As of 16 September 2026. Extra suggestions while typing in Firefox do not call for a browser reset or clearing your history. This guide helps desktop users control sponsored results while keeping useful bookmarks. The checking procedure is our editorial recommendation, not a Firefox feature test we performed.
What changed on 15 September
Mozilla released Firefox 156.0 on 15 September 2026. Its notes announce localized Wikipedia and occasional sponsored address-bar suggestions for Germany, France and Italy. Austria is not named in that announcement; availability must not be assumed for every German-language installation. [1] Mozilla identifies Wikipedia results as non-sponsored. Firefox Suggest, search-engine suggestions and local history, bookmark or open-tab matches are separate categories. [2][3]
Requirements and boundaries
You need a working desktop Firefox with access to its settings. Note the version, profile and original checkboxes without recording private queries or addresses. Follow your IT team's rules on managed devices. This guide does not change company policies or promise the same behaviour in ESR, Android or iOS. Keep the browser current through its intended update mechanism; there is no need to switch release channels. [4]
Six steps to the right setting
- Record the starting point: Open Firefox settings in the profile you actually use. Identify what bothers you first: sponsored suggestions, general search terms from the search engine, or pages you visited. Similar-looking results need not belong to the same category.
- Find the relevant section: Select Search in Settings and locate the address-bar or Firefox Suggest section. Alternatively, enter about:preferences#search in Firefox's address bar. Labels and available options can vary by version and region. [2]
- Disable selectively: If there is a separate sponsored-suggestions checkbox, turn it off. If only an overall suggestions-from-Firefox option is offered, remember that disabling it may also remove non-sponsored web suggestions. Leave history, bookmarks and open tabs unchanged if you want to retain those matches. [2]
- Consider search-engine suggestions separately: To stop these completions too, review their own option under Search. Mozilla says enabled search suggestions send typed search terms to the default search engine. Turning off sponsored Suggest results alone is therefore not a general switch preventing data transmission. [3]
- Compare with neutral text: Open a normal tab and type a harmless term without submitting the search or clicking a sponsored result. Check suggestion labels, then compare a known, non-confidential bookmark. Use the same profile and window type; a private window is not an equivalent comparison.
- Recheck the settings: Return to the settings section and confirm the chosen checkboxes remain as intended. Record only the version, option names and result. Check again after a normal browser restart, saving open work first.
Missing options or remaining results
If the expected option is missing, first check the version, region and management notices. Do not force the feature with about:config, region changes or extensions. Ask IT about a managed control. If results remain, identify their source: a bookmark, history item or search-engine suggestion does not prove the advertising setting failed. Advertising on an opened website is also outside the scope of this address-bar control.
Verify the result and reverse changes
Success means your chosen setting stays saved and the personal results you still allow work. One test without an advertisement proves little because Mozilla describes sponsored suggestions as occasional. To reverse the change, restore only the checkboxes you recorded. Do not clear history, delete the profile, reset the browser or downgrade. Document contradictory behaviour without personal search data and contact IT or Mozilla Support.
Sources and transparency
Source-based guidance without our own reproduction test, benchmark or exhaustive regional-interface testing. No affiliate links or buying recommendation; the advertising discussed belongs to Firefox, not remuneration for this article. The reason for publication is a documented release, not a claimed search boom.