[Tip] Disable Link Doctor Suggesting Similar Websites for Incorrect URLs in Microsoft Edge

In newer versions of Microsoft Edge web browser, if you mistype a URL (typing mistakes in URLs), the browser suggests similar website and displays a search query to search for the typed website on web.

Anyone can make typing mistakes while typing website URLs in web browser’s address bar. For example, you may type ‘0’ letter instead of ‘o’ or ‘f’ instead of ‘g’, etc in URLs. Lots of phishing and malicious websites take advantage of these typing mistakes. They purchase similar looking URLs/domains so that if people make typing mistakes for popular website URL, their fake website opens. These visually similar looking URLs/domains are called typo-squatting.

In Microsoft Edge, when a user mistakenly types incorrect URL in address bar and the website can’t be found, Microsoft Edge sends the website address  to Microsoft to try to find the correct site. Microsoft Edge shows “Did you mean?” message containing matching website URL and a search query to search the web for the not found URL as shown in following screenshot:

This feature is called Link Doctor which provides host correction and search query to users when they mistype URLs in Microsoft Edge.

If you don’t need this feature and don’t want Microsoft Edge to send typed URL to Microsoft, you can disable this feature using Microsoft Edge Settings.

We told you about this tip in UPDATE 12 in our exclusive Microsoft Edge Canary Updates topic when Microsoft Edge 82.0 was under development and testing phase.

In this tutorial, we’ll tell you how to turn off Link Doctor feature in Microsoft Edge and disable navigation suggestions for lookalike URLs so that the browser doesn’t display similar websites and search queries.

Following steps will help you in disabling website suggestions for incorrect URLs in Microsoft Edge:

1. Open Microsoft Edge browser and click on the 3-dots menu button present at the right-side of the toolbar. Now select Settings option from the main menu.

Alternatively, you can press ALT+F keys together to show Edge Menu and then press S key to open Settings page.

You can also directly open Edge Settings page using edge://settings/ URL in address bar.

2. Now go to Privacy and services tab and in right-side pane, scroll down to bottom.

3. Under Services section, look for following option:

The option is set to ON by default which means URL suggestions are enabled.

Set the option to OFF and it’ll immediately disable Link Doctor feature which suggests similar websites when you mistype URLs in Microsoft Edge.

Now Microsoft Edge will display default error page suggesting check Internet connection, proxy, firewall, DNS settings, etc when a website can’t be found.

Also Check:

[Tip] Enable “Navigation Suggestions for Lookalike URLs” in Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge