Recently we reported Mozilla to show search suggestions and sponsored content in the address bar in Firefox under “Firefox Suggest“. The feature landed into Firefox 92, if you don’t want to see it anymore, here is how you can disable it.
Before we get to the point, here is whahttps://techdows.com/2021/09/whats-new-in-firefox-92.htmlt Firefox Suggest feature is anyway.
Firefox with comibined address and search bar allows to visit websites and do searches.
As you start to type your queries, Firefox begins to show relevant suggestions based on your browsing history, bookmarks, and open tabs.
Reasons to hate or dislike Firefox Suggest
- With the new release, Firefox now groups search suggestions in the address bar.
- You may not want to see or click on sponsored search suggestions.
“Firefox suggest may sometimes include sponsored content from Mozilla’s advertising partners“, Mozilla confirms on the feature page. - When you click on a suggestion, Firefox sends data to its advertising Partner.
Search suggestions grouped under Firefox Suggest in the address bar
From the beginning in Nightly, we didn’t like Firefox showing search suggestions separately at the bottom. If you also hate this, here is how you can prevent Firefox Suggest from appearing in the address bar
Disable Firefox Suggest
- Visit about:config
- Click on “Accept the risk and continue”
- Search for “browser.urlbar.groupLabels.enabled” and toggle to change its value to “false“
- Restart Firefox.
It’s worth noting there should be an option “Show Firefox Suggest in the address bar (suggested and sponsored results)” in Settings > Search > Search Suggestions. That’s not available as of writing, so use about:config pref to hide it until the UI option appears in Preferences.
Seems Mozilla has plans to provide granular control over search suggestions displayed under Firefox Suggest in the URL bar. In Firefox 94, it lets you turn off personalized and sponsored search suggestions, including with others.
What made you hate Firefox Suggest? Let us know in the comments below.
More on Firefox:
Firefox 94 adds about:unloads for Tab Unloading
Firefox to target Public Wi-Fi users with Mozilla VPN Ad
Firefox’s biggest problem is the default settings are inconvenient and/or annoying, and it requires multiple Settings changes, and often some about:config changes to make the browser behave in a civilized manner.
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Every release comes with some interface change that is not useful, but is irritating. Why do I have to Google every issue and try to decipher which poorly named settings in about:config to change because the settings page only allows a limited number of things to be managed?
I found that there should be a setting – it wasn’t there. I found a line in about:config to enable “quicksuggest” – after I did that, I could see the option, which is checked – but disabled so I cannot uncheck it. Firefox’s explanation page for that setting says if you don’t see the option, you may be part of a “study” – but I have those disabled. Am I part of a study despite my set preference? Is it a bug? Are there other config settings that need to be enabled just to see the option to disable it? How ridiculous is that?
Yep. This kind of constant annoyances are part the broken development culture at Mozilla that has driven millions of users away to other browsers, and they refuse to improve.