How to Turn Off AI on Google in 2026 (Every Method That Actually Works)

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It was a rainy Tuesday morning in Amsterdam, and I was sitting at a café on the Prinsengracht canal with my laptop open, trying to get some actual research done. I had a deadline, a half-finished article, and a Google search bar that kept throwing walls of AI-generated summaries at me before I could even see a single real link.

I'm not exaggerating when I say I spent about 20 minutes scrolling past AI overviews just trying to find a primary source. I wasn't looking for a summary. I didn't want Google's interpretation of what I needed. I wanted the raw results — the actual websites, the original pages, the real information. And yet, every single search was topped with this expanding AI block that I had to actively dodge.

That frustration is exactly why I started digging into how to turn off AI on Google — and what I found was genuinely useful. There are multiple ways to do this, depending on whether you're on Android, iPhone, a laptop, Chrome, Firefox, or even Google Maps. I'm going to walk you through all of them.

TL;DR — Key Takeaways

• Google does not have a single off switch for AI overviews, but there are reliable workarounds
• The fastest fix for desktop is setting a custom search engine URL with udm=14 to default to Google's "Web" tab
• On mobile (Android and iPhone), visiting tenbluelinks.org registers the Web search engine in Chrome automatically
• There's a Chrome extension called Hide Google AI Overviews that works instantly with zero setup
• You can also use the -AI operator as a quick modifier to suppress AI results on a per-search basis
• Google Maps AI summaries currently have no official disable option, but there's a workaround

The Stupid Mistake I Made First

Before I figured any of this out, I made the classic rookie move: I went straight to Google's settings looking for an on/off toggle. I spent a solid 15 minutes digging through every menu I could find. I even went into Google Labs, toggled off every "AI Mode" experiment I could see, and felt briefly victorious.

Then I searched again. The AI overview was right back there, staring at me.

Turns out, Google has officially stated that AI Overviews in Search (outside of Search Labs) are treated like any other core feature — like knowledge panels — and there's no user-facing kill switch. So if you've been hunting for an official settings toggle, stop. It doesn't exist. But the methods below? They actually work.

How to Stop AI Mode From Being Your Default Mode

The single most effective long-term fix is changing your default search engine to use Google's Web filter URL. This forces every search you do to skip AI overviews entirely and land straight on clean, traditional results.

Here's how it works on Chrome for desktop (Windows/Mac/Linux):

1. Open Chrome and go to chrome://settings/searchEngines
2. Under "Site search," click Add
3. Fill in the fields like this:
   • Search engine: Google Web
   • Shortcut: @web
   • URL: {google:baseURL}search?q=%s&udm=14
4. Click Add
5. Find "Google Web" in your list, click the three-dot icon next to it, and select Make default

That's it. Every search you type from the address bar now bypasses AI overviews automatically. You won't need to do anything differently — it just works, every time.

You Can Turn Off AI in Google Search Results With This Easy Modifier

If you don't want to mess with settings at all, there's a per-search trick that's almost embarrassingly simple. Just add -AI to the end of any search query.

The - (minus) operator is Google's NOT operator. It tells Google to exclude a certain term from the results — and when you use -AI, it tends to push the AI overview off the page entirely.

So instead of searching:

• best coffee shops Amsterdam

You'd search:

• best coffee shops Amsterdam -AI

You can also manually add &udm=14 to the end of any Google search results URL to instantly switch to the Web filter. It's not permanent, but it's useful when you're already mid-search and just want to strip the AI noise fast.

How to Turn Off Google AI Overview and Set "Web" as Default

There's actually a dedicated website built specifically for this problem: tenbluelinks.org. It's a clever little tool, and it's completely free.

Here's how to use it:

1. Visit tenbluelinks.org in your browser
2. It automatically registers "Google Web" as an available search engine in Chrome
3. Then follow the steps on the page to set it as your default

On Firefox (desktop):

1. Visit tenbluelinks.org in Firefox
2. Right-click the address bar and choose Add Google Web
3. Go to Settings → Search → Default Search Engine and select Google Web

The whole process takes about 60 seconds. Once done, your browser searches will skip AI overviews permanently.

How to Turn Off Google AI on Mobile

Android

This is the same tenbluelinks.org trick, but for Chrome on Android.

1. Open Chrome on your Android phone
2. Visit tenbluelinks.org — this registers the Google Web search engine
3. Open a new tab and search for anything on Google (don't skip this step)
4. Tap the three dots in the top right corner
5. Go to Settings → Search engine
6. Select Google Web under "Recently visited"
7. Done — no more AI overviews in your mobile searches

iPhone (iOS)

The same process works on Chrome for iPhone:

1. Open Chrome on your iPhone
2. Visit tenbluelinks.org
3. Perform a Google search in a new tab
4. Tap the three dots in the bottom right corner
5. Go to Settings → Search engine
6. Select Google Web under "Recently visited"

If you prefer Safari, the process is a bit more involved since Safari doesn't expose custom search engine URLs as easily. Your best bet on Safari is to manually add &udm=14 to any search URL, or consider using Firefox for iOS where the tenbluelinks method works cleanly.

How to Turn Off AI Overview Google on Laptop

If you use Chrome on a laptop but want an even faster solution than the settings method, there's a Chrome extension that does it in one click.

Hide Google AI Overviews Extension

The Hide Google AI Overviews extension in the Chrome Web Store is a privacy-focused tool that automatically removes AI-generated content from every Google search result page.

