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Sometimes after typing a web address in Chrome and pressing tab a few times, I end up on the "Remove Suggestion" button and accidentally remove the suggestion I was trying to select. How can I restore a suggestion when this happens?

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I tried "Reset settings to their original defaults," but that didn't help.

Patrick Brinich-Langlois
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3 Answers3

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I added the site I removed as a Bookmark, and then removed it, and this restored the site as the first suggestion when I type the page name into my URL bar once more.

Ramhound
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Peter
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Chrome keeps predictions and history in databases, as described in this answer.

Once deleted from its database, a prediction or a history item cannot be restored.

harrymc
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    "Once deleted from its database, a prediction or a history item cannot be restored." This suggests that a record of deleted items is being stored somewhere—otherwise, how could Chrome know not to suggest them again in the future? And if that's the case, what do I need to delete to reset autosuggestions behavior to a state in which I can re-add deleted items? Do I need to delete the database you mentioned, or something in my online Google account, or my entire Google account? (I realize the last of those options isn't practicable.) – Patrick Brinich-Langlois Aug 30 '21 at 16:34
  • Unfortunately, Google lumped history and predictions in the same SQLite database, although in different tables. More information in this answer. I don't know if deleting all the predictions will cause Chrome to start from zero. It was possible in the past to turn predictions off and on (link), but this seems to have disappeared in the latest versions. – harrymc Aug 30 '21 at 19:26
  • I tried moving the urls table in the History file (not sure if that's what you meant by "predictions"; alter table urls rename to urls_bak; is the command I ran, and alter table urls_bak rename to urls to reverse it), but that didn't have the desired effect. (It just deleted my history.)

    I realized that the only functionality I cared much about was being able to search a website without visiting it, and I was able to do that by adding a custom search engine.

     – Patrick Brinich-Langlois Sep 06 '21 at 03:36
  • In fact, a hacky workaround for any use case is available through custom search engines: just make the keyword the URL that you want to appear as a suggestion, and make the URL the very same URL (without a %s). – Patrick Brinich-Langlois Sep 06 '21 at 03:38
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In the Chrome address bar, enter chrome://settings/searchEngines. Find the section called Inactive Shortcuts.

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To restore a shortcut, click the corresponding Activate button.

Patrick Brinich-Langlois
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  • What does search engines have to do with the restoration of the predictive URL autocomplete? – Ramhound Jun 30 '22 at 04:23
  • I guess I didn't say it in my original question, but my problem was specific to the search-engines feature. For example, in the screenshot in my original question, I'd accidentally removed the "Search Merriam-Webster" functionality. Following the steps in my answer restores it. – Patrick Brinich-Langlois Jul 01 '22 at 22:46