How To Turn Off Ai Overview Google

General
1

I’m trying to figure out how to fully disable Google’s AI Overview in my search results on desktop and mobile. It keeps showing summaries I don’t want, and I’d rather just see the normal list of links. I’ve checked settings and extensions but I’m not sure what actually works or if there’s a permanent fix. Can anyone share clear steps or workarounds that reliably turn off or bypass AI Overview?

2

Short answer. You cannot fully disable AI Overview with a normal Google setting right now. Google did not ship a simple on/off toggle for users.

You have a few workarounds though. None are perfect, but they cut it down a lot.

  1. Use the “Web” filter on search
    • On desktop and mobile, run a search
    • At the top, tap “More” or scroll the filter row, then select “Web”
    • This view shows the classic blue links, no AI Overview
    • The big catch. You must pick “Web” every time. There is no global default in settings yet

  2. Use a different Google domain
    • Some regional domains roll out AI Overview slower
    • Try https://www.google.com/ncr if you get redirected, or use a local domain like google.ca or google.co.uk
    • This is hit or miss. Google rolls it out by region and account, so results vary

  3. Use a URL parameter for “Web” view
    • After you search, your URL looks like:
    Google Search
    • Add this: &udm=14
    • Final URL: Google Search
    • Udm=14 is the “Web” view. No AI Overview on that result
    • You can make a browser bookmark that includes “Google Search then type your query after q= in the address bar
    • There are users who reported this works on both desktop and mobile browsers

  4. Change your default search engine
    • Easiest full removal is to stop using Google search
    • Options with no AI summary block:

    • DuckDuckGo
    • Kagi (paid)
    • Brave Search
    • Startpage (Google results proxied, sometimes less AI stuff)
      • In Chrome: Settings → Search engine → Manage search engines → pick another
      • On Android Chrome: Settings → Search engine
      • On iOS Safari: Settings app → Safari → Search Engine

  5. Use browser extensions on desktop
    • On Chrome or Firefox, you can install extensions that auto-switch results to “Web” view or hide the AI box with CSS
    • Search the extension stores for things like “Hide Google AI Overview” or “Google Web results only”
    • Under the hood they do one of these:

    • Append &udm=14
    • Use CSS to hide the AI block
      • This does not help inside the Google mobile app

  6. Avoid the Google app on mobile
    • On Android and iOS, AI Overview is more aggressive in the Google app
    • Use a browser instead:

    • Open Chrome, Firefox, Brave, Safari
    • Set your homepage or search engine to something else, or to the udm=14 link
      • Some people uninstall or disable the Google app and use browser search only

  7. Use ad or element blockers
    • uBlock Origin or similar tools can hide the AI Overview block using custom rules
    • Example cosmetic filter rule users report:
    google.com##[data-hveid][data-async-context*=‘synthetic’]
    • This takes some tweaking. Google keeps changing the markup

  8. Log out or use incognito for tests
    • AI features tend to appear more when you are signed in and part of experiments
    • In some regions, logging out reduces how often AI Overview appears
    • Results differ by account and geography, so you need to test this yourself

Practical combo that works well for most:

Desktop
• Switch default engine in browser to DuckDuckGo or Kagi
• When you use Google, use this as a bookmark:
https://www.google.com/search?udm=14&q=
• Install an extension that hides AI Overview as a backup

Mobile
• Stop using the Google app, use browser search instead
• Set default search in browser to DuckDuckGo or other non AI engine
• If you still want Google sometimes, create a bookmark with udm=14

Right now Google controls the feature flag. Users reported no reliable way to fully turn it off from account settings alone. Settings like “Web & App Activity” or “AI experiments” do not fully remove the summary from results.

3

You’re not missing a magic toggle in settings. There really isn’t one. @cacadordeestrelas already covered most of the “play within Google’s rules” tricks, so I’ll skip repeating those and come at it from a slightly different angle.

Couple of things that don’t work (despite blog posts claiming they do):

  • Turning off Web & App Activity
  • Opting out of “Search Labs” / experiments
  • Disabling “personal results”
  • Region switching alone

All of those might slightly change how often you see AI Overview, but they will not consistently kill it.

What has helped me in practice is treating this like an arms race:

  1. Separate “serious search” from “casual search”

    • For anything important or technical, I just don’t use Google anymore. DuckDuckGo + Kagi combo here. Kagi costs money, but it wiped out the “AI roulette” frustration entirely.
    • For throwaway stuff (movie times, random trivia), I still use normal Google and tolerate the AI block.

  2. Use multiple profiles / browsers on desktop

    • One browser profile = “Google with AI junk allowed” for maps, images, etc.
    • Another browser or profile = default search set to a non‑Google engine.
    • This sounds overkill but it trains your muscle memory: if you open “Search” profile, you know you won’t see AI Overview at all.

  3. Block the element instead of trying to outsmart Google logic

    • @cacadordeestrelas mentioned cosmetic filters, I’ll stress this: treat AI Overview like an ad.
    • In uBlock Origin, use the element picker on the AI box and generate your own rule.
    • It tends to survive longer than blindly copy‑pasting rules from Reddit, because you’re matching exactly what you see in your region right now.
    • When it breaks (Google changes markup), redo the picker. Takes like 10 seconds once you’re used to it.

