diff --git a/toolkit/components/search/SearchService.jsm b/toolkit/components/search/SearchService.jsm
index 7c740d6dbd55..aa19bad92b62 100644
--- a/toolkit/components/search/SearchService.jsm
+++ b/toolkit/components/search/SearchService.jsm
@@ -813,8 +813,6 @@ SearchService.prototype = {
         );
       }
     }
-    let settings = await this._settings.get();
-    this._loadEnginesMetadataFromSettings(settings.engines);
 
     // Now set the sort out the default engines and notify as appropriate.
     this._currentEngine = null;
diff --git a/toolkit/components/search/SearchSettings.jsm b/toolkit/components/search/SearchSettings.jsm
index 97ec66f8e5bf..3fb5baf07fee 100644
--- a/toolkit/components/search/SearchSettings.jsm
+++ b/toolkit/components/search/SearchSettings.jsm
@@ -69,12 +69,6 @@ class SearchSettings {
    */
   _searchService = null;
 
-  /*
-   * A copy of the settings so we can persist metadata for engines that
-   * are not currently active.
-   */
-  _currentSettings = null;
-
   addObservers() {
     Services.obs.addObserver(this, SearchUtils.TOPIC_ENGINE_MODIFIED);
     Services.obs.addObserver(this, SearchUtils.TOPIC_SEARCH_SERVICE);
@@ -130,7 +124,6 @@ class SearchSettings {
       Services.prefs.clearUserPref(prefName);
     }
 
-    this._currentSettings = json;
     return json;
   }
 
@@ -203,21 +196,6 @@ class SearchSettings {
     settings.engines = [...this._searchService._engines.values()];
     settings.metaData = this._metaData;
 
-    // Persist metadata for AppProvided engines even if they aren't currently
-    // active, this means if they become active again their settings
-    // will be restored.
-    if (this._currentSettings?.engines) {
-      for (let engine of this._currentSettings.engines) {
-        let included = settings.engines.some(e => e._name == engine._name);
-        if (engine._isAppProvided && !included) {
-          settings.engines.push(engine);
-        }
-      }
-    }
-
-    // Update the local copy.
-    this._currentSettings = settings;
-
     try {
       if (!settings.engines.length) {
         throw new Error("cannot write without any engine.");
diff --git a/toolkit/components/search/tests/xpcshell/test_reload_engines.js b/toolkit/components/search/tests/xpcshell/test_reload_engines.js
index a92281b750cf..06b3c957bb57 100644
--- a/toolkit/components/search/tests/xpcshell/test_reload_engines.js
+++ b/toolkit/components/search/tests/xpcshell/test_reload_engines.js
@@ -143,10 +143,6 @@ function listenFor(name, key) {
   };
 }
 
