Those "Trending on Google" entries in the Firefox address bar aren't ads and they aren't Firefox Suggest. They come from your default search engine, and one search setting controls them.
Open Firefox Settings, go to Search, and clear Show trending search suggestions. If the checkbox is missing or greyed out, use the per-result option on a single trending entry instead.
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Turn Off Trending Searches in Firefox Settings
You type a few letters into the address bar and Firefox answers with a “Trending on Google” group you never asked for. Those entries come from your default search engine, not from Firefox Suggest’s website recommendations, and a single checkbox controls them.
Clearing it removes the group. Your regular address-bar suggestions keep working the way they always have.
- Open the
menu in the upper-right corner of Firefox on Windows or Linux. - Select Settings.
- Select Search in the left sidebar.
- Scroll to the Search Suggestions section.
- Under Trending, clear the checkbox labeled Show trending search suggestions.
You’ll know it worked when the “Trending on” heading stops appearing. Click the address bar, type a few words, and check the dropdown: the trending entries should be gone while everything else stays.
Mozilla documents the trending-search option as U.S.-only. If the Trending section is missing entirely, the feature may not be offered in your region or your current Firefox configuration.
Open the Search Settings Directly
You already know which setting you want and would rather not click through menus. Firefox has a direct address for its Search preferences, and it lands on the same pane.
- Select the address bar.
- Type about:preferences#search.
- Press .
- Find Search Suggestions in the Search pane.
- Clear Show trending search suggestions under Trending.
The checkbox should now be empty. Close the Settings tab and open the address-bar dropdown to confirm that trending results are gone.
The pane loads the same way on Windows, Linux, and macOS, which makes this route handy when you are following along with someone else’s instructions.
Turn Off Trending Searches for One Result
Sometimes you want one trending entry out of the way and would rather leave the global setting alone. Firefox lets you dismiss trending results one at a time from the address-bar dropdown.
- Click the address bar and type a word or phrase likely to produce trending suggestions.
- Find the entry inside the Trending on group.
- Hover over the trending result to reveal its menu
. - Select Don’t show trending searches.
The dropdown updates and that entry stops being offered. You’ll know it worked when your next search no longer shows it in the list.
One result at a time is convenient, but it is not the same as the preference. To remove the whole group for good, go back to the Search settings checkbox.
What to Do If the Checkbox Is Unavailable
You found the Search pane, but the checkbox is greyed out or nowhere in sight. First confirm you are on the right Firefox: this control lives in Firefox for computers, not Firefox for Android.
On Windows or Linux, open the menu, select Settings, and choose Search. On macOS, use Firefox in the menu bar and pick Settings. Then look at Search Suggestions again.
Typing about:preferences#search into the address bar also rules out landing in the wrong pane.
Still stuck? Fall back to the Don’t show trending searches option on individual results. It clears what you actually see without touching preferences your Firefox build does not expose.
Don’t clear the whole Search Suggestions section unless you want those suggestions gone too. Turning all of it off has a wider effect than switching off Trending alone.
Other Firefox Settings That May Affect Search Results
The trending group is gone and the address bar still behaves oddly. Check the neighbouring search controls before you change anything unrelated.
- The default search engine decides which engine supplies the Trending group, so switching engines can change what appears there.
- Firefox Suggest recommendations are a separate feature from trending searches, with their own controls.
- Clearing Firefox cookies and cache will not fix this preference. It is stored as a browser setting, not as website data.
If the preference refuses to stick, resetting Firefox to its default settings puts the search pane back to a clean state. It also removes plenty of other preferences, so treat it as a last resort.
Site data is a different story. When clearing it is what you actually want, you can clear the cookies and cache in Firefox without affecting these address-bar suggestions.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I stop Google trending searches appearing in Firefox?
Open Firefox Settings, go to Search, and clear “Show trending search suggestions” under Search Suggestions. That removes the Trending group without turning off your other address-bar suggestions.
Does turning off trending suggestions disable every Firefox search suggestion?
No. The control is specific to Trending. Firefox Suggest and your regular search-engine suggestions have their own settings and keep working.
Why can’t I find the Trending setting in Firefox?
The option may not be offered in your region or your current configuration. Mozilla documents it as U.S.-only, and some builds leave the checkbox unavailable.
Can I remove trending searches from just one address-bar result?
Yes. Hover the result, open its menu , and choose “Don’t show trending searches”. Handy when you do not want to change the global preference.
Will clearing cookies remove trending search suggestions?
Usually not. Trending searches are a Firefox search preference, not site data, so clearing cookies or cache does not touch the setting. If the Trending group is still there, the Search settings checkbox is the one that controls it.
