The Predictive Data Vector
Google Chrome’s omnibox (the primary URL and search bar) is designed to accelerate your browsing by aggressively predicting what you are trying to type. By default, it achieves this by analysing your local browsing history, your saved bookmarks, and live search suggestions pulled directly from Google’s servers. For users sharing a computer, presenting a presentation, or simply desiring a clean, private search experience, these instantaneous, historically based suggestions are frequently an invasive breach of privacy.
How to Disable Search Autocomplete
You can instruct Chrome to sever its connection to the predictive servers and stop referencing your local history when typing in the omnibox.
1. Open Google Chrome.
2. Click the three vertical dots in the extreme top-right corner to open the main menu.
3. Select Settings.
4. In the left-hand navigation pane, click on You and Google (or Sync and Google services, depending on your version).
5. Click on Sync and Google services.
6. Scroll down to the Other Google services section.
7. Locate the toggle switch labelled Autocomplete searches and URLs.
8. Click the toggle to switch it to the Off position.
Chrome will immediately stop querying Google’s servers for predictive text. Note that it may still suggest local bookmarks unless you clear your browsing history and disable bookmark syncing.