Here's how to install it:

1. Open the Chrome Web Store
2. Search for "Hide Google AI Overviews"
3. Click Add to Chrome → Add extension

That's it — it activates immediately and silently removes all AI overviews from search results

No configuration needed. The extension just runs in the background. The main trade-off is that you're adding a browser extension, which some people prefer to avoid. For a no-extension solution, the custom search engine method is still the cleanest permanent fix.

How to Turn Off Google AI on Android (System-Level Tips)

Beyond Chrome, if you want to reduce AI across Google apps on your Android device, here are some practical options:

• Google Discover feed: Open Google app → Tap profile icon → Settings → General → Disable AI-generated summaries if available (this option varies by region and app version)
• Google App searches: Consider switching your default search to the "Web" shortcut method as described above — it applies inside the Google app too on some Android versions
• Gemini suggestions: Go to Settings → Google → Search → Turn off "Show AI Summaries" if your version has it

These options aren't always present depending on your Android version and region — Google rolls these out inconsistently.

Turn Off AI Google Discover

Google Discover — that scrolling feed of articles on your Android home screen or inside the Google app — also uses AI to curate and sometimes summarize content. Fully disabling AI in Discover isn't straightforward, but you can reduce it significantly:

1. Open the Google app
2. Tap your profile photo in the top right
3. Go to Settings → General
4. Look for Discover settings and toggle off personalization features where available

You can also long-press on any Discover card and select "Not interested" or "See fewer stories like this" to retrain what shows up. It's a gradual process, not a one-tap fix.

How to Turn Off AI on Google Maps

This one is frustrating, and I'll be honest with you: Google Maps AI features — AI-generated summaries for places, AI routing suggestions, Gemini-powered search within Maps — do not have a disable setting.

That said, here are the best workarounds:

Feature	Workaround
AI place summaries	Scroll past them; they appear above reviews
Gemini-powered search suggestions	Type your query manually instead of using suggested prompts
AI route recommendations	Manually select your preferred route after it loads
AI area overviews	Tap directly on the map instead of using search

The reality is that Maps is the most locked-down of all Google's products when it comes to AI. Until Google gives users a real control panel for this, manually ignoring or scrolling past the AI content is the only option.

Quick Method Comparison

Method	Device	Permanent?	Difficulty
Custom search URL (udm=14)	Desktop Chrome/Firefox	✔️ Yes	Easy
tenbluelinks.org shortcut	Android & iPhone Chrome	✔️ Yes	Very Easy
Hide AI Overviews extension	Chrome (any device)	✔️ Yes	Very Easy
-AI search modifier	Any browser	❌ Per search only	Instant
&udm=14 in URL	Any browser	❌ Per search only	Easy
Google Labs toggle	Any	⚠️ Partial	Easy
Google Maps	N/A	❌ Not available	N/A

Honest Review: Methods That Work Best

Custom Search Engine Method (udm=14)

★★★★★

This is the one I personally use every day. Once you set it up in Chrome, you genuinely forget AI overviews ever existed. It took me under two minutes on my laptop and about three minutes on my phone. No extension required, no privacy concerns, and it works in every Google search without any extra clicks. The only downside: you have to do the setup once per device and browser.

Hide Google AI Overviews Extension

★★★★☆

Incredibly simple to install and it just works silently. I tested it on my Chrome laptop and it correctly stripped every AI overview without breaking any other part of the results page. I'd give it five stars, but I always have a slight hesitation about adding Chrome extensions — even well-reviewed ones. If you're comfortable with that, it's the fastest setup you'll find.

Tenbluelinks.org (Mobile)

★★★★★

This is the slickest solution for mobile. The website was built specifically to solve this problem, and it works exactly as advertised on both Android and iPhone Chrome. The fact that simply visiting a website registers the search engine in Chrome is elegant. Zero technical knowledge required, and the whole thing takes 90 seconds.

FAQ

How do I stop AI mode from being my default search mode?

Set your default search engine in Chrome to use the URL {google:baseURL}search?q=%s&udm=14. This routes every search to Google's "Web" tab, bypassing AI overviews permanently. On mobile, visit tenbluelinks.org and follow the steps to set it as default.

Does Google have an official setting to disable AI overviews?

No. Google has confirmed that AI Overviews outside of Search Labs cannot be turned off from settings. The methods described in this article are the most reliable workarounds available as of 2026.

What is the "Web" tab in Google Search and why does it matter?

The "Web" tab (activated with udm=14) is a Google filter that shows only traditional blue-link search results — no AI overviews, no featured snippets, no knowledge panels. It's the cleanest way to get classic search results back.

Will the -AI search modifier always remove AI overviews?

It works in most cases, but it's not 100% reliable — it's a workaround, not an official toggle. For consistent results, the custom search engine or extension methods are more dependable.

Can I turn off AI on Google Maps?

Not officially. Google Maps doesn't offer any setting to disable AI summaries, Gemini suggestions, or AI-powered routing. Your best option is to manually scroll past AI content or interact with the map directly rather than through the search suggestions.

Is the Hide Google AI Overviews extension safe to use?

It's listed in the official Chrome Web Store and is a widely used extension with a clear, simple purpose: hiding AI overviews. As with any extension, review the permissions it requests before installing.

Does setting udm=14 as default affect other Google features?

It primarily filters out AI overviews and keeps results to the Web tab. Some rich features like shopping cards and image grids may also be reduced — but for most search tasks, the results are cleaner and more direct.

Conclusion

There's no single off switch for Google AI, but between the udm=14 custom search engine method, the tenbluelinks.org mobile shortcut, and the Hide AI Overviews Chrome extension, you have everything you need to get your search results back to normal — on any device, in any browser. Set it up once, and you'll barely notice AI overviews ever existed.