Ron Schenone

Google Suggest – What Is It? How To Turn It Off

Posted by on Aug 26, 2008 | 14 Comments

Over at Google Suggest it states that Google will auto select a group of suggestions that will auto appear when you type in a word or phrase. However, there are times that you may wish to do a search without the auto suggestion feature be activated. At the Google Suggest blog, Google explains how to accomplish this. On the site it states:

How do I get back to normal Google?
You can go directly to http://www.google.com, or type http://www.google.com into your browser’s address field; either way, you’ll be back using ordinary Google search without Google Suggest. If Google Suggest comes on whenever you open a new browser window, it may be set as your home or start page. To set your start page back to http://www.google.com (or anything else) use your web browser’s Options menu.

In Internet Explorer, you can do this by first selecting Tools, then Internet Options. On the Internet Options menu, look for the Home Page section, find the Address: text box, and enter http://www.google.com. Then select OK.

In FireFox, this menu is found under Tools, then Options.

In Mozilla, it is found under Edit, then Preferences.

In Opera, it is found under Edit, then Options.

Which brings up a thought that came to mind when I read this. Why would I want to turn off Google Suggestion? Recommending a possible word search in my mind is handy.

What do you think?

Comments welcome.

AS OF 8-30-08 – USE THIS LINK INSTEAD:

http://www.google.com/webhp?complete=0&hl=en

Source.

  • Robert

    Google suggest is incredibly annoying. In my experience it’s suggestions are not only completely unhelpful, but distracting. Unfortunately I am having trouble turning off this nuisance.

    Noticing the date of your posting, did google just make some recent changes? I had it turned off by default, and now it’s back and difficult to disable.

  • http://wp3.lockergnome.com/nexus/blade/ Ron Schenone

    Google does not indicate on their site a date.

  • Kay

    I type faster than I read.. I don’t plan to stop typing so I can sift through irrelevant suggestions, and resent the distracting box on the screen. I’m hoping to disable it too, but so far no luck.

  • Frank O Long

    Now I know why my GOogle is screwed up.
    HOW DO YOU GET RID OF THE SUGGEST?
    I have vision problems and that crap popping up just adds to my visual problem….
    IT SUCKS.

  • Rain

    Yeah. just today the feature has been randomly enabled, and I cant get rid of it. It is extremely annoying. I hope they fix this fast, or I am going to have to use a different search engine for the first time in 6 years..

  • Aaron

    Can’t say I like it either. One of the first google releases that does not get my approval.

  • Elle

    I don’t care for it either. I don’t want to see the other suggestions (like virgin mobile! 500k+ results) I was able to turn this ‘off’ in Firefox by defaulting to the firefox google (hit default hompage in options page) and I dont get this auto suggestion c*ap.

  • Engineerdude

    The tips don’t work. You have to make this link your start page to NOT used google suggest:

    http://www.google.com/webhp?complete=0&hl=en

  • ncalsmitty

    Thanks Edude for the link. Nice to not have to see any suggestions.

  • robert

    Engineerdude is correct…..his link works!
    Thanks man!

  • DH

    It may be handy for those who aren’t good at coming up with terms to search. However, for those who have been surfing the Internet for a while and are experienced with searching, they would’ve already known what they are searching and what words to use.

    Having the drop-down list 1) adds clutter to the seach page 2) forces the user to pause and read the “suggestions” 3) causes users to start rely on what Google “thinks” they are searching 4) becomes pointless because the top suggestions are popular searches that you’re probably about to type in anyway – well, it *might* save you the typing I’ll give it that.

  • Cherry

    i have my home page set to the one you have listed and i have always had mine set to the one you have listed and i just reset it to make sure … the suggestion menu by google is still there and it is a pain in my behind is why i do not want it there. i have never been able to stand drop menu’s that drop as i type as it i a nuisance.

  • http://wp3.lockergnome.com/nexus/blade/ Ron Schenone

    Hi Cherry,
    Use this one and see what happens:

    http://www.google.com/webhp?complete=0&hl=en

  • http://myspace.com Navy

    you just go to google.com then beside it is prefrences you click that and you go to the bottom it has turn off query suggestion and then save it =D