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Waterfox Suggest FAQ

Waterfox Suggest shows helpful suggestions in the address bar (the Awesome Bar) as you type. These can include quick links to popular or relevant sites, content from trusted partners (“Sponsored” suggestions), and suggestions based on your browsing data already stored in Waterfox. You control which suggestions appear and can turn them off at any time.

What is Waterfox Suggest?

Section titled “What is Waterfox Suggest?”
  • Waterfox Suggest enhances the address bar by surfacing suggestions related to what you type.
  • It may include:
    • Suggestions from your history, bookmarks, and open tabs (built-in address bar features).
    • Non-sponsored suggestions that help you discover content faster.
    • Sponsored suggestions from trusted partners, clearly labeled as “Sponsored.”

Learn more about autocomplete and address bar behavior:

How do I turn Waterfox Suggest on or off?

Section titled “How do I turn Waterfox Suggest on or off?”

You can control Waterfox Suggest and related suggestions from Settings.

  • Windows and Linux:

    1. Click the menu button menu button and select Settings.
    2. Select the Search panel.
    3. In the Address Bar and Waterfox Suggest sections, adjust the toggles for the types of suggestions you want (including sponsored suggestions).

  • macOS:

    1. In the menu bar, open Waterfox and choose Settings (or Preferences).
    2. Select the Search panel.
    3. In the Address Bar and Waterfox Suggest sections, adjust the toggles for the types of suggestions you want (including sponsored suggestions).

Tip: You can also fine-tune which sources appear in the address bar (history, bookmarks, open tabs) from the same Search panel. See Awesome Bar search in Waterfox.

What are Sponsored suggestions?

Section titled “What are Sponsored suggestions?”
  • Sponsored suggestions are partner results that may appear in the address bar when they’re relevant to your query.
  • They are clearly labeled (e.g., “Sponsored”) so you can distinguish them from other results.
  • You can turn Sponsored suggestions off at any time in Settings > Search.

For more details on how sponsorship works and related privacy information, see Sponsored suggestions privacy.

What data does Waterfox Suggest use?

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Waterfox Suggest uses a combination of:

  • Local data Waterfox already has (e.g., your history, bookmarks, and open tabs) to provide on-device matches.
  • Limited, privacy-preserving signals for non-local suggestions (for example, your query and general context) to improve relevance.
  • Interaction data (like when you view or click a suggestion) may be used to measure and improve suggestion quality.

You’re always in control:

How do I recognize Waterfox Suggest results?

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  • Suggestions appear under the address bar as you type.
  • Sponsored results are labeled “Sponsored.”
  • Some results may be marked to indicate the type (for example, Open tab, Bookmark, or History).

Can I use Waterfox Suggest with search suggestions?

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Yes. Waterfox Suggest complements search suggestions from your default search engine. You can enable or disable search suggestions separately in Settings > Search. See Search suggestions in Waterfox.

Why don’t I see the Waterfox Suggest settings?

Section titled “Why don’t I see the Waterfox Suggest settings?”
  • Waterfox Suggest may not be available in all regions or locales.
  • If you don’t see Waterfox Suggest options in Settings > Search, make sure Waterfox is up to date. See Update Waterfox to the latest release.

How do I control my privacy with Waterfox Suggest?

Section titled “How do I control my privacy with Waterfox Suggest?”
  • Turn off any suggestion type you don’t want (including Sponsored suggestions) in Settings > Search.
  • Review telemetry settings and data on about:telemetry or via Share telemetry data with BrowserWorks to help improve Waterfox.
  • Private Windows: By default, Waterfox limits what runs or stores data in Private Windows. Use Private Windows when you want to minimize local traces of browsing.