Firefox Address Bar Update Test Day Event 2025
The address bar is one of the most prominent areas in any browser, and Firefox is no exception. Understanding its importance, the Firefox team has been working on a set of complementary features designed to improve the discoverability and security of Firefox’s address bar.
With this set of features landing in Firefox Beta 135, we need your expertise to help us test these enhancements and be a part of shaping the future of Firefox.
This is a great opportunity if you’re looking to build a portfolio as a software tester. And as a bonus, you will get a chance to win vouchers! Top 5 contributors will each receive a $50 voucher to shop at Mozilla’s swag stores as a thank-you for your efforts.
Join the campaign
Here’s how you can enable this feature and help test it in Firefox Beta.
Step 1: Enable the pref & restart
Open your Firefox Beta, go to about:config, and type messaging-system-action.testday, select string type, click + at the end of the line, and set the value to testday. Restart your browser for the change to take effect. Open a new tab upon restarting, a modal window will appear and welcome you to the Mozilla Testdays.
Step 2: Report an issue
Browse like you normally do, but pay attention to the address bar experience. Report any problems or abnormalities that you encounter, using this form.
Step 3: Submit feedback
At the end of the campaign, you’ll also have the option to submit feedback, by following the prompt in your browser’s new tab page.
Tutorial Video
Feature overview
Here are the changes that we are introducing with this update:
- Unified Search Button: Moving the shortcuts at the bottom of the URL bar dropdown into a more prominent position, and adding labels that increase clarity. You can also use “@” to trigger any search shortcut.
- Search Term Persistence: Providing quick access and a consistent place to perform a search on search engines that are shipped with Firefox.
- Secondary Action Buttons: Modernizing the design language for secondary actions, which can also be triggered by keyword matching.
- Contextual Search Mode: Searching with an engine not previously added to Firefox was a chore so, now, Firefox detects if you are on a page that has search capability and offers that option for you to directly search with the page engine from the address bar. Use this option at least 2 times and Firefox will suggest adding the search engine to your Firefox.
- Contextual Search Engine Options: Use Contextual Search mode option at least 2 times and Firefox will suggest adding the search engine to your Firefox.
- Intuitive Search Keywords: Accessing various address bar search modes with convenient and descriptive keywords (e.g. @bookmarks, @tabs, @history, @actions).
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: I don’t get a Mozilla Testdays screen upon restarting my Firefox Beta. What did I do wrong?
A: Make sure you’re using Firefox Beta version 135 with the en-US build (it won’t work with Firefox Developer Edition). If you’re currently using Firefox Developer Edition or Firefox Beta on another locale build, you can download and install the en-US build from this link. If you’re using an older version of Firefox Beta in en-US locale, please update your Firefox Beta (check out this article on how to update). The welcome screen will appear on a new tab after you restart the browser.
Q: I’ve done the above, but I haven’t seen a welcome screen.
A: Make sure if you have enabled Studies. Open about:preferences#privacy, scroll down to Firefox Data Collection and make sure that Allow Firefox to install and run studies is checked. If it’s greyed out, then you need to go to about:config and check the value for app.normandy.enabled and set it to true if it’s false.
Q: Are there any specific test cases?
A: Instead of following rigid test cases, we encourage you to browse as you normally would. This allows us to gather insights on how the new search experience fits into your everyday browsing habits, ensuring that it aligns with real-world usage.
Q: I am new into using Firefox Beta, what can I do to improve my address bar experience?
A: If you are a new Firefox user, consider importing your bookmarks and other data from your previous browser (check out this one if you’re coming from Chrome).
If you’re an existing Firefox user on another release channel, consider logging in with your Mozilla account if you have one to sync your Firefox data across devices (e.g. Firefox Desktop and Firefox on your mobile phone) and release channels (e.g. Firefox Beta and Firefox Nightly). That’ll help you access your existing data, such as bookmarks, browsing history, open tabs, etc.
Q: Any tips for reporting an issue?
A: Keep an eye out for search-related errors in the browser console (use “Ctrl/CMD+Shift+J” to open). Also, relevant logs can be helpful to include when submitting a report bug.
Q: Where can I report an issue?
A: You can report any issues you encounter using this form. It’s a predefined form, so you just need to fill out the summary & description of the issue. Note that it’s important not to change the predefined product, component, and keywords.
Q: How do you define top contributors?
A: We’ll be reviewing all bug submissions at the end of the campaign. The contributors who submit the highest number of credible reports will be recognized as top contributors.