How to turn off AI Overviews in Google Search? A simple guide

Quick answer: You cannot fully turn off AI Overviews in Google, since Google treats them as a core Search feature that cannot be disabled. What you can do is force text-only results on a per-search basis using the Web filter, the -ai search trick, or by adding udm=14 to the results URL, and you can set any of these as your default in about two minutes. This guide covers all three methods on desktop, Android, iOS, and Firefox, plus why the Search Labs toggle doesn't actually do what most people think.

If you're a developer, a business owner tired of AI summaries eating your click-through rate, or just someone who wants plain blue links back, this is for you. I'll walk through every real workaround in one place, in the order that's fastest to set up first.

Key Takeaways

• Google's own support documentation confirms AI Overviews are a core feature and states there is no setting to turn them off.

• Adding &udm=14 to any Google results URL forces the classic, text-only Web results view.

• Typing -ai at the end of a query removes the AI Overview for that single search only, and isn't 100% reliable.

• A custom search engine in Chrome or Firefox using the udm=14 template makes the Web filter your permanent default.

• The Search Labs AI Overviews toggle only affects the experimental Labs version of the feature, not the standard AI Overviews shown to most searchers.

Why Can't You Just Turn Off AI Overviews?

Because Google classifies AI Overviews the same way it classifies knowledge panels or featured snippets: as a built-in part of Search, not an optional add-on. According to Google's Search Help documentation, there is no account setting, toggle, or preference that removes AI Overviews from search results entirely.

Google does offer one supported alternative: the Web filter, which shows a traditional list of links without the AI-generated summary. That's the closest thing to an off switch Google provides, and it's the foundation for most of the workarounds below.

There's also a real-world reason to care about this beyond preference. A German court ruling classified AI Overviews as Google's own statements, holding the company liable when the summaries generate false information. If an AI Overview can misrepresent a business, a product, or a fact and that's treated as Google's own words in at least one jurisdiction, it's worth knowing you can search around it.

The Publisher Side of the Story

It isn't just searchers who want an off switch. Site owners have watched click-through rates decline as AI Overviews answer questions directly on the results page, a trend covered in Euronews' reporting on the feature's impact on publisher traffic. That's a separate conversation from disabling the feature as a searcher, but it explains why this topic gets asked about so often.

What You Need Before Starting

Nothing complicated. Here's the full prerequisite list.

• A desktop or mobile browser signed in (or not) to Google, either works

• Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or any Chromium-based browser

• Two minutes for the quick fixes, five minutes for the permanent default setup

• No app installation required for the URL-based methods

Method 1: Use the Web Filter (Fastest, No Setup)

Run any search, then click Web in the filter row under the search bar. That's it. Google switches to a text-only results list with no AI Overview for that search.

The catch is that it doesn't stick. Each new search reverts to the default view with AI Overviews turned back on, so you'll click Web again on the next query unless you set up one of the permanent methods below.

Add -ai to Your Search Query

Type your search, add a space, then -ai at the end, and press enter. On many queries this suppresses the AI Overview for that single search.

It does not always work. Google occasionally still generates an overview even with -ai appended, particularly for informational queries where the AI Overview is heavily weighted. Treat it as a quick trick, not a guarantee, and fall back to the Web filter or udm=14 when it fails.

Manually Add &udm=14 to the Results URL

This is the parameter behind the Web filter, and it's the most reliable manual method. After running a search, look at the address bar and add &udm=14 to the end of the URL, then press enter.

udm stands for the user display mode parameter Google uses internally to switch between result types (images, shopping, videos, and the classic Web view). Setting it to 14 tells Google to render the plain Web results mode, which excludes the AI Overview.

You can also type the parameter directly into a new search bar query as part of the URL, or bookmark a search URL with udm=14 already appended for one-click access.

Set Up a Custom Search Engine in Chrome

This makes the Web filter your permanent default so you never have to click anything again. Here's the process.

1. Open Chrome settings and go to Search engine, then Manage search engines and site search.

2. Click Add next to Site search.

3. Name it something like Google (No AI).

4. Set the shortcut to whatever keyword you want to trigger it, such as g.

5. In the URL field, enter https://www.google.com/search?q=%s&udm=14.

6. Save, then click the three-dot menu next to your new entry and select Make default.

From now on, searches from the address bar load with the AI Overview already excluded.

Firefox Custom Search Engine Setup

Firefox handles this a little differently since it builds search engines from the address bar directly.

1. Go to a Google search results page for any query.

2. Click the address bar, then edit the URL so it ends in &udm=14, and press enter.

3. Right-click inside the address bar and look for the option to Add search engine based on the current site (Firefox detects this from the page's search form).

4. Open Settings, then Search, and set your newly added engine as the default search engine.

If Firefox doesn't offer the add-search-engine prompt automatically, go to Settings > Search > Manage Search Shortcuts and add one manually, pasting in the same udm=14 URL template used for Chrome.

How Do I Disable AI Overview in Search on Mobile?

Mobile takes a slightly different path since the Google app and mobile Chrome don't expose the same settings menus as desktop.

Android

In Chrome for Android, open the three-dot menu, go to Settings, then Search engine, then Manage search engines. Add a new entry with the same https://www.google.com/search?q=%s&udm=14 URL template, then set it as default. You can also just manually append &udm=14 to any results URL in the address bar for a one-off search.

iOS

Safari on iOS doesn't support custom search engine URL templates the way desktop browsers do, so the most reliable option is to bookmark a Google search URL with udm=14 already in it and use that bookmark to start searches. In Chrome for iOS, go to Settings, then Search Engine, then add a custom engine the same way as Android.

Under the hood, both of these custom-engine setups rely on the same browser standard: an OpenSearch description format that lets a browser treat any URL template as a searchable engine.

