If you’re wondering how to disable and get rid of that AI Overview that is now being displayed at the top of searches on Google, you are definitely not alone. Here’s how to disable it in various browsers and on mobile devices. Be aware that according to Google it cannot be turned off or disabled, so these are technically work-arounds, but they certainly do the job.
Here’s what Google themselves say about their extraordinarily annoying (at least to some) AI Overview that they have forced on us. Understand that this is basically Google indoctrinating the unsuspecting searcher with whatever view or definition that Google wants to spoon feed to them.
“AI Overviews are a core Google Search feature, like knowledge panels. Features can’t be turned off.”
Well, that’s a pretty direct “we’re forcing this on you and there is nothing you can do about it” if ever we saw one.
Fortunately, and ironically, Google’s AI Overview itself is a bit more helpful when entering the Google search “how to disable Google AI Overview”.
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Here’s what Google’s own AI Overview turned up:
AI Overview: Google doesn’t allow users to disable AI Overviews in their search results, but there are some workarounds:
Use the Web filter:
After a search, select the Web filter to see only text-based links without AI Overviews.
Use a browser extension:
Install an extension that automatically forces a web-only view of search results. For example, the Hide Google AI Overviews extension for Chrome removes all AI-generated summaries.
Reconfigure your browser’s default search engine options:
In Chrome, you can add an AI-less version of Google as a search engine. Here’s how:
Go to Settings > Search engine > Manage search engines and site search
Select Add next to Site search
Add a nickname for your AI-less version of Google
Paste in the URL: {google:baseURL}search?q=%s&udm=14
Select Save or Add
Select Make default from the three-dot menu next to your new entry
Of course the irony of having the AI Overview tell how to disable itself is definitely not lost on us. But neither should it be lost on Google – Google knows exactly how many searches are being performed trying to figure out how to turn off, disable, or otherwise get rid of the AI Overview. But, so far at least, they just don’t care. Perhaps because, again, this is Google getting to indoctrinate search users from their bully pulpit. What Big Brother wouldn’t want to keep that going?
A note about the Google AI Overview ‘experiment’ in Google Labs. That is a separate thing, and as Google says right on that page “Disabling this experiment will not turn off all AI Overviews in Search.” Wheee!
Anyways, here are all of the ways you can disable or get around the AI Overview.
Browser Extensions
To understand how these extensions work it helps to know that if you do a Google search, and append the characters “udm=14” to the end of the search link, it removes the AI Overview. But you have to do it manually, every time. What the extensions do is automatically include it for you every time.
Both Chrome and Firefox have extensions to get rid of the Google AI Overview for both Windows and Mac operating systems. These also work with the various browsers that are built on these two core browsers, including Vivaldi (Chrome) and Waterfox (Firefox).
Chrome Extension to Disable Google AI Overview
https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/turn-off-ai-overview-goog/
Firefox Extension to Disable Google AI Overview
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/udm14/
Set Your Default Google udm=14 Results to “Web” Using the TenBlueLinks Site
If you are using Chrome on Android or iOS (or if you are using Chrome or Firefox on your computer and don’t want to install an extension), visit TenBlueLinks which is a page set up specifically to give you the instructions to set up your search to always include the “udm=14”!
Use the Website udm14.com to Get AI Overviewless Google Search Results
If you still want to use Google and don’t want to fiddle with extensions or other udm=14 workarounds, but don’t want the AI Overview, perform your Google search through the Google search passthru site udm14.com, which was specifically set up to allow you to do your Google search and have the results be AI Overview-free.
Use a Different Search Engine
This is of course obvious, and you’ve probably already tried it and for whatever reason generally prefer the Google search results, but you don’t want the AI Overview. If you’re open to a different search engine though, DuckDuckGo is a good, privacy-forward one.
How to Get Around the Google AI Overview on Your iPhone or Android Phone
If you do a Google search using your iOS or Android device, you will notice at the top of the results page the options “All, Videos, Images, Web, Forums, Flights” and a bunch more. Select ‘Web’ and the AI Overview will magically disappear (of course either way you will first have to scroll down past the ‘Sponsored’ links).
If you have Chrome on your Android or iOS device, TenBlueLinks says that you can make the ‘Web’ option the default by following these steps:
1. Open a new tab and search for anything in Google. Don’t skip this step.
2. Tap on three dots menu in the top right corner.
3. Choose “Settings”, then “Search engine”.
4. Select “Google Web” in the “Recently visited” section.
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