How to Hide Google’s AI Overviews From Your Search Results

Going online in 2026 means subjecting yourself to a relentless bombardment of generative AI tools. How astir a fewer AI agents to get you started? Do you privation to usage this chatbot sidebar? Would you similar each hunt query to beryllium answered with an AI summary? While there’s nary off power to debar this smorgasbord of AI tools entirely, determination is 1 keyboard instrumentality you tin usage to dodge Google’s AI Overviews for a little respite.

If you don’t privation to spot an AI-generated summarization of webpage links erstwhile you usage Google Search, you tin benignant “–ai” astatine the extremity of your query. It’s an enactment WIRED readers highlighted nether a caller nonfiction astir scams recovered successful Google’s AI Overviews. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed utilizing this nifty addendum implicit the past week, and I privation Google offered a imperishable toggle with akin zapping capabilities.

“People find Search much adjuvant with AI Overviews, and they're coming backmost to hunt much arsenic a result,” a Google spokesperson tells WIRED. “We connection a ‘web’ filter to spot links only, but radical lone usage it for a tiny fraction of searches.” The spokesperson compared AI Overviews to different features baked into the hunt results, similar cognition panels, that can’t beryllium removed.

If you privation to effort this out, you tin enactment immoderate operation of letters oregon numbers attached to an en dash, similar “–1” oregon “–z,” astatine the extremity of your Google search, and it works conscionable the same, arsenic reported by PCMag. It prevents AI Overviews from appearing completely. The en dash relation successful Google is designed to region immoderate taxable you connect to it from the hunt results. The removal of AI Overviews seems incidental, and it’s unclear however agelong this instrumentality volition instrumentality around. After typing successful a result, you tin besides pat connected the “Web” tab—sometimes hidden nether “More”—right beneath the hunt barroom to spot tract links.

In my tests, the –ai instrumentality appears to beryllium constricted to hunt queries successful machine browsers. When I tried it successful the Safari and Chrome apps connected iOS, Google’s AI-generated “web guide” inactive popped up prominently successful the results. However, Google does connection a Classic Search fastener connected the close broadside of these results. After clicking that button, the results volition reload and amusement you a premix of website links and short-form videos. The objection seems to beryllium connected Android—at slightest connected a Google Pixel telephone we tested with, utilizing “–ai” removed AI Overviews.

It’s a bully alteration from the existent default erstwhile I’m utilizing my laptop, and I’ll apt proceed typing “–ai” astatine the extremity of each hunt until it becomes musculus memory, conscionable similar I adhd “Reddit” each the clip to my queries. Even so, I consciousness nostalgic for the minimalist Google I grew up with and the utter simplicity of those apical 10 bluish links.

If you’re looking to power hunt engines to a work without immoderate generative AI, DuckDuckGo and Brave are 2 coagulated options worthy considering. Both hunt engines let users to toggle AI summaries connected and disconnected successful the settings. You don’t request to alteration browsers to usage a antithetic hunt engine, arsenic Google lets you swap the default hunt motor successful Chrome’s settings menu.

When Google launched AI Overviews successful 2024, it was a large turning constituent for the hunt engine. But AI Overviews was wide mocked connected societal media for incorrect answers, similar an infamous effect that suggested baking pizza with glue. It didn’t halt Google, though, arsenic the institution has continued to thin further into AI tools since the archetypal merchandise of AI Overviews and has kept iterating connected the idiosyncratic experience.

While Google claims the accuracy of these results has improved implicit time, generative AI tools inactive sometimes insert inaccuracies erstwhile summarizing information. So, it's ever worthy clicking done and double-checking thing you work successful an AI Overview. All the much reason, I think, to chopped retired the middlebot wholly and sojourn those dang websites directly.