Google Search Autocomplete Not Working? Try This Fix

Google is simply the best search engine, even though there are many others, such as Bing. Google is so easy to use, and this has to do with its autocomplete feature. Without autocomplete, the Google search engine wouldn’t be so incredible.

Sometimes, Google search autocomplete may not show up, and we are here to discuss this. If this ever happened to you, you should try these possible solutions. Most of them are quite simple, but they may not have crossed your mind.

The Obvious Solutions

Sometimes, the most basic answer is the best answer. One, autocomplete requires an internet connection to work, so make sure that your internet is working first and foremost.

Apart from that, make sure to enable the autocomplete feature. Most of this guide is going to be for Google Chrome, which is logically the best to use the Google search engine. Follow the steps:

1. Launch Google Chrome (use the link to download and install the latest version if you haven’t already, software updates often fix problems like these).
   
2. Click on the More icon (three dots in the upper-right corner of your screen).
   
3. Choose Settings.
   
4. At the top of the screen, you’ll find the You and Google tab. Click on Sync and Google Services (right on top).
   
5. Scroll down and enable Autocomplete Searches and URLs under the Other Google Services tab.
   

Other Obvious Solutions

Enable the Make Searches and Browsing Better option. This will help Google to customize the autocomplete feature to your liking.

If the autocomplete feature is enabled but still not working, try disabling the account sync feature in the You and Google tab as mentioned previously. Click on Turn off to the right of your name and email address. Then restart Google Chrome and enable sync again.

By the way, sometimes a simple restart of your browser will fix the autocomplete malfunction. Whatever browser you’re using, consider trying this first before you go into more complex solutions.

Another simple solution is to clear your cache and cookies. This fix works in any browser:

1. Launch Google Chrome.
2. Click on More.
   
3. Select History.
   
4. Then, click on Clear Browsing Data.
   
5. In the next window, you can select the time range for the data reset, as well as which items to clear (Browsing history, Cookies, Cached images and files).
   
6. After selecting the categories for clearing, click on Clear Data. Restart Chrome afterward.
   

It’s up to you to decide what you want to clear, but we suggest clearing everything for the best results. In many cases, this will solve all autocomplete mishaps.

Google Search Engine Options

You should also ensure that Google is your current default search engine. This is rather easy. Follow these steps:

1. Launch Chrome.
2. Click on More, followed by Settings.
   
3. Scroll down until you find the Search Engine tab. Make sure Google is selected.
   
4. You can also check that Google Chrome is your default browser right below.
   

You can also customize your search engine and make sure Autocomplete is enabled. Follow the steps:

1. Open the Custom Search Engine control panel (you will need to log into your Google account).
   
2. Click on Edit Search Engine and select Google. You can also add Google as your New Search Engine if you haven’t already, just by adding its address in the Sites to Search field (google.com)
   
3. Then, select the Search Features.
   
4. Click on the Autocomplete tab.
   
5. Make sure that Enable Autocomplete is ON. This option can take several hours, even days to take effect, so be patient.
   

You can see that there are a lot of customization options under the Autocomplete tab here. You can meddle with the included, excluded, and excluded patterns. Whatever you change here will affect the autocompletion feature on your search engine. There is a limit to these manual additions at 20,000 terms.

Disable Chrome Extensions

If you are using any Chrome extensions, you should know that sometimes they can interfere with the Autocomplete Google search feature. You can easily put this theory to the test. Launch a Chrome window in incognito mode (open Chrome, click on More, then select New Incognito Window).

Are you still experience autocomplete issues? If not, you know the problem lies in some of the extensions (because incognito mode is raw, it disables all extensions). To disable all extensions, follow the steps:

1. Launch Chrome.
2. Type the following in the search bar: chrome://extensions/ and press Enter.
   
3. Move the sliders next to the extensions to disable them. You can also remove the extensions one by one.
   

Use the process of elimination to determine which extension is causing your autocomplete issues. Disable or remove the extensions in question.

Hard Reset Chrome

As a final resort, you can hard reset your browser. Here’s how:

1. Open Google Chrome.
2. Click on More, followed by Settings.
   
3. Scroll down to Advanced and select it.
   
4. Scroll all the way to the bottom of your screen and find the Reset and Clean Up tab. Click on Restore Settings to Their Original Defaults.
   
5. Confirm by clicking on Reset Settings.
   

After you restart Chrome, everything will be reset to default. Doing a hard reset in Chrome fixes a lot of issues, including the autocomplete not working.

What’s the Word

After taking all of the steps and solutions in this article, your Google search autocomplete should start behaving again. We are all spoiled by autocomplete and its many great uses. It saves precious time, helps you find the best keywords, and it often spits out something that was at the tip of your tongue.

Are you also an autocomplete addict? Do you plan on using the customized autocomplete settings described above? Let us know in the comments.