-async function visibleEngines() {
-  return (await Services.search.getVisibleEngines()).map(e => e.identifier);
-}
-
 add_task(async function setup() {
   Services.prefs.setBoolPref("browser.search.separatePrivateDefault", true);
   Services.prefs.setBoolPref(
@@ -302,39 +298,3 @@ add_task(async function test_config_updated_engine_changes() {
     "Should not have set the useSavedOrder preference"
   );
 });
-
-add_task(async function test_user_settings_persist() {
-  let reload = SearchTestUtils.promiseSearchNotification("engines-reloaded");
-  Region._setHomeRegion("");
-  await reload;
-
-  Assert.ok(
-    (await visibleEngines()).includes("engine-rel-searchform-purpose"),
-    "Rel Searchform engine should be included by default"
-  );
-
-  let settingsFileWritten = promiseAfterSettings();
-  let engine = await Services.search.getEngineByName(
-    "engine-rel-searchform-purpose"
-  );
-  await Services.search.removeEngine(engine);
-  await settingsFileWritten;
-
-  Assert.ok(
-    !(await visibleEngines()).includes("engine-rel-searchform-purpose"),
-    "Rel Searchform engine has been removed"
-  );
-
-  reload = SearchTestUtils.promiseSearchNotification("engines-reloaded");
-  Region._setHomeRegion("FR");
-  await reload;
-
-  reload = SearchTestUtils.promiseSearchNotification("engines-reloaded");
-  Region._setHomeRegion("");
-  await reload;
-
-  Assert.ok(
-    !(await visibleEngines()).includes("engine-rel-searchform-purpose"),
-    "Rel Searchform removal should be remembered"
-  );
-});
diff --git a/toolkit/components/search/tests/xpcshell/test_settings_persist.js b/toolkit/components/search/tests/xpcshell/test_settings_persist.js
deleted file mode 100644
index 6cdb92d3ffd3..000000000000
--- a/toolkit/components/search/tests/xpcshell/test_settings_persist.js
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,89 +0,0 @@
-/* Any copyright is dedicated to the Public Domain.
-   http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/ */
-
-"use strict";
-
-SearchTestUtils.initXPCShellAddonManager(this, "system");
-
-const CONFIG_DEFAULT = [
-  {
-    webExtension: { id: "plainengine@search.mozilla.org" },
-    appliesTo: [{ included: { everywhere: true } }],
-  },
-  {
-    webExtension: { id: "special-engine@search.mozilla.org" },
-    appliesTo: [{ included: { everywhere: true } }],
-  },
-];
-
-const CONFIG_UPDATED = [
-  {
-    webExtension: { id: "plainengine@search.mozilla.org" },
-    appliesTo: [{ included: { everywhere: true } }],
-  },
-];
-
-async function startup() {
-  let settingsFileWritten = promiseAfterSettings();
-  let ss = new SearchService();
-  await AddonTestUtils.promiseRestartManager();
-  await ss.init(false);
-  await settingsFileWritten;
-  return ss;
-}
-
-async function updateConfig(config) {
-  const settings = await RemoteSettings(SearchUtils.SETTINGS_KEY);
-  settings.get.restore();
-  sinon.stub(settings, "get").returns(config);
-}
-
-async function visibleEngines(ss) {
-  return (await ss.getVisibleEngines()).map(e => e._name);
-}
-
-add_task(async function setup() {
-  await SearchTestUtils.useTestEngines("test-extensions", null, CONFIG_DEFAULT);
-  registerCleanupFunction(AddonTestUtils.promiseShutdownManager);
-  await AddonTestUtils.promiseStartupManager();
-  // This is only needed as otherwise events will not be properly notified
-  // due to https://searchfox.org/mozilla-central/source/toolkit/components/search/SearchUtils.jsm#186
-  await Services.search.init(false);
-  Services.search.wrappedJSObject._removeObservers();
-});
-
-add_task(async function() {
-  let ss = await startup();
-  Assert.ok(
-    (await visibleEngines(ss)).includes("Special"),
-    "Should have both engines on first startup"
-  );
-
-  let settingsFileWritten = promiseAfterSettings();
-  let engine = await ss.getEngineByName("Special");
-  await ss.removeEngine(engine);
-  await settingsFileWritten;
-
-  Assert.ok(
-    !(await visibleEngines(ss)).includes("Special"),
-    "Special has been remove, only Plain should remain"
-  );
-
-  ss._removeObservers();
-  updateConfig(CONFIG_UPDATED);
-  ss = await startup();
-
-  Assert.ok(
-    !(await visibleEngines(ss)).includes("Special"),
-    "Updated to new configuration that doesnt have Special"
-  );
-
-  ss._removeObservers();
-  updateConfig(CONFIG_DEFAULT);
-  ss = await startup();
-
-  Assert.ok(
-    !(await visibleEngines(ss)).includes("Special"),
-    "Configuration now includes Special but we should remember its removal"
-  );
-});
diff --git a/toolkit/components/search/tests/xpcshell/xpcshell.ini b/toolkit/components/search/tests/xpcshell/xpcshell.ini
index 70b22daac95b..c1661da003dd 100644
--- a/toolkit/components/search/tests/xpcshell/xpcshell.ini
+++ b/toolkit/components/search/tests/xpcshell/xpcshell.ini
@@ -138,7 +138,6 @@ support-files =
 [test_settings_ignorelist.js]
 support-files = data/search_ignorelist.json
 [test_settings_none.js]
-[test_settings_persist.js]
 [test_settings.js]
 support-files =
   data1/engine1/manifest.json