# ContextSearch web-ext

> Select text and search from the context menu or a tiled popup using any of your installed search engines. Add new search engines with a right-click, edit favicons and query strings. POST compatible, simple UI, highly configurable. For FF 57+

Canonical page: [https://chrome-stats.com/d/contextsearch-web-ext](https://chrome-stats.com/d/contextsearch-web-ext)

## Overview

- **ID:** `contextsearch-web-ext`
- **Platform:** Firefox
- **Type:** Firefox add-on
- **Status:** Available
- **Publisher:** Mike B
- **Category:** search-tools,other
- **Daily users:** 3,186
- **Weekly downloads:** 28
- **Rating:** 4.68 / 5 (217 ratings)
- **Version:** 1.48.4.13
- **Last updated:** 2026-01-22
- **First published:** 2017-12-01
- **Size:** 635 KB
- **Data as of:** 2026-09-06
- **Store listing:** [Firefox Add-ons Store](https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/contextsearch-web-ext/)
- **Website:** [https://github.com/ssborbis/ContextSearch-web-ext](https://github.com/ssborbis/ContextSearch-web-ext)
- **Privacy policy:** [https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/contextsearch-web-ext/privacy/](https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/contextsearch-web-ext/privacy/)

## Description

**ContextSearch web-ext** is a comprehensive Firefox add-on designed for seamless and powerful search capabilities. Compatible with Firefox 57+, it lets you select text and instantly search using any installed search engine via a convenient context menu or a tiled popup interface.

Key features include importing your current search engines, managing them with subfolders and separators, supporting both POST and GET search queries, reverse-image and site search, and quick addition of new search engines through right-click. Customize icons, query parameters, and even create custom OpenSearch engines for the Firefox toolbar. The add-on supports international character sets, offers lite and dark themes, and allows custom CSS styling for menus, enhancing both usability and appearance.

Whether you need enhanced context menu searches or a quick-access popup for multiple engines, ContextSearch web-ext delivers a simple yet highly configurable experience tailored for efficient browsing and searching.

## Rankings

- #1,624 — Overall
- #184 — Search Tools
- #249 — Other extensions
- #7 — context menu
- #25 — concert
- #57 — web

## Permissions and access

### Permissions

- `activeTab`
- `contextMenus`
- `storage`
- `tabs`
- `search`
- `unlimitedStorage`
- `webNavigation`
- `scripting`

### Host permissions

- `<all_urls>`

### Content script matches

- `<all_urls>`

## Safety

- **Risk impact:** High risk impact
- **Risk likelihood:** Moderate risk likelihood

### Analysis details

- Grants access to browser tabs, which can be used to track user browsing habits and history, presenting a privacy concern.
- This extension has low user count. Unpopular extensions may not be stable or safe.

> Some risk analysis details are omitted from this free response. [Upgrade to view the full analysis](https://chrome-stats.com/pricing).

## Review summary

Reviews consistently praise ContextSearch web-ext for its customization and versatility, especially as a replacement for the defunct Swift Selection Search. It offers multiple menus and configurable UI to fit user preferences, and can drive searches across several sites at once. A few single reviews mention learning curves and some issues (e.g., saved settings, minor encoding or sidebar problems), but there is no strong, recurring drawback reported across multiple reviews.

### Pros

- Highly customizable with extensive UI options and multiple launch menus (Context/Quick/Toolbar/Sidebar).
- Strong replacement for the defunct Swift Selection Search.
- Supports launching searches across multiple sites at once, expanding capabilities beyond standard web search.
- Positive, broad user feedback across languages highlighting flexibility and configurability.

## Similar extensions and apps

- [Context Search](https://chrome-stats.com/d/contextsearch) — 491 users, 3.88 / 5
- [Context Search](https://chrome-stats.com/d/contextual-search) — 3,606 users, 4.39 / 5
- [Simple Context Search](https://chrome-stats.com/d/simple-context-search) — 475 users, 4.79 / 5
- [Custom Context Search](https://chrome-stats.com/d/custom-context-search) — 27 users
- [Search from Popup or ContextMenu](https://chrome-stats.com/d/searchfrompopuporcontextmenu) — 164 users, 4.77 / 5
- [Custom Search Menu](https://chrome-stats.com/d/custom-search-menu) — 3 users, 5.00 / 5
- [Context Web Search](https://chrome-stats.com/d/context-web-search) — 62 users, 4.40 / 5
- [Context Searcher](https://chrome-stats.com/d/context-searcher) — 4 users
- [Custom context menu searches](https://chrome-stats.com/d/custom-context-menu-searches) — 98 users, 4.50 / 5
- [Expand Search Context Menu](https://chrome-stats.com/d/expand-search-context-menu) — 1 users
- [Contextual](https://chrome-stats.com/d/contextual) — 6 users, 5.00 / 5
- [Context Search Origin](https://chrome-stats.com/d/context-search-we) — 664 users, 4.31 / 5

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Source: [Chrome-Stats](https://chrome-stats.com/d/contextsearch-web-ext)