Why did Firefox change my default search engine without asking me?
With the release of Version 57.0.1, Firefox changed the default search engine for a lot of users back to Google. In some cases users were notified, but in many more they weren't informed about these changes. This is the official reason: in the past there were more ways to change the default search engine for Firefox, but this was abused by malicious software providers. To prevent this, Firefox applied restrictions and made Google the default search engine. Unfortunately, this didn't only affect malicious software providers, but also legitimate alternative search engines like Ecosia. You can read more about it (technical text) here.
How can I make sure I'm searching with Ecosia?
Follow the four simple steps below:
- Open the Firefox Menu
- Click 'Preferences' (Mac) / 'Options' (Windows)
- Click 'Search'
- Make sure 'Ecosia Search' is selected as your default search engine
What if the above does not work?
If this shouldn't work for you or if Ecosia does not show up in the list of search engines, please follow the steps below:
- Go to 'Menu' -> 'Add-ons' and make sure the Ecosia Extension is not installed. If it is still installed, please 'Remove' it.
- Go to 'Menu' -> 'Settings' -> 'Search' and make sure Ecosia does not appear in the list of search engines. If it still appears, remove it.
- Close Firefox and re-open it again.
- Go to https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/ecosia-the-green-search/
- Click 'Add to Firefox' and follow the instructions to re-install the Ecosia extension.
Done!
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