How do I completely turn off AI Overview in my browser

General
1

I’m trying to figure out how to fully disable the new AI Overview feature in my browser’s search results. It keeps showing up at the top of the page, and it’s cluttering my screen and sometimes giving confusing answers before the normal links. I’ve checked settings and flags but I’m not sure what actually works or if there’s a permanent fix. Can anyone share a clear, up‑to‑date way to turn this off or at least hide it reliably

2

Short version. You cannot fully turn off AI Overview at the source yet, but you have a few decent workarounds.

Here is what works right now.

  1. Use a different search shortcut
    • Use https://www.google.com/search?udm=14&q=%s as your search engine in the browser.
    • That udm=14 param forces the “Web” tab view with plain links and usually hides AI Overview.
    • On Chrome desktop:

    • Settings → Search engine → Manage search engines
    • Add new:
      Name: Google Web
      Keyword: gw
      URL: https://www.google.com/search?udm=14&q=%s
    • Make it default or type gw then your query.

  2. Go straight to the Web tab
    • After you search on google.com, click “Web”.
    • Google tends to remember the last tab per session, so it often sticks to Web after that.
    • This is not perfect, but it reduces AI Overview a lot.

  3. Use a browser extension that hides AI blocks
    • On Chromium browsers, search the extension store for “Hide Google AI Overviews” or “Hide Search AI”.
    • Most of these use simple CSS to remove the AI section from the page.
    • If you do not trust random extensions, use your own CSS with something like Stylus.

    Example custom CSS for google.com (with Stylus etc):

    .g-blk[data-attrid='kc:/ai_overview'] {
    display: none !important;
}
.AIKLOc, .VjDLd, .XqfnCb {
    display: none !important;
}

    Classes change often, so you might need updates. Check page source if it breaks.

  4. Use a different search engine as default
    • DuckDuckGo, Kagi, Brave Search, Startpage, etc.
    • All of them show normal results by default, some have optional AI stuff you can turn off in settings.
    • You can still visit Google manually when you need it.

  5. On mobile Chrome
    • You can use the udm=14 trick with a custom search engine in some Android browsers, but stock mobile Chrome is more limited.
    • Easiest workaround is a different browser as your “search browser”, like Firefox or Kiwi with a custom engine URL.

  6. Edge / Bing note
    • If you mean Bing AI (Copilot) instead of Google AI Overview, it is similar.
    • On Bing, scroll past “Chat” or “AI” and click “Web”. Bookmark the Web results page.
    • Or switch default to something non Bing in your browser settings.

There is no global master switch from Google to disable AI Overview for all users. They run it as part of the main product. Workarounds are:

• Force “Web” results with udm=14
• Nuke the AI box with CSS or extensions
• Avoid Google as default search

Kind of dumb that we have to hack around it, but these steps keep it out of sight most of the time.

3

You’re not going to truly “completely” turn it off right now, because Google didn’t give us an actual toggle. That part sucks. @reveurdenuit already covered the cleaner tricks like udm=14, extensions, and switching engines, so I’ll skip rehashing those and add a few different angles.

1. Use site‑limited searches to dodge AI Overview

AI Overview shows up most on broad, generic queries. If you search in a more “old‑school” way, you hit it less:

  • site:reddit.com your query
  • site:stackoverflow.com your query
  • inurl:pdf your topic
  • 'exact phrase' + keyword

Google’s more likely to give you regular links and fewer AI blobs when it thinks you want specific docs or discussions, not “summaries.”

I’ve basically trained myself:
If I want real experiences: topic site:reddit.com
If I want documentation: topic filetype:pdf or site:w3.org etc.
AI Overview shows up less and when it does, I can ignore it easier.

2. Use keyboard navigation so you barely see it

It’s not “off,” but you can treat it like it doesn’t exist:

  • After you search, immediately hit Tab until you’re on the first real result link, then Enter.
  • Or use a keyboard helper extension that focuses the result list directly (a lot of “Vimium‑style” extensions do this).

You still technically load the AI box, but you stop looking at it entirely. Sounds trivial, but after a week, you basically stop noticing it.

3. Tweak your browser’s UI so the AI box is pushed off screen

A bit hacky, but different from the CSS tricks @reveurdenuit mentioned:

  • Zoom your browser down a bit (90% or 80%) and increase your OS font size instead.
  • Collapse the top chrome (bookmarks bar, extra toolbars, etc.) so more of the viewport shows real results.
  • Combine that with always searching in a side or popup panel (some browsers let you open results in a sidebar). The AI area often gets visually cropped or at least becomes way less prominent.

You’re not deleting it, you’re just making it visually irrelevant.

4. Use a metasearch front‑end instead of talking to Google directly

Instead of going to google.com directly, you can use privacy/metasearch services or front‑ends that pull Google results but present them in a cleaner layout, often without AI sections. Some of these are:

  • Privacy‑focused search frontends or “aggregators” that let you pick sources (Google, Bing, etc.) but show only classic links.
  • Self‑hosted tools (like SearXNG) if you’re even a bit techy. You can configure a backend that uses Google but strips junk.

This is more setup, but you end up with “Google‑level results, old‑school layout.”

5. Use different browsers for different tasks

Instead of trying to make one browser perfect:

  • Set Browser A (e.g., Firefox) with all your anti‑AI tweaks as your default “search” browser.
  • Keep Browser B (e.g., Chrome) vanilla for when you need Google’s newer stuff or some logged‑in features.

On desktop, just change your OS default browser to the “no‑AI” one. On mobile, you can often pick which browser handles searches from the home screen or assistant.

