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How to turn off AI on Google?

Updated 2026-07-1545,430 searches/mo across 14 ways of asking itRanked #5 of 519· Turning AI off
Short answer

There is no single switch that turns off AI on Google. Google's own help page says AI Overviews "cannot be turned off" because they are a core Search feature. What works instead: the Web filter for each search, the Search Labs toggle for AI Mode, and separate smart-feature settings in Gmail.

On this page
  1. Answer
  2. Why it works
  3. Example
  4. Steps
  5. Key facts
  6. Sources
  7. People also ask

Why — the first-principles explanation

The reason there is no master off switch is that "AI on Google" is not one feature. It is a dozen separate systems bolted into different products by different teams. AI Overviews live in Search. AI Mode is a different Search surface. Gemini sits inside Gmail, Docs, and Android. Each one has its own settings page, its own owner, and its own rules. A single toggle would have to reach across all of them, and no such toggle was ever built.

The deeper reason is where the AI actually runs. An AI Overview is not something your browser adds after the page loads, like an ad you could block. It is generated on Google's servers and baked into the results page before it ever reaches you. By the time you see the page, the AI text is just part of the HTML. There is no client-side switch to flip because the decision was made on Google's side. That is why Google can honestly say the feature "cannot be turned off" — it is a serving decision, not a display preference.

What you can do is ask Google's servers for a different page. That is exactly what the Web filter is. Clicking "Web" adds `&udm=14` to the URL, which requests the plain ten-blue-links result set — a different serving path that never includes an AI Overview. You are not disabling anything. You are ordering off a different menu.

The incentive matters too. AI Overviews keep people on Google's page instead of clicking away, and Google sells ads on that page. A prominent, sticky "never show me AI" button would work against the product direction the company has bet on. So expect the workarounds to be real but unofficial, and expect them to move.

An example that makes it click

Think of a diner that just redesigned its menu so every order automatically comes with a side of coleslaw. You ask the waiter to turn off the coleslaw. He says there is no button for that — the kitchen plates it before the food leaves.

But there is a second menu, the "classics" menu, and nothing on it comes with coleslaw. You can order from that one every single time. Nobody turned the coleslaw off. You just learned to ask for the other menu. The Web filter is the classics menu, and `udm=14` is you saying "classics" before the waiter even asks.

How to do it

  1. AI Overviews in Search: run your search, then click the "Web" filter above the results (on phones it is often hidden under "More"). The page reloads with only text links.
  2. Make it stick: in your browser's search-engine settings, add a custom engine with the URL https://www.google.com/search?q=%s&udm=14 and set it as default. Every search from the address bar then skips AI Overviews.
  3. AI Mode: if you opted into it, go to google.com, open Search Labs (the flask icon), tap Manage, and toggle "AI Mode" off.
  4. Gmail and Workspace: open Gmail Settings, find the smart features controls, and turn off both "smart features in Gmail, Chat, and Meet" and "smart features in other Google products" — they are independent switches.
  5. Android: long-press the Google search widget or open Google app Settings to remove AI entry points from your home screen where your device allows it.
  6. Accept the limit: none of this removes AI from Google entirely, and Google can change any of these paths without notice.

Key facts

Infographic: How to turn off AI on Google — short answer and key facts
Visual summary — How to turn off AI on Google?
▶ The 60-second explainer (script)

There is no single button that turns off AI on Google. I want to say that first, because most pages will not. Google's own support page says it outright: AI Overviews are a core Search feature, and features cannot be turned off. Here is why. The AI text is generated on Google's servers and baked into the page before it reaches your screen. It is not an add-on your browser could strip. So instead of disabling it, you ask for a different page. Run your search, then click the Web filter above the results. That gives you plain text links, no AI Overview. Google actually documents this. To make it permanent, add a custom search engine in your browser using google.com/search?q=%s and udm=14, then set it as default. Now every search skips the AI. AI Mode is separate — turn it off in Search Labs. Gmail is separate again, under smart features, and there are two switches, not one. That is the honest answer: no master switch, but four real workarounds. And Google can change them anytime.

What authoritative sources say

Google Search Help — Find information in faster & easier ways with AI Overviewsofficial — Google states that AI Overviews are a core Search feature that cannot be turned off, and offers the Web filter as the way to see only text-based links. source ↗
Google Search Help — "AI Mode" in Search Labsofficial — AI Mode is managed and toggled off from Search Labs rather than from Search settings. source ↗
Gmail Help — Learn about smart features & controlsofficial — Gmail's smart features are controlled by independent settings that users can turn off, with admin defaults that users may override. source ↗

People also ask

Is there really no setting to turn off AI Overviews?

Correct. Google's help page states plainly that AI Overviews cannot be turned off because they are a core Search feature. Only the Web filter reliably avoids them, and it applies per search unless you set it as your browser default.

Does adding "-ai" to my search work?

Sometimes, but it is a side effect, not a feature. The minus operator tells Google to exclude pages containing that word, which also damages your results. The Web filter is the supported method.

Will turning off AI Mode also remove AI Overviews?

No. They are separate systems. Switching off AI Mode in Search Labs changes nothing about the AI Overview that appears above your normal results.

Can a browser extension remove AI Overviews?

Extensions can hide the block after the page loads, since it is just HTML at that point. That is cosmetic — Google still generated it — but it works visually for most people.

Do these methods work on my phone?

Mostly. The Web filter exists on mobile, often tucked under "More" in the filter row. The custom-search-engine trick works in mobile Chrome and Firefox but not in the Google app itself.

The same question, asked other ways

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