How to turn off AI Overviews in Google

Last checked 6 November 2026.

Short answer: you cannot turn them off. Google says "Features cannot be turned off." You can get results without them in three ways: the Web filter after a search, a custom search engine in Chrome for address bar searches, or a browser extension that hides the block.

What Google allows

Google calls AI Overviews a core Search feature, like knowledge panels. Here is what that means in practice:

There is no setting in Search or in your Google Account that removes them.
Google offers one official route: select the Web filter after you search. It shows only text-based links.
The "AI in Search" switch in Labs is for experiments. Google's page does not say that it removes AI Overviews from normal results.
You can rate an overview with the thumbs icons under it. That sends feedback. It does not turn anything off.

AI Mode is a separate tab. It gives AI answers only when you open it, and Google has a separate help page for it.

Use the Web filter

This is the method Google itself points to. It works on a computer and on a phone.

Search on Google as usual.
In the row of filters under the search box, select Web.
If you do not see it, look under More, or scroll the row sideways on a phone.

The page reloads with links only. You also lose the other extras on the results page, such as knowledge panels. In our check, a new search from the box on that page stayed in the Web view. A search from google.com or from the address bar started on the default view again.

Make it the default in Chrome

On a computer, Chrome can open address bar searches straight in the Web view. You add Google again as a custom search engine, with one extra parameter. Chrome documents these steps, and the parameter is the only part it does not cover.

Open Chrome. At the top right, select More, then Settings.
Select Search engine, then Manage search engines and site search.
To the right of Site search, select Add.
In Search engine, enter a name, such as Google Web.
In Shortcut, enter a short word, such as web.
In URL with %s in place of query, paste the address below, then select Add.
To the right of the new entry, select More, then Make default.

https://www.google.com/search?q=%s&udm=14

Know the limits before you rely on this:

It is not a documented Google feature. The help pages describe the Web filter but not theudm parameter. Google can change it at any time.
The value has already moved. In our check, Google's own Web link used udm=web. Both udm=14 and udm=web opened the Web view with no AI Overview. If one stops working, try the other.
It covers the address bar only. A search typed on google.com still opens the default view.
Some Chrome features can drop out. Chrome warns that a feature may not be available if your search engine does not support it.
Managed browsers differ. At work or school, an admin can control your search engines. In some countries, a Guest profile cannot use a custom site search as its default.

Use an extension

An extension can hide the AI block on the normal results page, so you keep the other extras that the Web filter removes. Others send every search to the Web view instead. Either way, it works in your browser and changes no setting in your Google account.

Before you install one, check these points:

Site access. It needs access to Google Search. It should not need access to every site.
Data. Read what it sends. Your searches are private, and nothing needs to leave your computer.
Updates. Google changes its page, so a hiding extension needs upkeep. Check its last update.
False hits. A rule that is too wide can hide real results. See how it guards against that.

No extension can promise to catch every block, because Google controls the page. A change on Google's side can stop any of them until it is updated. Chrome on a phone cannot run them.

On a phone

Your choices are smaller here.

Web filter: this works, and Google's help pages for Android and iPhone say the same as for a computer. You select it after each search.
Custom search engine: Chrome Help for Android and iPhone shows a list of search engines, not a field for your own URL. Recently visited engines join the list.
Extensions: on a phone, the Chrome Web Store offers Add to Desktop, which installs the extension on your computer, not on the phone.

We did not check other mobile browsers. Some may accept a custom search URL.

Compare the options

	Web filter	Custom search engine	Extension
Works on	Computer and phone	Chrome on a computer	Chrome on a computer
Lasts for	That results page and searches from it	Address bar searches	Every search, until you pause it
Other extras	Removed	Removed	Depends on the extension
From Google?	Yes	Steps yes, parameter no	No
Can stop when	Google changes it	Google changes the parameter	Google changes its page

You can also change your default search engine in the same Chrome settings. Other engines have their own AI features, so check their settings too.

FAQ

Can I turn off AI Overviews in my Google account?

No. Google says AI Overviews are a core Search feature and that features cannot be turned off. No account setting removes them.

Does turning off "AI in Search" in Labs remove AI Overviews?

Google describes that switch as a way to opt out of Labs experiments in Search. Its help page does not say that it removes AI Overviews from normal results, so do not count on it.

Does the Web filter stay on?

Only for a while. New searches from the box on that results page stay in the Web view. A search from google.com or the address bar starts on the default view again. A custom search engine in Chrome covers the address bar.

What is udm=14?

It is a URL parameter that opens the Web view of Google results. Google help pages describe the Web filter but do not document this parameter, so Google can change it without notice.

Why do AI Overviews appear only on some searches?

Google says they appear when its systems determine that generative AI can be especially helpful. Whether you see one depends on the search, and on your country and language.

Can I hide AI Overviews on an iPhone or Android phone?

Tap the Web filter after each search. Chrome on a phone does not run extensions, and Chrome Help for phones shows no field for a custom search URL.

Sources

Statements about what Google allows come from the help pages below. The udm values come from our own check on 6 November 2026: one signed-in desktop browser, in English, on google.com. Results can differ by account, country and language.