Ever started typing something into Google and noticed a bunch of suggested topics popping up? Those are trending searches. Sometimes, they’re actually helpful—like when you’re casually browsing and want to stay updated on what’s buzzing around the world. But let’s be honest, more often than not, they’re just plain distracting. You’re trying to look up something important, and suddenly, Google decides you need to know about a celebrity scandal or the latest TikTok trend. It’s like Google is that one friend who always interrupts with, *“Oh, but have you heard about this?”*—even when you didn’t ask.
Ever searched for something on Google and got hit with a bunch of trending topics you don’t care about? Yeah, you’re not alone. Some people love seeing what’s popular, but for others, it’s just unnecessary clutter. If you’re in the second group, good news—you can turn them off in a few seconds.
But before we get into how, let’s quickly talk about why Google even shows these trending searches in the first place.
So, What Are Google Trending Searches?
Google’s trending searches are just a list of topics that a ton of people are searching for at the same time. It pulls this data from news websites, social media, and, of course, its own search engine activity.
For example, if the FIFA World Cup is happening, expect football-related terms to dominate the trending list. If some celebrity says something controversial, their name will probably pop up too. Sometimes, these searches actually make sense—like if there’s breaking news or something genuinely interesting. But let’s be honest, a lot of the time, they’re just random and completely unrelated to what you actually want to search for. Like, why do I need to see gossip about some influencer when I’m just trying to find a good pasta recipe?
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Why Does Google Keep Throwing These at You?
Google isn’t doing this out of boredom—there’s a clear reason behind it:
They Want You to Stay on Google Longer: The more time you spend searching, clicking, and scrolling, the better it is for them. It’s not some conspiracy—it’s just how the internet works. If they can grab your attention with a trending topic, you might keep clicking, and before you know it, you’ve gone from checking the weather to watching videos about some viral dance trend.
They Think It’s Useful Information: If something big is happening—like a major event, political update, or celebrity scandal—Google assumes you might want to know. Sometimes it’s helpful (like real-time sports scores), but other times, it’s just another distraction.
They Customize It Based on What You Search For: If you’re always looking up gym workouts, don’t be surprised if trending searches start showing you the latest diet trends or fitness hacks. It’s not random—Google tracks what you’re into and tries to show you stuff that might match your interests. But let’s be real, sometimes their guesses are way off.
At the end of the day, whether these trending searches are useful or just annoying depends on the person. If you don’t want them popping up every time you type something, luckily, there’s a way to turn them off.
To Show Local Trends: What’s trending in your area might be completely different from what’s trending somewhere else.
Some people find this feature useful. Others just want it gone. If you’re in the latter group, let’s fix that.
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How to Turn Off Google’s Trending Searches
If you’re tired of these suggestions popping up, here’s how to get rid of them depending on what device you’re using:
On iPhone (Google Chrome)
- Open Chrome.
- Tap the three-dot menu and go to Settings.
- Scroll to Auto-complete with trending searches.
- Select Do not show popular searches and save your settings.
- On iPhone (Safari Browser)
- Open Settings on your iPhone.
- Scroll down and tap Safari.
- Find Search Engine Suggestions and turn it off.
- (Optional) You can also disable other suggestions under the Suggestions section.
On PC (Google Search Settings)
- Open your browser and go to Google.com.
- Click on Settings (bottom-right corner of the page).
- Select Search settings.
- Find Auto-complete with trending searches and turn it off.
Through the Google App
- Open the Google App.
- Tap your profile picture (top-right corner).
- Select Settings > General.
- Scroll to Auto-complete with trending searches and disable it.
Final Thoughts
At the end of the day, it’s all about preference. If you like seeing what’s trending, keep it on. But if it’s just noise to you, now you know how to turn it off.
Just a heads-up, though—turning off trending searches doesn’t mean Google stops tracking what you search for. If privacy is a concern, consider clearing your history often or using Incognito Mode.
Your search, your rules. Now go enjoy a cleaner, less cluttered Google experience!
