How to permanently disable AI features on Firefox

Firefox now ships with built-in AI features on Windows 11, but you can shut them down completely with a single hidden setting.

By Mauro Huculak (@Pureinfotech) , Windows How-To Expert and IT Specialist with 22 years of experience.

February 16, 2026

2026-02-16T11:59:14-05:00

Mozilla is transforming Firefox into an AI-enhanced browser.
The change sparked backlash from long-time users over privacy and feature creep concerns.
However, the company has now introduced a global AI kill switch under the AI Controls settings.

On Windows 11, if you install Mozilla Firefox, you’ll notice that the open-source browser now includes built-in AI features. In this guide, I’ll walk you through the steps to permanently disable them.

In late 2025, Mozilla announced plans to evolve Firefox into an AI-powered browser as part of a broader strategy. The response was swift and largely negative. Longtime users raised concerns about privacy, unnecessary feature creep, and a perceived shift away from the browser’s user-first philosophy.

In response to the backlash, Mozilla chose not to abandon its AI roadmap but instead introduced a dedicated “AI kill switch.” This setting, now available in the browser’s configuration options, allows users to turn off AI functionality entirely.

While the switch disables both current and future AI integrations, Firefox currently includes several AI-driven features, such as automatic translations, image alt text generation in the PDF viewer, tab group suggestions, key points in link previews, and chatbot providers in the sidebar.

In this guide, I’ll outline the steps to completely disable the AI features available on Firefox.

Disable AI features completely on Firefox

To completely disable all the AI features on Firefox, follow these steps:

Open Firefox on Windows 11.
Click the main menu in the top-right and choose the Settings option.
Click on AI Controls.
Turn on the “Block AI enhancements” toggle switch.
Click the Block button to confirm.

After you complete the steps, Firefox will disable all current and future AI features through the built-in kill switch.

If you decide to restore the functionality later, follow the same instructions and, in step 4, turn the toggle back on.

You can also manage AI features individually, enabling or disabling specific capabilities instead of using the global switch.

Mozilla plans to officially roll out the new AI-enhanced version of Firefox on February 24, 2026.