How to Turn Off Google AI Overviews: 6 Simple Methods

Seeing a big AI-generated box at the top of your Google results? That’s the new “AI Overview,” and it’s now a standard part of Search. While it’s meant to be helpful, many people just want the classic list of blue links back. The problem is, Google didn’t include a simple “off” switch, which has left a lot of users frustrated.

So, how can you really get rid of it? Is it possible to go back to the old Google results page? This guide will walk you through how to turn off AI overview in Google Search (or at least hide them) using six proven methods that actually work.

The Key Takeaways

• There is no single, official “off” button for AI Overviews.
• The most effective method is creating a custom search engine that adds &udm=14 to the URL.
• On desktop, browser extensions like “Hide Google AI Overviews” can also hide the AI box completely.
• Manually clicking the “Web” filter after searching is a quick, temporary fix that Google itself recommends.

TL;DR

You can’t fully “turn off” Google’s AI Overview with one switch. The best way to remove it is to force the “Web” filter by creating a custom search engine with udm=14 added to the URL. On desktop, browser extensions are an even easier fix.

Method	Best For	Platform	Reliability / Notes
Search Labs Toggle	Users with Labs access	All	Low – experimental, not a real “off” switch
“Web” Filter	Quick one-off searches	All	High – but manual every time
udm=14 Trick	“Set and forget” workaround	All (via settings)	High – unofficial, may change in future
Browser Extensions	Non-technical desktop users	Desktop only	High – but can break on Google updates
Limit Data for AI	Privacy-conscious users	All	Medium – affects data use, not UI
Switch Search Engine	People done with Google’s AI	All	Highest – avoids Google AI Overviews entirely

What is the Google AI Overview?

Google AI Overview is a feature that appears at the top of your Google search results page. Instead of just showing a list of links, it uses artificial intelligence (AI) to read multiple websites and write a summarized, paragraph-style answer to your question.

Key Features:

• It’s a Summary: It’s an AI-generated snapshot that tries to directly answer your query. It often includes bullet points, key facts, and a brief overview of the topic.
• It’s at the Top: It appears in a special box above the traditional “10 blue links,” so it’s the first thing you see.
• It Cites Sources: The overview includes links to the websites it used to get its information, allowing you to click and read more.
• It’s (Mostly) Automatic: You don’t turn it on. Google shows an AI Overview when it thinks it’s the most helpful way to answer your question, especially for complex topics.

The goal is to save you time. Instead of you having to click on four or five different links to piece together an answer, AI Overview tries to do that work for you and present the combined information in one place.

AI Overview is the new, official name for what Google used to test as the “Search Generative Experience” (SGE). If you heard about SGE, this is what it has become.

Why Do People Want AI Overviews Gone?

While the feature is intended to be helpful, it’s been controversial. Many users want to remove AI from Google Search results due to concerns over accuracy (like the infamous “add glue to pizza” advice) or because it pushes the classic blue links further down the page. Publishers and websites have also raised concerns about losing web traffic, as users may not click through if the answer is already summarized.

So how to turn it off?

Method 1: Check Search Labs (if you have it)

Google sometimes offers an experimental toggle, but it’s not a guaranteed fix and isn’t available for all accounts.

Turn Off AI in Search Labs

This is the closest thing to an official setting, but even Google notes that turning off ‘AI Overviews and more’ doesn’t disable all AI Overviews.

1. On a Google search page, look for the Labs icon (a small flask) in the top-right corner (on desktop) or in the Google app menu.
2. Click it to open the Search Labs panel.
3. Look for a card named “AI Overviews and more” or “AI in Search.”
4. Toggle this feature Off.

Important: This setting isn’t available to everyone (like some school or work accounts) and may not stop all AI Overviews, but it’s the first place you should check.

Method 2: Click the “Web” Filter (Fast but Manual)

This is the simplest workaround, and even Google’s own support staff suggest it. It works on every device, but you have to do it for each search.

1. After you search for something and see an AI Overview, just look below the search bar for the list of filters (like All, Images, News, Videos).
2. Click the “Web” filter.
3. The page will reload, showing only classic text links and no AI Overview.

If you don’t see “Web,” click the “More” button at the end of the list—it’s often hidden in there. The only downside is that you must do this every single time you search.

Method 3: Force “Web” with udm=14 (Best Long-Term Fix)

If you want a long-term fix, you can force Google to always use the Web view by creating your own default search engine. This trick uses a special URL parameter: &udm=14.

This parameter tells Google, “Only give me classic web results.” Here’s how to set it up.

How to Set Up udm=14 in Chrome (Desktop)

This takes about 60 seconds and permanently fixes your address bar searches.

1. Open Chrome, click the three dots (⋮) in the corner, and go to Settings.
2. Go to the “Search engine” tab on the left.
3. Click “Manage search engines and site search.”
4. Under “Search engines,” click the “Add” button.
5. Fill in the pop-up window:
   • Name: Google (Web)
   • Shortcut: google.com (or whatever you like)
   • URL: https://www.google.com/search?q=%s&udm=14
6. Click “Add.”
7. Finally, find “Google (Web)” in your list and click the three dots (⋮) next to it, then select “Make default.”

Now, any search you type into your address bar will automatically be an AI-free, udm=14 search.

How to Set Up udm=14 in Chrome (Android & iOS)

You can’t edit the URL on mobile directly, so we use a clever workaround.

1. In your Chrome mobile browser, go to the website tenbluelinks.org.
2. Now, open a new tab and do any normal Google search (this “registers” the site).
3. Tap the three dots (⋮), go to Settings, and then tap “Search engine.”
4. Under “Recently visited,” you should now see “Google Web (tenbluelinks.org)”.
5. Select it.

That’s it! Even though it says the site name, it just sets your default search to use the udm=14 parameter. Your searches still go directly to Google.

How to Set Up udm=14 in Firefox & Other Browsers

The process is similar.

1. Go to your browser’s Settings and find the “Search” section.
2. Look for “Search Shortcuts” or “Add Search Engine.”
3. Add a new engine with the same URL: https://www.google.com/search?q=%s&udm=14.
4. Give it a name (like “Google Web”) and set it as your default.

This method is the most reliable workaround right now. Instead of relying on an experimental toggle (Method 1) or clicking the “Web” filter every time (Method 2), this makes the classic, AI-free results the default for all your searches.

Note: The udm=14 parameter isn’t officially documented by Google. It works great today and is widely recommended, but Google could change or remove it in the future. If it ever breaks, fall back to the “Web” filter or a browser extension.

Method 4: Hide AI Overviews with Extensions (Desktop Only)

If you’re on a desktop computer and don’t want to mess with settings, this is the easiest “set it and forget it” option. These browser add-ons simply find the AI Overview box on the page and automatically hide Google AI Overviews from view.

Here are the most popular options:

• Hide Google AI Overviews: Does exactly what its name says. You install it from the Chrome Web Store or Firefox Add-ons, and the AI box disappears.
• Bye Bye, Google AI: This is another popular, open-source choice. It not only hides the main AI Overview but can also remove other new AI features Google is testing.

For advanced users, if you already use an ad-blocker like uBlock Origin, you can add a custom filter to your “My filters” list. For example, one selector that has worked in the past is google.com##.Beswgc, but this can change when Google updates its code.

Note: Extensions hide AI Overviews using CSS. If Google changes its website’s layout or code, the extension can stop working until the developer releases an update.

Method 5: Limit Data Used to Train AI

This method is about data and tracking, not about changing what the page looks like.

Maybe your concern isn’t just the AI box itself, but the fact that your search data might be used to train Google’s AI models. You can’t use this setting to hide the AI Overview, but you can use it to limit your data from being used for future AI training.

Here’s how to adjust that setting:

1. Go to your main Google Account page (myaccount.google.com).
2. Navigate to the “Data & privacy” tab on the left.
3. Under “History settings,” click on “Web & App Activity.”
4. Here, you can turn this activity off entirely, or manage auto-delete settings.

To be clear: This will not stop AI Overviews from appearing. It reduces how much of your saved search activity can be used to personalize results or improve Google’s generative AI models. Some aggregate processing may still happen, as described in Google’s privacy policy.

Method 6: Switch Search Engines Entirely

If you’re tired of workarounds and want a permanent-feeling solution that effectively removes Google AI Overviews from your everyday searches, your final option is to switch search engines.

Many other search engines do not use Google’s AI-first approach and still focus on a classic list of links. They don’t show Google’s AI Overview, and most of their own AI features are optional or can be disabled.

Popular alternatives include:

• DuckDuckGo: Focuses heavily on user privacy and provides a clean, traditional results page.
• Brave Search: Also built for privacy and often integrated directly into the Brave browser.
• Startpage: This is a unique option that actually gives you Google’s search results, but it does so anonymously and strips out extra features like AI Overviews.

This is the most drastic step, but it’s also the most complete. If you’re frustrated with Google’s changes, switching to a new default search engine is the most complete way to avoid Google’s AI Overviews in everyday use.

Conclusion

While you can’t just flip a single switch to disable Google’s AI Overviews, you have several very effective workarounds. For most people, the most reliable workaround is setting up the udm=14 custom search engine (Method 3), which forces Google to show you classic, mostly link-only results without AI Overviews on both desktop and mobile.

If you’re only on a desktop and want the absolute fastest fix, installing a browser extension (Method 4) is even easier and achieves the same goal.

As a next step, try setting up the udm=14 custom search in your main browser right now. It only takes about two minutes and is the most reliable way to get the classic Google search results back for good.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Methodology & Sources

To create this guide, we combined information from official Google help pages with proven, community-tested workarounds. This guide is based on tests from multiple independent tech outlets (like PCMag and Android Authority) plus community-tested workarounds like TenBlueLinks and Bye Bye, Google AI.

• Chrome Web Store: Home of extensions like “Hide Google AI Overviews” and “Bye Bye, Google AI.”
• Official Guidance: We cross-referenced Google’s official statements, which confirm that AI Overviews are a core feature but that the “Web” filter is the recommended way to see text-only links.

Source Links:

1. Google Search Help: Official page stating that AI Overviews are a core feature, but that users can “select the ‘Web’ filter” to see only text-based links.
2. Google Search Labs: Official documentation on how to turn off experimental features like “AI in Search” (though this does not disable the main AI Overview feature).
3. PCMag / Tom’s Guide: Independent tech guides confirming the udm=14 URL parameter trick and how to set it as a default.