Firefox magic: Kill your Search box

Process all of your search engines in this same fashion, creating Quick Searches for each. When you're done, you can kiss that Search box good-bye.

Second method

The Bookmark Properties menu lets you add Quick Searches manually.

(Credit: Mozilla Firefox)

The second technique for converting search engines into Quick Searches accomplishes the same goal as the first, but it utilizes that pesky Search box while you've still got it around.

First, select Bookmarks -> Organize Bookmarks to open your bookmarks directory. Then go back to your open Firefox browser window. It's easiest to sit those two windows side by side.

Start with the first search engine in your Search box. For me, it's CNET Download.com. Type in "s" as your search term, and you'll be taken to this Download.com search result for "s." The URL in the address bar looks like this:

http://www.download.com/3120-20_4-0.html?tag=srch&qt=s

You see that "qt=s" in the URL? That's your search string. In order to change it to a quick search, all you need to do is change the search term to "%s". If you're searching for "s" already, all you have to do is add a percentage sign before it. The Quick Search URL will look like this:

http://www.download.com/3120-20_4-0.html?tag=srch&qt=%s

Copy that URL and go back to your Bookmarks window. Select any of the bookmarks in the Quick Searches folder, and hit "New Bookmark." In the ensuing dialog window, add the name of the search ("Download.com search"); the "Location," which is the URL above (http://www.download.com/3120-20_4-0.html?tag=srch&qt=%s); the keyword you want to use (I chose "dl"); and any optional description. Then hit "OK." You've now got a new Quick Search for Download.com

Simply repeat the process for each engine in your Search box until you create a Quick Search for all of them

Removing the Firefox Search box

Once you don't need the Search box, it's simple to remove it.

(Credit: Mozilla Firefox)

Now here's the easiest part of the whole process. The Search box can be removed like any other element in your Firefox toolbar. Right-click on any open space in your toolbar, and select "Customize" from the context menu. A Customize Toolbar dialog will then appear.

Simply click on any part of Firefox's Search box (your mouse will transform into a hand icon when hovering over the Search box) and drag it into the Customize Toolbar window. Now you see it; now you don't!

If you've got anything like the default Firefox interface, your location bar will now expand all the way across the toolbar to the right edge of the browser. And if you ever get lost and confused without your Search box, you can always bring it back by opening the Customize Toolbar dialog and dragging the Search box anywhere you'd like on the toolbar.

Sample Quick Search bookmarks

If you're still not quite sure what I'm talking about, you can download this CNET Download.com Searches bookmarks file to view some examples. Once you've saved it locally, open Firefox, then go to Bookmarks -> Organize Bookmarks. From the Organize Bookmarks menu, select File -> Import, select "Import Bookmarks from File," and then browse to the "download_search_bookmarks.html" file you saved locally.

Now you'll have a new bookmarks folder named "CNET Download.com Searches" at the bottom of your bookmarks that includes these 20 Quick Searches listed here:

Amazon.com - Type "ama