Hi darthno2, I assume you mean the list that drops down automatically when you click the bar, and not the matches that show up when you start typing in the bar.

As I'm sure you recall, Firefox 75 introduced a new behavior to the address bar: when the focus (cursor) moves into the bar, a list of your first 8 Top Sites would drop down automatically.

There was a workaround for Firefox 75-77 to switch that to your classic frequently visited URLs list by disabling the Top Sites section of the new tab page. Sounds like you were using that. That doesn't work any more in Firefox 78.

So... what are your options?

When you type a space, Firefox will show the full classic frequently visited URLs list as a match for that, but it's not automatic/mouseable.

Otherwise, you could clean up the Top Sites list Firefox uses automatically to maximize the use of the 8 slots. (In the next release, Firefox 79, Firefox will list more Top Sites, so make sure you have at least two rows of Top Sites set up to take advantage of that.) Here's how:

Manual Cleanup Method

(1) At least temporarily, you need to turn the Top Sites section of the Firefox Home / news tab page back on: Customize your New Tab page to hide or display content

(2) Open about:newtab or about:home to display the Top Sites list. You can remove unwanted "Top Sites" by hovering your mouse over them, clicking the menu button that appears, and using either unpin (to let the site float back into a frequency-based order) or dismiss if you never want to see it. More info: Customize your Firefox New Tab page.

Firefox will gradually add your most frequently visited pages to the list.

You also can take control of this list by adding the sites you most want to see every time you click the address bar, in the order you want them to appear. If they are sites from history, this will be easier after Firefox adds those sites to the page than if you use the feature to add them manually.

Flush Pinned Tabs Method

If you have never customized the list and want to clear it, you can try this approach I saw suggested on Reddit:

(A) In a new tab, type or paste about:config in the address bar and press Enter/Return. Click the button accepting the risk.

(B) In the search box in the page, type or paste newt and pause while the list is filtered

(C) On the row for the browser.newtabpage.pinned preference, click the trash can icon at the right end to empty it. (Or you can double-click the value to display an editing field, delete the contents, then press Enter or click the blue check mark button to save the change.)

Firefox should eventually add your most frequently visited sites to the list once it is cleared.

More info on about:config: Configuration Editor for Firefox.

I'll also mention that I created an add-on to show a similar frequently visited URLs list in a separate drop-down panel. It maxes out at 20 before you need to scroll, so if you can't make the built-in feature work for you, you could take a look and see what you think:

https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/show-history-top-sites-button/

A couple configuration notes:

(1) Use the "gear" button on the toolbar button drop-down to open the options page and increase the list length from 15 to 20 or more.

(2) Turn off the header above the list by clicking the little triangle at the right end to make space for more sites.

How long do we have to wait for FF 79 to come out and this address bar is fixed? This has been the WORST update from Firefox that I've ever seen and I've been using Firefox for almost 15 years. I just can't use it anymore. This address bar fiasco is just that, an absolute fiasco! I shouldn't have to go download a mod to use this "internet explorer" the way I've been using it since it's original release. I can't delete the pre-populated menu, I can't customize it, I can't extend it, I already lost countless hours due to frustration at work and at home because of it. It seems to be completely random what pages it decides to throw up there. My #2 visited site at home and my #2 visited site at work, to my best guess, are banned from appearing on their new address list. I just visited a new site I have never been to before and now it's on my address bar dropdown. WHY? I've visited a dozen more popular pages and even spent 10 minutes entering the same address to get it to populate on the list and remove this new (I'm assuming "Approved by Firefox") website from this completely worthless dropdown list.

MOZILLA!!! THIS IS COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE!!!!

I'm looking for a new browser, I can't keep fighting these unnecessary changes.

15+ years and in a single update it's scrap to be tossed on a garbage pile. Thanks for nothing!

Hi darthno2, Firefox 79 is due out in a few weeks, but the main change will be a few more items on the Top Sites list. You still need to get the list working the way you need.

I can't delete the pre-populated menu, I can't customize it, I can't extend it, I already lost countless hours due to frustration at work and at home because of it. It seems to be completely random what pages it decides to throw up there. My #2 visited site at home and my #2 visited site at work, to my best guess, are banned from appearing on their new address list. I just visited a new site I have never been to before and now it's on my address bar dropdown.

