicate post, continue here - [https://support.mozilla.com/en-US/questions/806111]''
When I enter any keyword in the adress bar, only the google search enginge opens instead of leading direct to the desired website. In the older FF version it always lead to the website directly.
How can I change this?
Many Thanks!

Answer 1

The change between Firefox 3.6.* and Firefox 4 is how location bar search works. In Firefox 3.6 it uses Google "Browse by name" search. With the browse by name search, it performs a Google search and if there is a clear match it will take you to the site, otherwise it shows the Google search result. With Firefox 4 it just performs a Google search if you type something which is not recognised as a URL.
To get the Firefox 3.6 behaviour on Firefox 4 you need to change a hidden preference.
# Type '''about:config''' into the location bar and press enter
# Accept the warning message that appears, you will be taken to a list of preferences
# Locate the preference '''keyword.URL''', double-click on it and change its value to the link shown below
[http://www.google.com/search?ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=navclient&gfns=1&q= http://www.google.com/search?ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=navclient&gfns=1&q=]
If you prefer, you can also do this by installing the Browse by Name extension - https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/browse-by-name