Google Instant is being rolled out and will become available to users in select countries in the next few days. As with every major change there are users who do not want to use the new feature. Some of the reasons for disabling Google Instant may be the additional bandwidth requirements, or that Google Search has become “to fast” for the eyes.
Whatever the reasons, there are currently two options to turn off Google Instant. Both solutions are not perfect, but more about that later.
The first option is probably the one that most Google users will prefer. The link “Instant is on” is displayed on search result pages. A click on that link opens a menu with the option to switch from Instant On (type to search) to Instant Off (press enter to search).
disable google instant
This writes a cookie to the user system that contains the information that Google Instant has been turned off. The problem with this approach? Google Instant will be back in action if the cookie is deleted on the system, or if another web browser is used where the cookie has not been set.
The second option basically performs the same operation. This one however is accessible in the Settings by following the Settings link in the upper right corner of the screen. It appears as if users need to be logged into a Google account before the Google Instant setting becomes visible.
google instant preferences
To disable Google Instant, users need to switch the setting from Use Google Instant – predictions and results appear while typing to Do not use Google Instant. The effect seems to last, even after logging out of the account.
It is not clear why the setting becomes only available after logging in. This may have something to do with the roll out of the feature. The setting is cookie based as well. If the cookie is deleted Google Instant search is turned back on, regardless whether the user is logged into Google or not.
Please let us know if you found another way to disable Google Instant search.
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“Please let us know if you found another way to disable Google Instant search.”
Yes; I use Bing. ;)
Bing is one of my favorite ways to google…
http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1915736
I will wait for userscripts to come up with something.
I use search bar in my Firefox, so i guess i don’t have to worry about my bandwidth.
Remove Goog from NoScript whitelist. If you need maps or apps, temp allow Goog & Goog static as needed.
Ah you are right, everything that blocks JavaScript will block Google Instant search.
For those using Adblock Plus (Firefox) or Simple Adblock (IE) you can add the script to your personal blacklist.
Use Encrypted Google (https://encrypted.google.com).
Also, if you use HTTPS Everywhere (https://www.eff.org/https-everywhere), you can set it to always default to Encrypted Google…
Get AdBlock Plus. Block everything from this directory:
http://www.google.com/extern_js/