diff --git a/modules/programs/firefox.nix b/modules/programs/firefox.nix
index 7eb06465a..797bb1f20 100644
--- a/modules/programs/firefox.nix
+++ b/modules/programs/firefox.nix
@@ -653,15 +653,21 @@ in {
                 + "from outside of ${appName} is a malicious act, and will be responded "
                 + "to accordingly.";
 
-              salt = profile.path + profile.search.default
-                + disclaimer "Firefox";
+              salt = if profile.search.default != null then
+                profile.path + profile.search.default + disclaimer "Firefox"
+              else
+                null;
             in pkgs.runCommand "search.json.mozlz4" {
               nativeBuildInputs = with pkgs; [ mozlz4a openssl ];
               json = builtins.toJSON settings;
               inherit salt;
             } ''
-              export hash=$(echo -n "$salt" | openssl dgst -sha256 -binary | base64)
-              mozlz4a <(substituteStream json search.json.in --subst-var hash) "$out"
+              if [[ -n $salt ]]; then
+                export hash=$(echo -n "$salt" | openssl dgst -sha256 -binary | base64)
+                mozlz4a <(substituteStream json search.json.in --subst-var hash) "$out"
+              else
+                mozlz4a <(echo "$json") "$out"
+              fi
             '';
           };
 
diff --git a/tests/modules/programs/firefox/profile-settings-expected-search-without-default.json b/tests/modules/programs/firefox/profile-settings-expected-search-without-default.json
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b845dad42
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/modules/programs/firefox/profile-settings-expected-search-without-default.json
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+{
+  "engines": [
+    {
+      "_isAppProvided": true,
+      "_metaData": {
+        "order": 1
+      },
+      "_name": "Google"
+    },
+    {
+      "_definedAliases": [
+        "@np"
+      ],
+      "_isAppProvided": false,
+      "_loadPath": "[home-manager]/programs.firefox.profiles.searchWithoutDefault.search.engines.\"Nix Packages\"",
+      "_metaData": {
+        "order": 2
+      },
+      "_name": "Nix Packages",
+      "_urls": [
+        {
+          "params": [
+            {
+              "name": "type",
+              "value": "packages"
+            },
+            {
+              "name": "query",
+              "value": "{searchTerms}"
+            }
+          ],
+          "template": "https://search.nixos.org/packages"
+        }
+      ]
+    }
+  ],
+  "metaData": {
+    "useSavedOrder": true
+  },
+  "version": 6
+}
diff --git a/tests/modules/programs/firefox/profile-settings.nix b/tests/modules/programs/firefox/profile-settings.nix
index 278f3dbb9..3b5d6cc81 100644
--- a/tests/modules/programs/firefox/profile-settings.nix
+++ b/tests/modules/programs/firefox/profile-settings.nix
@@ -109,6 +109,33 @@ lib.mkIf config.test.enableBig {
         };
       };
     };
+
+    profiles.searchWithoutDefault = {
+      id = 4;
+      search = {
+        force = true;
+        order = [ "Google" "Nix Packages" ];
+        engines = {
+          "Nix Packages" = {
+            urls = [{
+              template = "https://search.nixos.org/packages";
+              params = [
+                {
+                  name = "type";
+                  value = "packages";
+                }
+                {
+                  name = "query";
+                  value = "{searchTerms}";
+                }
+              ];
+            }];
+
+            definedAliases = [ "@np" ];
+          };
+        };
+      };
+    };
   };
 
   nixpkgs.overlays = [
@@ -151,14 +178,23 @@ lib.mkIf config.test.enableBig {
       $bookmarksFile \
       ${./profile-settings-expected-bookmarks.html}
 
-    compressedSearch=$(normalizeStorePaths \
-      home-files/.mozilla/firefox/search/search.json.mozlz4)
+    function assertFirefoxSearchContent() {
+      compressedSearch=$(normalizeStorePaths "$1")
 
-    decompressedSearch=$(dirname $compressedSearch)/search.json
-    ${pkgs.mozlz4a}/bin/mozlz4a -d "$compressedSearch" >(${pkgs.jq}/bin/jq . > "$decompressedSearch")
+      decompressedSearch=$(dirname $compressedSearch)/search.json
+      ${pkgs.mozlz4a}/bin/mozlz4a -d "$compressedSearch" >(${pkgs.jq}/bin/jq . > "$decompressedSearch")
 
-    assertFileContent \
-      $decompressedSearch \
+      assertFileContent \
+        $decompressedSearch \
+        "$2"
+    }
+
+    assertFirefoxSearchContent \
+      home-files/.mozilla/firefox/search/search.json.mozlz4 \
       ${./profile-settings-expected-search.json}
+
+    assertFirefoxSearchContent \
+      home-files/.mozilla/firefox/searchWithoutDefault/search.json.mozlz4 \
+      ${./profile-settings-expected-search-without-default.json}
   '';
 }