In some countries, Mozilla offers direct access to Perplexity in its search bar. Is this a first step before offering the option to configure it as the default?
Firefox makes Perplexity easier to access
What if Perplexity joined the list of default search engines in Firefox? It’s now a possibility that can’t be ruled out. For the past few days, Mozilla has been quietly conducting an experiment on version 139 of its browser, aimed at facilitating access to this engine powered by artificial intelligence.
As reported by Windows Report, Perplexity has been available since June 10, 2025, in Firefox’s unified search button, introduced in version 138, which allows you to easily switch between engines after entering a query (see cover image). This test, currently limited to the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany, was confirmed on the Connect forum by Mozilla’s product manager for search. French users will, however, have to be patient. The deployment date for this feature has not been communicated.
Mozilla is banking on generative AI to reinvent Firefox
In other words, Perplexity cannot yet be set as the default in settings, unlike Google, DuckDuckGo, Bing, or Wikipedia. Integration of the engine, known for its accurate, multi-source answers, therefore remains limited. But it reflects Mozilla’s desire to inject more artificial intelligence into its browser, similar to Google, which is preparing to integrate Gemini into Chrome. Since February 2025, with the deployment of version 135, Firefox has already offered direct access to the main conversational agents on the market, from ChatGPT to Le Chat and Gemini. These chatbots can be invoked at any time via a sidebar, particularly to summarize a web page or simplify its content.
This pilot test is part of our broader effort to give you more choices about how you search and the tools you trust to help you. If the experience is positive, we may consider supporting more AI engines or search options in the future, Mozilla’s product manager said.
The integration, even partial, of Perplexity into Firefox is quite revealing of the shift initiated by Mozilla, which now seems to be banking on generative AI to stand out and try to regain market share, after fifteen years of decline. A possible partnership with Perplexity could establish it as an alternative, but Google should, barring a reversal of fortune, remain the default option on the browser. In 2020, of the $496 million generated by Mozilla during the fiscal year, more than $400 million came from its partnership with the Mountain View firm, ensuring the presence of its engine on Firefox. A partnership vital to the survival of the foundation, but today weakened by the proceedings brought against Google in the United States.
