The trial version of Firefox, Nightly, has started showing the search query in the URL bar instead of the full URL of the query. The function can be switched off. Firefox replaces the url only when using the browser’s default search engine.
It is unknown why Mozilla wants to test the change. Ghacks notes that the change can be reversed by unchecking an option in the settings menu. The function can be found there under Search or Search and is listed under the option to use the url bar as a search bar.
This is enabled by default in Nightly and ensures that users see the search term instead of the full url of the search query. The url is also not easy to call up, which means that users cannot copy the link to a search query, for example. In addition, users can no longer verify the domain they are on, says Ghacks.
It is unknown if and when the feature will be in the stable version of Firefox. It usually takes several weeks to months for functions in the Nightly version to be included in the stable version. The change is in Nightly version 110, the stable version of which should be released in February.
Firefox: search term instead of url bar. Left: stable Firefox 108, right Firefox Nightly 110