Search with Safari, does not work

This has been driving me nuts for the past three years or so and I reported it as a bug - I seem to recall Apple came back saying it was a known issue and was on the list of things to fix.

The more people report this as a bug, the higher it'll get on the list of priorities to fix. Right now, they're working on the next default typeface.

Address bar is used for entering websites links , and once you enter the link and click on enter it opens , and the address bar will not translate the language from French to English , you can search the translators on the internet .

I'm afraid you've misunderstood the problem. The problem isn't that we're trying to use the combined web address/search bar as a translation tool, it is that we're trying to use it as a search bar, which has been supported by macOS for several years.

The example the original author gave was that he was trying to search for 'translate french into english' websites, he wasn't expecting the search bar to translate that sentence into another language.

What is happening is that, every so often, when you type in a search query, the Safari treats the search string as a web address not a search and therefore fails. Annoyingly, it also changes the spaces into %20 in the string, so you can't simply cut and paste the search you entered into Google, you have to go to google and then retype it.

When I clicked on the link posted by Dominic 23 translate French into English it directly opens in the browser .

It seems some problem with the server , in safari preferences > general in home page > the search engine - is it www. google. com .

@tygb - It's a random error that can happen with any link at any time, but it will work 90% of the time. However, once it occurs, then it will continue giving the same issue for some time unless you restart Safari (which is less than ideal as I often find myself logged out of several sessions).

translate french to english works without any problem here.

1. Disable Extensions and test.

Safari > Preferences > Extensions

Uncheck boxes beside “Enable Extension” and test.

Enable Extensions one by one and test.

To uninstall any extension, select it and click the “Uninstall” button.

2. Delete Caches

Close all windows and quit all applications.

Hold "option" key down and click "Go" menu in the Finder menu bar.

Select "Library" from the dropdown.

Library > Caches > com.apple.Safari

Right click the com.apple.Safari file and select "Move To Trash.

3. Delete Cookies

Safari > Preferences > Privacy > Cookies and other website data:

Click the “Details” button.

Remove all cookies except ones from Apple, your internet service provider and banks.

If you try using another search engine does the same thing happen?

I'm not sure, google is my preferred search engine, but I'll try changing to bing as the default and report back.

@Eric Yes, it does still happen with another search engine!