This sounds annoying but in practice it’s surprisingly painless after a day or two.

6. Go nuclear on Google for some query types

You don’t have to dump Google entirely, but you can mentally split:

  • “Research / learning / tech stuff”: use DuckDuckGo, Kagi, Brave Search, whatever.
  • “Maps / local / stuff Google is uniquely good at”: use actual Google.

That way you naturally see AI Overview a lot less, without obsessing over switches. Also, the less you click / interact with AI results, the less you “train” it that you like this nonsense.

7. Temporary brute‑force: use text‑only or reader/trimming tools

Not pretty, but if AI Overview is really bugging you visually:

  • Use a text‑only proxy or readability add‑on that extracts links and text from the results page.
  • Some tools will “simplify page” and strip most clutter, including the AI blob.

It’s overkill but good if you’re doing long sessions and the AI stuff is actually distracting or misleading.

Bottom line:
No, you can’t actually kill AI Overview at the source right now. But you can make it mostly irrelevant by:

  • Changing how you search (site: filters, exact phrases).
  • Navigating by keyboard so your eyes skip the blob.
  • Offloading some or most queries to other engines or a metasearch frontend.
  • Using layout tricks so the AI card basically lives off‑screen.

Is it ridiculous that we have to do this instead of a simple “off” toggle? Yep. But with a combo of the above plus the udm=14 and CSS ideas from @reveurdenuit, you can get pretty close to feeling like it’s gone.

4

You can’t fully kill AI Overview at the source yet, but you can change how you interact with it so it’s practically irrelevant. Since @yozora and @reveurdenuit already nailed the search-URL and extension tricks, here are some different angles that avoid rehashing their methods.

1. Stop using the main Google homepage

Instead of typing google.com or using the address bar search, bookmark a clean search page and always start from there. For example:

  • A classic, stripped layout page (no “Discover,” no weird cards).
  • Or a metasearch front-end that still pulls decent results but doesn’t surface AI Overview at the top.

You then train yourself:
Search = click that bookmark, not the omnibox.

It sounds small, but it cuts down on the “ugh, AI blob again” moments because you never land on the full Google experience to begin with.

2. Break the habit of “one giant query”

AI Overview loves vague, broad questions like

“How do I fix my internet connection”

If you search more like:

  • router keeps disconnecting linux
  • dns lookup failing after sleep
  • modem lights meaning

you hit more specific result pages, where the AI panel appears less and is less prominent.

So instead of trying to toggle AI off, you partially avoid the trigger queries that invite it. This is admittedly behavioral hacking, but it works surprisingly well.

3. Use browser profiles as “AI vs no-AI” modes

Instead of a different browser, create two profiles in the same browser:

  • Profile A:

    • Regular Google, logged in, history on, everything default.
    • Use this when you need things like Maps integration, synced bookmarks, etc.

  • Profile B:

    • Bare-bones: privacy extensions, classic search setup, custom search defaults that avoid AI.
    • No account, minimal cookies.

You switch via the profile icon. That way you do not fight with one profile to be everything at once. It is cleaner than constantly editing search settings or installing/uninstalling extensions.

4. Combine keyboard shortcuts with visual “blindness”

I somewhat disagree with the idea that you should obsess about removing the AI box entirely. That burns a lot of time chasing CSS or URL tweaks that Google can break.

Instead, treat AI Overview like an ad block you just scroll past:

  • Immediately after a search loads, hit Page Down once.
  • Or use a Vim-style browsing extension that auto-focuses the result list, so the AI block is automatically above the fold.
  • Train yourself to never read anything in a colored or boxed section at the top. Your eyes will start jumping right to the list of links.

You are not truly disabling it, but functionally, your brain stops giving it screen real estate.

5. Metasearch / front-end approach (pros & cons)

If you are willing to tweak a bit, a metasearch front-end that aggregates results and strips out clutter is arguably the best “feel like the old web” solution.

Pros

  • Often no AI summaries at all by design.
  • Cleaner UI, fewer distractions.
  • Some let you mix sources (e.g., Google, Bing, plus others) in one place.
  • You can use them as your actual default engine so you avoid Google’s page entirely.

Cons

  • One more service to trust with queries.
  • Sometimes slower or rate-limited.
  • Might not support every advanced search operator perfectly.
  • Occasionally results feel slightly “off” vs raw Google, especially on niche topics.

If you go this route, you pretty much sidestep AI Overview without having to micromanage every search.

6. When you must use Google, make it a “task browser”

Instead of using your main browser for both browsing and searching, flip it:

  • Main browser: your metasearch or alternative engine, tuned to your taste.
  • Secondary browser: reserved for tasks where you must hit Google directly (trying new features, account settings, Google Docs, whatever).

This way AI Overview exists only in that second browser context. It is a mental separation trick: “If I’m in this browser, I know I’m dealing with Google’s experiments.”

7. About “completely” disabling it

This part is blunt: there is currently no reliable, permanent, user-facing “off” switch. Anything you do can be:

  • Overridden by Google experimenting with layouts.
  • Broken by class name changes if you are using CSS.
  • Inconsistent across regions, languages, or logged-in status.

So I would treat any method as:

“Make AI Overview irrelevant to how I search,”
not
“Erase it from existence.”

Between what @yozora suggested (URL & behavior tweaks), what @reveurdenuit added (more technical tricks), and approaches like:

  • changing your search habit,
  • using profiles,
  • relying on metasearch,

you can get to a point where AI Overview almost never affects your actual use, even if it technically still loads somewhere above the fold.