When you say you can't delete it, do you mean you can't prevent Firefox from showing it? There is a setting for that on the Options page:

If you decide to keep using the Top Sites list, what is the problem you've run into with customizing it the way I mentioned through the new tab page? Please tell me where in the process you're running into a problem.

Regarding missing sites compared with the classic (spacebar) list: there definitely are some sites that will never come up in the Top Sites list channeled through the new tab page. Those are sites which have been marked hidden in the history database. I think that might happen if you ever Shift+Deleted the site off the address bar drop-down. However, I'm just speculating because I haven't been able to find a conclusive answer to that. I'm hoping that will get sorted out in a future update, but I have no idea when that might happen.

I want the "new" spacebar option to be my default, Like It Always Was! From what I can tell this new 7 sites BS cannot be changed or manipulated in any way. I tried what you suggest, I turned off Top Sites, but then there was nothing populated in the illustrious group of 7 dropdown.

I just don't understand why there were any changes made to the address bar, it worked, was easy to use, easy to understand, simplistic and fully functional. Adding extra steps takes away from that. Now it's a convoluted mess that completely lacks a way to meaningfully customize it. It didn't need to be this way. They fundamentally changed the way I and many other users use their program. An intrinsic feature from the beginning. I really don't see a point to this new method except to add extra steps to get to where you want to go.

How long do we have to wait for FF 79 to come out and this address bar is fixed? This has been the WORST update from Firefox that I've ever seen and I've been using Firefox for almost 15 years. I just can't use it anymore. This address bar fiasco is just that, an absolute fiasco! I shouldn't have to go download a mod to use this "internet explorer" the way I've been using it since it's original release. I can't delete the pre-populated menu, I can't customize it, I can't extend it, I already lost countless hours due to frustration at work and at home because of it. It seems to be completely random what pages it decides to throw up there. My #2 visited site at home and my #2 visited site at work, to my best guess, are banned from appearing on their new address list. I just visited a new site I have never been to before and now it's on my address bar dropdown. WHY? I've visited a dozen more popular pages and even spent 10 minutes entering the same address to get it to populate on the list and remove this new (I'm assuming "Approved by Firefox") website from this completely worthless dropdown list. MOZILLA!!! THIS IS COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE!!!! I'm looking for a new browser, I can't keep fighting these unnecessary changes. 15+ years and in a single update it's scrap to be tossed on a garbage pile. Thanks for nothing!

I completely agree

Hi darthno2, support forum volunteers are not miracle workers. Here is the closest you can get to the original list with the built-in features:

(A) Type a space in the bar for the actual list

(B) Enable Top Sites and clean them up for a similar list (currently with fewer items)

• Address Bar section: keep the box checked for Top Sites
• Firefox Home Content: keep the box checked for Top Sites, and add more rows in preparation for Firefox 79

The automatic drop-down should exactly mirror your first 8 top sites, although if you removed the search engine for one of the pinned search shortcuts, that slot will be wasted, and you should unpin that shortcut as mentioned in earlier replies.

Using Top Sites as your default list instead of history offers you more control, if you want it. In my opinion, there never should have been a limit of 8 sites, but that will be fixed in the next release.

In case you were hoping to influence the direction of features in the future, you have many choices to submit suggestions, depending on your desired style of interaction:

Discussion Sites/Advocacy

• Mozilla Discourse: https://discourse.mozilla.org/
  If none of the categories seem to fit, try https://discourse.mozilla.org/c/firefox-development
• Reddit (monitored by Mozilla): https://www.reddit.com/r/firefox/
• I saw someone created a Change.org petition but I don't know who sees those

Limited Length Comments

• Feedback site: https://qsurvey.mozilla.com/s3/FirefoxInput/
• Twitter (Mozilla official): https://twitter.com/firefox

We are now on version 82 and this feature still has not been readded to the program.

I cannot continue to operation with 7 links in my dropdown menu. Most of those links by the way, STILL are NOT my top sites. I don't know what yall did to Firefox recently but it's become completely unusable for me. 15 years using this program and I'm stuck looking for one that actually works.

Thanks for taking away core features, really smart moves on your part.

UNINSTALLED!!!!!