Does the Search Labs AI Overviews Toggle Actually Turn Them Off?

No, not sitewide. This is the part almost every other guide on this topic glosses over.

Google Search Labs is an opt-in program where you can try experimental Search features before they roll out broadly. If AI Overviews appears in your Labs menu, toggling it off only affects the experimental Labs version of the feature you opted into, not the standard AI Overviews that ship to the general Search experience.

In practice, that means most users who toggle off the Labs experiment still see AI Overviews on regular searches, because those are running through the standard feature, not the Labs one. If you're seeing AI Overviews after switching the Labs toggle off, that isn't a bug. It's working as designed, just not as most people assume.

Verify It Actually Worked

Run a common informational query like how does photosynthesis work after setting up your chosen method. If no AI-generated summary box appears above the organic results, the fix is active.

Check the address bar too. A URL ending in &udm=14 confirms you're in Web filter mode. If your custom search engine is set as default, new searches from the address bar should generate that URL automatically without you typing anything extra.

Common Mistakes and How to Recover

A few things trip people up here.

The Setting Didn't Save

If AI Overviews come back after a browser restart, double-check that your custom search engine was actually set as default, not just added to the list. Chrome and Firefox both require an explicit default selection, adding the entry alone isn't enough.

The -ai Trick Stops Working

This is expected behavior, not a bug on your end. Since it isn't an official Google parameter, its reliability can shift. Switch to the udm=14 method, which is more stable since it maps to an actual internal display mode.

Signed-In Accounts Behave Differently

If you're signed into a Google account, your search history can influence when and how AI Overviews appear, separate from the browser-level fix. If you're also trying to limit how your activity feeds Google's AI training, TechCrunch's reporting on Google's AI opt-out settings covers the separate account-level controls, including the Save Media setting, that affect how your activity is used, apart from what shows on the results page.

Comparing the Methods

Browser Extensions as an Alternative

If editing search engine settings isn't your thing, several browser extensions exist that hide AI Overview boxes automatically, without touching your default search engine. They typically work by detecting and removing the AI Overview element from the results page after it loads.

The tradeoff is trust. An extension has broad access to what you see and search, so only install one from a reputable source and check its permissions before adding it. For most people, the udm=14 custom search engine method achieves the same result without granting a third party that access.

What This Means If You Run a Website

If you publish content, this whole workaround conversation is really a symptom of something bigger. AI Overviews and chat-based answer engines are increasingly answering questions before a reader ever clicks through to a website, which is exactly the pressure behind answer engine optimization and generative engine optimization work. Writing content that's structured to get cited by AI Overviews, not just ranked in the traditional sense, is quickly becoming as important as classic SEO. If that's a gap in your current content strategy, our SEO strategy hub is a good place to start closing it, and our complete content marketing strategy guide covers how to plan for both search and AI visibility at once.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there an official Google setting to turn off AI Overviews permanently?

No. Google's own support documentation states AI Overviews are a core Search feature and that there is no setting to disable them entirely. The closest official option is the Web filter, which removes the AI Overview from that specific search only.

How do I enable or disable AI Overviews in Google Search Labs?

Open Search Labs from the Google app or google.com, find the AI Overviews experiment if it appears in your account, and use its toggle. This only controls the experimental Labs version of the feature for accounts that opted in, not the standard AI Overviews most searchers see.

Does turning off AI Overviews in Search Labs disable them everywhere in Google Search?

No. This is the most common point of confusion. The Labs toggle only affects the Labs experiment itself. Most people who flip it off and still see AI Overviews on regular searches aren't experiencing a bug, they're seeing the standard feature that Labs never controlled.

What is Google Search Labs and how does it relate to AI Overviews?

Search Labs is Google's opt-in program for testing experimental Search features before wide release. AI Overviews originally launched through Labs before becoming a standard part of Search for most users, which is why the Labs toggle now only touches a narrower experimental slice of the feature.

What does the udm=14 URL parameter do?

It sets Google's internal user display mode to the classic Web results view, the same mode triggered by clicking the Web filter. Appending &udm=14 to any Google Search results URL returns a text-only list of links with no AI Overview.

Does adding -ai to a search query always remove the AI Overview?

Not always. It works for many queries but isn't an official Google parameter, so its behavior isn't guaranteed to be consistent. The udm=14 method is more reliable since it maps to an actual internal display setting Google uses.

How do I disable AI Overview in search on mobile?

On Android Chrome, add a custom search engine using the udm=14 URL template and set it as default. On iOS, bookmark a search URL with udm=14 appended, since Safari doesn't support the same custom search engine setup as desktop browsers.

Can I use a browser extension to hide AI Overviews?

Yes. Several extensions detect and remove the AI Overview box from results pages automatically. They're convenient but require granting a third-party extension access to your browsing, so only install one from a source you trust.

How do I set the Web filter as my default search result view?

Create a custom search engine in your browser using the URL template https://www.google.com/search?q=%s&udm=14, then set it as your default search engine. Every search from the address bar will then load in Web filter mode automatically.

The Bottom Line on Turning Off AI Overviews

You can't fully turn off AI Overviews in Google, since it's built into Search the same way knowledge panels are. What you can do is force the classic Web view every time, using udm=14 saved as your default search engine, the Web filter for one-off searches, or the -ai trick when you need something quick and don't mind occasional misses.

If you're on the other side of this problem, publishing content that AI Overviews and chatbots pull from rather than content readers have to search around, that's a content strategy question, not a browser settings one. ContioReach scores every post for both traditional SEO and AI citability before it publishes, so you can see whether an article is built to get cited by name in an AI Overview before it ever goes live. See how ContioReach works.