Google has a lot of help search tools if you know how to access them and use them. Just opening the advanced search menu often shows students a new world of search refinement possibilities. However, Google also has a couple of search options that sometimes do more to distract than to help. Those options are “autocomplete with trending searches” and “personal autocomplete predictions.” Fortunately, you can turn off both of those options. 

To turn off “autocomplete with trending searches” simply head to the Google search preferences page while you’re signed into your Google account. Then scroll down and select “Do not show popular searches.”

You can turn off personalized autocomplete predictions by going into your personal results page then unchecking “Show personal results.” 

Applications for Education
Neither one of these features is inherently bad, but they can contribute to distracting students from their intended query.