Whenever you type a query into a search engine or fill out a web form (like entering your city or phone number), Mozilla Firefox automatically saves that text locally. The next time you begin typing in a similar box, Firefox will display a drop-down list of your previous entries, allowing you to quickly select them without retyping. While this “Search and Form History” feature saves time, it poses a significant privacy risk if you share your computer with family members or colleagues, as they can easily see exactly what you have been searching for. If you prefer complete privacy, you can stop Firefox from saving this data.
How to Stop Automatic Search and Form Saving
You can disable this specific type of history collection in the privacy settings menu.
- Open the Mozilla Firefox browser.
- Click the Application Menu button (the three horizontal lines) in the top-right corner.
- Select Settings from the drop-down menu.
- In the left-hand sidebar, click on Privacy & Security.
- Scroll down the page until you find the History section.
- Look for the drop-down menu next to “Firefox will” and change it from “Remember history” to Use custom settings for history.
- A new list of detailed checkboxes will appear below.
- Locate the checkbox labelled Remember search and form history.
- Click this checkbox to uncheck it.
Firefox will immediately stop recording the text you type into search bars and forms. You will no longer see a drop-down list of your previous queries when you click on a search box, ensuring your future browsing habits remain entirely private from anyone else using your machine.