How to turn off AI overview?

Updated 2026-08-01AI-assisted draft · citations disclosedPart of the 1,478-question editorial index· Google Search settings · Source & maintenance record
Short answer

You cannot turn off AI Overviews as a core Google Search feature. The supported way to avoid one for a search is to select the Web filter, which shows text-based links. AI in Search and AI Mode controls are separate and only apply to their own experiments or experiences; history, personalization and Gmail/Workspace smart-feature settings do not remove AI Overviews.

Why — the first-principles explanation

“Turn off AI Overview” can mean four different things, so start by naming the layer you want to change.

1. AI Overviews in Search results: Google says AI Overviews are a core Search feature and cannot be turned off. There is no account-wide or device-wide switch that removes them from the normal All results view.

2. The result view for one search: After searching, choose the Web filter. Google describes this filter as text-based links without features like AI Overviews. Filter names and order can vary by query and device, so on a phone you may need to open More. This is a supported alternative view, not a permanent disable switch. Google’s help pages do not promise that a browser URL parameter will remain a supported default-search solution; avoid treating udm=14 as a guaranteed forever fix.

3. AI in Search or AI Mode experiments: Google’s Search Labs controls apply to the specific experiment or experience. If you opted into “AI in Search” or the AI Mode experiment, you can turn that experiment off in Labs when the control is available. That does not turn off the core AI Overview feature for everyone.

4. Data, personalization and other products: Search Services History and Personalized Recommendations control saved activity and personalization, not whether an Overview is rendered. Gmail, Chat, Meet and Google Workspace smart-feature settings are separate product controls. Turning one off may change that product’s data use or suggestions, but it is not a Google Search AI master switch.

The practical choice is therefore: use Web for a plain-links result page; use Search Labs to leave an experiment; use history and personalization settings for data controls; and use Gmail/Workspace settings for those products. Check the current Google help page before following a menu path because Google says these settings are being updated and can vary by account, region, age, device, administrator and rollout.

An example that makes it click

Think of a library with several services. The normal search desk may place an AI summary above the catalogue; the Web filter sends you directly to the catalogue entries. A Labs toggle opts you out of a trial service, while a history setting controls what the library records. They are different controls, so switching one cannot promise to remove the others.

How to do it

  1. Decide what you want: a plain-links page for one search, leaving a Search Labs experiment, changing personalization/history, or changing Gmail/Workspace smart features.
  2. For a plain-links result page, run the search and select **Web** in the filter row. On mobile, open **More** if Web is not visible; Google says filter names and order are dynamic.
  3. If you joined “AI in Search” or an AI Mode experiment, open Search Labs while signed in and turn off that specific experiment. If the Labs icon or control is absent, you may not be enrolled or the experiment may not be available to your account.
  4. For saved Search activity, open Google’s Search Services History settings and choose whether to turn history off or turn it off and delete activity. This changes data retention, not the existence of AI Overviews.
  5. For Gmail, Chat, Meet or Workspace, open the product’s smart-feature settings and change the relevant independent control. Do not describe that change as disabling Google Search AI.
  6. If a menu differs from these steps, open the linked Google Help article and check the account, region, age, device, administrator and rollout conditions before relying on a third-party tutorial.

Key facts

Infographic: How to turn off AI overview — short answer and key facts
Visual summary — How to turn off AI overview?

Choose the control you actually need

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▶ The 60-second explainer (script)

Can you turn off Google AI Overviews? Not as a core Search feature. Google says they cannot be turned off. If you want plain links for a search, run it and choose the Web filter; on a phone, open More if Web is hidden. That is an alternative result view, not a permanent account switch. Search Labs controls are different: if you joined an AI in Search or AI Mode experiment, you can turn off that experiment when its control is available. Search Services History and Personalized Recommendations manage saved activity and personalization, while Gmail, Chat, Meet and Workspace smart-feature settings affect those products. None is a universal Google AI master switch. Because Google says these settings are rolling out and changing, check the current Help page instead of relying on a permanent udm=14 tutorial.

What authoritative sources say

Google Search Help — Find information in faster & easier ways with AI Overviews in Google Searchofficial — Google states that AI Overviews are a core Search feature that cannot be turned off and recommends the Web filter for text-based links without features like AI Overviews. source ↗
Google Search Help — Refine Google searchesofficial — Google says the Web filter contains text-based links and that the exact filters and their order are dynamic. source ↗
Google Search Help — “AI Mode” in Search Labsofficial — Google’s Search Labs help explains that the AI Mode experiment is opt-in and can be turned on or off from the Labs controls for enrolled users. source ↗
Google Search Help — Get AI-powered responses with AI Mode in Google Searchofficial — Google describes AI Mode as a separate Search experience and says AI responses may include mistakes; availability and controls can vary. source ↗
Google Search Help — Get started with Search Services History & Personalized Recommendationsofficial — Google says Search Services History and Personalized Recommendations manage Search services history and personalization, with a gradual settings rollout. source ↗
Gmail Help — Learn about smart features & controls for Google Workspace & other Google productsofficial — Google documents independent smart-feature settings for Gmail, Chat, Meet, Workspace and other Google products. source ↗

People also ask

Can I completely disable Google AI Overviews?

No. Google’s Search Help says AI Overviews are a core feature and cannot be turned off. The supported alternative is the Web filter, which shows text-based links for that search.

Does the Web filter permanently remove AI Overviews?

No. It changes the current result view. Google documents the filter, but it does not promise that a URL parameter or browser customization will remain a permanent account-wide solution.

What is the difference between AI Overviews and AI Mode?

AI Overviews are summaries that may appear in normal Search results. AI Mode is a separate, more conversational Search experience, with its own availability and, for experiments, Search Labs controls.

Can I turn off AI Mode?

If you opted into an AI Mode Search Labs experiment, Google provides a Labs control to turn that experiment off. That does not turn off AI Overviews in the normal Search results page, and controls may vary by account or rollout.

Will turning off Search history remove AI Overviews?

No. Search Services History and Personalized Recommendations control saved activity and personalization. They are privacy and experience settings, not a universal switch for rendering AI Overviews.

Do Gmail or Google Workspace AI settings control Search?

No. Gmail, Chat, Meet, Workspace and other Google-product smart-feature settings are separate controls. Change them for those products, not as a way to remove AI Overviews from Search.

Why do Google’s instructions look different from mine?

Google says Search services settings are being updated and may roll out gradually. Account type, country, language, age, device, administrator policies and experiment enrollment can change what you see.

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