Table of Contents
Are You Tired of Annoying Suggestions? How to Instantly Control Firefox’s New Search Results.
Firefox is changing the way you search online. Soon, you may see answers appear right in the address bar as you type, even before you hit enter. This is a new idea to make searching faster.
Getting Answers Faster
Normally, when you start typing in a search bar, the browser gives you suggestions for what to search. If you click one, you go to a search engine like Google to see the results. Firefox wants to skip that step.
The browser will try to find the best answer to your question and show it to you immediately.
- For example, if you type in a flight number, the address bar could show you the flight’s status, departure time, and arrival time right away.
- If you search for a specific website, it might show you the top result directly.
- For other searches, Firefox will recommend a highly relevant result.
This means you get information without having to load a new page, saving you time.
How Your Privacy is Protected
You might wonder if this is private. Mozilla, the company that makes Firefox, built this feature with privacy in mind. They use a special system to hide who you are from your search.
Think of it like sending a secret note. Your search query is put in a locked box. One messenger service takes the box but doesn’t know what is inside. It hands the box to Mozilla. Mozilla has the key to open the box and see the search query, but they do not know where the box came from. This process helps prevent any single company from connecting your identity with what you searched for.
It is important to know that some of these results might be sponsored advertisements, which helps support Firefox.
You Are in Control
This new feature is not final and is slowly being released to users, starting in the U.S. The old search suggestions will still be available. If you do not like this new way of searching, you can easily turn it off.
- To disable suggestions while you type, go to Firefox’s Settings, find the Search section, and uncheck the box for “Retrieve suggestions as you type.”
- For a more advanced way to disable it, type about:config into your address bar, press Enter, accept the warning, and then search for browser.urlbar.quicksuggest.online.enabled. Set its value to false.