When typing into the Smart Search field (address/search bar) in Safari on macOS, the field intermittently overwrites or replaces the text I am actively typing with an unrelated entry pulled from History or Bookmarks — before I have finished typing and without me selecting anything from the suggestions dropdown. This makes it impossible to reliably type a new search query or URL, as the input gets hijacked mid-keystroke.
Steps to Reproduce:
- Open Safari, click into the Smart Search field.
- Begin typing a new search query (e.g. "why would…").
- Partway through typing, the field’s text is replaced with a different, previously visited page’s title/URL from History or Bookmarks, cutting off or overwriting what I was actively typing.
Expected behavior:
The field should retain exactly what I type. Suggestions from History/Bookmarks/Search should only appear in the dropdown below and should only be inserted if I explicitly select them (click, or arrow-down + Return) — never auto-inserted while I’m still actively typing.
Actual behavior:
The field’s content is overwritten automatically mid-typing, without any selection action on my part.
Troubleshooting already attempted (issue persists after each):
- Safari → Settings → Search → disabled "Preload Top Hit in the background"
- Safari → Settings → Search → disabled "Include Safari Suggestions"
- Safari → Settings → Search → disabled "Enable Quick Website Search"
- Safari → Settings → AutoFill → confirmed unrelated (only affects web form fields, not the address bar)
- Fully quit and relaunched Safari
- Checked for pending macOS/Safari software updates
System info:
- macOS version: Tahoe 26.5
- Safari version: 26.5
