The Firefox handle bar can do extra than simply search the web and pull up URLs. Within the newest model of Firefox, now you can create custom-made shortcuts to entry or search any web site. In the event you incessantly end up utilizing the “web site:” modifier in your Google searches, this one’s for you.
What Are Firefox Shortcuts?
Normally, once you wish to search an internet site, you’ve two choices. You need to use the in-built search function throughout the web site, or you’ll be able to run a global search on Google by limiting the search outcomes to that individual web site. So if you wish to seek for How-To Geek on Google, you may run a search like your question web site:howtogeek.com and that’ll solely present you outcomes from How-To Geek.
It really works positive for one-off searches, however what if it’s important to incessantly scan web sites like this? It will get clunky and tedious. With the brand new Firefox replace, as a substitute of typing out a question together with the search modifier, you’ll be able to simply sort a shortcut and your question subsequent to it.
You might search YouTube by typing one thing like this within the handle bar yt orange cats or Reddit with rd cool wallpapers. Fairly neat. And one of the best half is, this works for any web site that has a search function.
How To Create a Search Shortcut For Any Web site
To load a custom search engine into Firefox, you solely want one factor: the search question URL. Pay attention to the URL once you seek for something on YouTube. It ought to look one thing like this.
https://www.youtube.com/outcomes?search_query=cat+movies
Let’s strive Reddit too.
https://www.reddit.com/search/?q=cool+wallpapers
Lastly, that is the URL How-To Geek makes use of for search.
https://www.howtogeek.com/search/?q=android
Do you see the sample right here? The question comes after the equal signal, however the remainder of the URL stays the identical each time. That is the half we wish to program into our browser.
Open your Firefox settings (the hamburger menu > Settings) and transfer to the search tab. Alternatively, open this hyperlink:
about:preferences#search
Scroll right down to the Search Shortcuts part and click on the “Add” button. Give your customized search engine its identify and a key phrase.
Bear in mind the key phrase is how you’ll launch that individual search engine within the handle bar, so both sort an @ earlier than the key phrase so you do not unintentionally pull it up whereas typing one thing else or give it a singular identify like yt. It is easy to recollect and fast to sort.
Lastly, paste in that search URL we mentioned, however be sure you take away the half after the equal signal. Take away that, and exchange it with %s which can inform Firefox that is the place the question goes. It ought to seem like this.
https://www.youtube.com/outcomes?search_query=%s
Then click on Add Engine. To check it, merely sort yt within the search bar (or whichever key phrase you selected) and it ought to immediately flip right into a search engine chip.
A Shortcut For Creating Shortcuts
If manually discovering and typing URLs is simply too cumbersome for you, here is a shortcut for creating these shortcuts. First, open the goal web site and discover its search bar. For instance, load IMDb and right-click on its search bar. You must see “Add Search Engine” within the right-click context menu. Click on it. Now all it’s important to do is give it a key phrase identical to you probably did earlier than. I assigned it “imdb,” and with that you simply simply need to sort imdb within the Firefox handle bar to look IMDb instantly. It ought to work for any web site that has a useful search bar.
My Shortcut Starter Pack
You are able to do the identical with Reddit or How-To Geek, simply make sure to overwrite your question with the “%s” placeholder. I will share search shortcuts I take advantage of, and you may copy the URLs and create your personal simply.
For Pinterest, I take advantage of the key phrase “pin” and use this template URL for the shortcut.
https://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=%s
For Gmail, I take advantage of the set off “gm” and this URL:
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#search/%s
For Google Drive my key phrase is “gdrive” and it really works on this URL. With that you simply
https://drive.google.com/drive/search?q=%s
For Amazon, you’ll be able to strive the key phrase “amz” and use the next URL.
https://www.amazon.com/s?okay=%s
For Wikipedia, the set off code “wiki” and this URL work.
https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?search=%s
For Reddit, strive “rd” because the key phrase and the next URL for the browser shortcut.
https://www.reddit.com/search/?q=%s
For Twitter, use tw and this URL
https://twitter.com/search?q=%s
Bonus tip: it’s also possible to use triggers like @historical past @tabs @bookmarks and @actions to shortly navigate Firefox options. The @actions shortcut brings up a useful bunch of buttons, together with a button for taking screenshots.
If you wish to dig up the URL for any web site of your selection, simply run a random question by way of its search bar and replica the URL. Then simply take out the question and exchange it with a proportion signal and lowercase s.
