To disable AI features in Firefox, you have a few options depending on whether you want to just hide the visual clutter or completely deactivate the backend settings.
1. The "Quick Fix": Hide the Sidebar & Shortcut
If you just want to remove the AI Chatbot icon from your sidebar or the right-click menu:
Sidebar: Open the sidebar, click the Settings (gear) icon at the bottom, and uncheck AI chatbot.
Settings Menu: Go to Settings > Firefox Labs and uncheck AI Chatbot. This will also remove the prompt suggestions that appear when you highlight text.
2. The "Deep Fix": Using about:config (Recommended)
To fully disable the underlying machine learning (ML) and AI modules, you can toggle the internal flags.
Warning: Be careful in this menu, as changing the wrong setting can affect browser stability.
Type
about:configin your address bar and press Enter.Click "Accept the Risk and Continue." Search for the following terms and double-click them to set them to
false:browser.ml.enable(The master switch for machine learning features)browser.ml.chat.enabled(Disables the chatbot integration)browser.ml.chat.shortcuts(Disables theCtrl + Alt + Xshortcut)browser.ml.linkPreview.enabled(Disables AI-powered link previews)browser.tabs.groups.smart.enabled(Disables AI tab grouping)
3. The Future "AI Kill Switch"
Mozilla has officially announced a dedicated "AI Kill Switch" coming in Q1 2026 (expected in Firefox version 147 or later).about:config.
4. Privacy Alternative: Firefox ESR
If you prefer a version of Firefox that doesn't include experimental features like AI by default, consider switching to Firefox ESR (Extended Support Release). It is intended for organizations and focus purely on stability and security updates, often omitting the "trendy" features added to the standard version.
Source: https://gemini.google.com/
