How to Turn Off AI on Google: A Complete Guide for Every Google Product
Google put AI in everything. Search, Gmail, Docs, Chrome, Android — there’s Gemini AI baked into almost every Google product you use.
And some people hate it.
If you’re one of them, here’s how to turn off (or at least minimize) AI features across Google’s products. Fair warning: Google doesn’t make this easy.
Google Search: Disabling AI Overviews
The most common complaint: AI-generated answers appearing at the top of search results instead of regular links.
Option 1: Use the “Web” filter. After searching, click “Web” in the filter bar (next to “Images,” “Videos,” etc.). This shows traditional search results without AI overviews. You can also go directly to google.com/search?udm=14 for web-only results.
Option 2: Use a browser extension. Extensions like “Google Search AI Overview Hider” or “Bye Bye Google AI” automatically hide AI overviews. Available for Chrome and Firefox.
Option 3: Switch your default search engine. If you really want to avoid Google’s AI, switch to DuckDuckGo, Brave Search, or Kagi. All offer AI-free search experiences (Kagi has optional AI features you can toggle).
What you can’t do: There’s no official Google setting to permanently disable AI overviews. Google wants you to see them.
Gmail: Turning Off AI Features
Gmail’s AI features include smart compose (predictive text), smart replies, and Gemini-powered email drafting.
Smart Compose: Settings → General → Smart Compose → Turn off “Writing suggestions.” This stops the predictive text that appears as you type.
Smart Reply: Settings → General → Smart Reply → Turn off. This removes the suggested reply buttons at the bottom of emails.
Gemini in Gmail: If you have Google Workspace with Gemini, you can ask your admin to disable Gemini features. Individual users can ignore the “Help me write” button, but can’t fully remove it without admin action.
Google Docs: Disabling AI Writing
Help me write: You can’t fully disable the “Help me write” button in Docs, but you can ignore it. If you’re a Workspace admin, you can disable Gemini features for your organization under Admin Console → Apps → Google Workspace → Gemini.
Smart suggestions: Tools → Preferences → uncheck “Show Smart Compose suggestions” and “Show link suggestions.”
Chrome: Turning Off AI Features
Chrome has been adding AI features aggressively:
AI tab organizer: Right-click on a tab group → you can ignore the AI suggestions. To disable: chrome://settings → “Experimental AI” → toggle off features you don’t want.
AI writing help: chrome://settings → “Experimental AI” → disable “Help me write.”
AI theme generator: Same settings page, toggle off.
Note: The “Experimental AI” settings page location may vary by Chrome version. If you can’t find it, try chrome://flags and search for “AI.”
Android: Minimizing AI on Your Phone
Google Assistant vs. Gemini: If Google replaced your Assistant with Gemini and you want the old Assistant back: Settings → Apps → Default apps → Digital assistant app → select “Google” instead of “Gemini.”
AI suggestions in keyboard: Gboard → Settings → Text correction → turn off “Next-word suggestions” and “Smart Compose.”
AI in Google Photos: You can’t disable AI features in Photos (they’re core to how the app works), but you can avoid using AI-specific features like Magic Eraser and Best Take.
Google Workspace Admin Controls
If you’re a Workspace administrator and want to disable AI features for your organization:
Admin Console → Apps → Google Workspace → Gemini → you can enable or disable Gemini features for specific organizational units.
This is the most effective way to control AI features across an organization. Individual users have limited control, but admins can make organization-wide decisions.
The Honest Truth
Here’s the reality: you can minimize Google’s AI features, but you can’t fully escape them. AI is increasingly baked into the core functionality of Google products, not just layered on top.
Google’s business model depends on you using their AI. They’re not going to make it easy to turn off.
If AI-free computing is important to you, the most effective approach is switching to alternatives:
- Search: DuckDuckGo, Brave, or Kagi
- Email: Proton Mail, Fastmail, or Tutanota
- Documents: LibreOffice, Notion (with AI features disabled), or plain text editors
- Browser: Firefox or Brave
But for most people, selectively disabling the most annoying AI features while keeping the useful ones is the practical middle ground.
🕒 Last updated: · Originally published: March 12, 2026