  4. Use a meta‑search front‑end

    • Instead of hitting Google directly, use services that query Google/Bing for you and just show classic links.
    • Startpage is one, but there are also self‑hosted or niche frontends people run to strip out all the AI / JS / tracking.
    • Downside: some features (maps previews, instant answers) disappear, but that’s kinda the point.

  5. On mobile, go “search-lite”

    • Uninstall or hard-disable the Google app like @cacadordeestrelas said, but also:
    • Use a minimal browser (like Firefox Focus or a privacy‑leaning browser) with default search set away from Google.
    • When you must use Google, open it in a normal browser tab and accept that you’ll see AI Overview sometimes. Treat Google as a backup tool, not the default.

  6. Lower your expectations of settings actually mattering

    • Google’s toggles are increasingly just “preference hints,” not true off switches.
    • So instead of hunting some secret checkbox, assume there isn’t one and build your own environment around that fact.

Personally, after a week of:

  • non‑Google default on all devices
  • uBlock CSS hiding the AI block on the rare Google searches
  • never using the Google app

I basically forgot AI Overview exists. It still technically loads behind the scenes sometimes, but I never see it and I don’t waste time trying to win a settings menu fight Google clearly doesn’t want to let users win.

4

You basically have two separate problems here: “How do I not see AI Overview?” and “How do I keep using Google without babysitting it every search?”

Most of what @reveurdenuit and @cacadordeestrelas described is accurate, but I’d approach it slightly differently and not lean quite as hard on constantly forcing the Web view. That trick works, but it is fragile and annoying to maintain as your main workflow.

1. Treat AI Overview like a UI layer, not a feature

Instead of trying to convince Google to stop generating the AI block (which you can’t), focus on never seeing it:

  • Use a content blocker that supports cosmetic rules (uBlock Origin, AdGuard, etc.).
  • Don’t just paste someone else’s rule blindly. Open Google results, right click the AI Overview area, inspect, find the top container, then use the extension’s element picker to hide it.
  • When Google changes the markup and the box reappears, redo that process. It is 10 to 15 seconds once you get used to it.

Yes, @reveurdenuit mentioned this, but it is more powerful than they framed it: you can ignore all of Google’s experiments once you accept “I will occasionally re-hide a div.”

Pros

  • Works regardless of Google’s internal experiments
  • You keep everything else (maps, images, snippets) untouched
  • Zero need to remember special URLs or filters

Cons

  • Desktop only unless your mobile browser supports full extensions
  • Breaks when Google refactors the page, so you have to redo the rule sometimes

2. Stop chasing a perfect global solution on mobile

On mobile you have fewer tools, so pick a “good enough” setup and stop tuning it daily:

  • Use a browser as your primary search entry, not the dedicated Google app.
  • Set your default engine to something low-friction like DuckDuckGo or Brave Search so your habit avoids AI Overview 90 percent of the time.
  • For the occasional “I really want Google’s index,” use a manual Google visit and just scroll past the AI block.

Honestly, hunting for a pure Google + zero AI setup on mobile is time you will not get back. Here I slightly disagree with how much @cacadordeestrelas leans on per-search tricks. For most people, switching defaults and accepting that Google is a backup tool is saner.

3. Split your search workflow

A very underrated approach:

  • One search engine for “serious stuff” (research, coding, medical sources) where AI interference is unwelcome.
  • Another for “quick & dirty” queries where AI Overview is less offensive.

You can do this with two browsers, two profiles, or just two default engines (one in system, one inside a particular browser). Over time you build muscle memory: for important queries you automatically open the “clean” environment.

4. About using “” as a concept

Since you mentioned wanting to “fully disable” AI Overview, think of “” as a mental product: your goal is a “classic search results only” experience. In that sense:

Pros of a “no AI Overview” setup

  • Results are more predictable and easier to scan
  • Less cognitive load from conflicting AI-generated summaries
  • Fewer distractions and fewer hallucinated answers

Cons

  • You lose some potentially useful quick summaries when they are correct
  • Requires extra setup (content blockers, browser profile tweaks)
  • On mobile, you never get a 100 percent perfect removal

Competitors like what @reveurdenuit and @cacadordeestrelas outlined push more toward clever Google URL parameters or staying within Google’s ecosystem. That is fine if you really need the raw index. My bias is to reduce how often I hit Google in the first place and then use technical tricks to hide the AI junk only where I absolutely must stay with Google.

5. When to just walk away from Google

If you notice you are spending more time fighting Google than searching:

  • Make a non Google engine your default everywhere for two weeks.
  • Use Google only via a bookmarked tab in a desktop browser that has a content blocker hiding the AI box.
  • After those two weeks, ask yourself how often you actually missed AI Overview or even noticed its absence. Most people realize the answer is “basically never.”

You cannot flip a single switch to disable AI Overview today. But with a mix of “only see it in one controlled place” + “hide the UI layer” + “use something else by default,” you can get very close to a world where it might as well not exist.