Google recently started showing AI Overview at the top of my search results, and it is getting in the way of the links and information I actually want to see. I have tried changing search settings and using different browsers, but it still shows up. I need help figuring out if there is a way to turn off AI Overview on Google Search or reduce how often it appears.
You do not get a clean off switch for AI Overview in normal Google Search. Google removed or hides most old search tweaks, so your best options are workarounds.
Try these.
-
Add ‘udm=14’ to the search URL.
Example:
Google Search
This forces the Web tab style for many searches and often skips AI Overview. -
Use the Web tab directly.
After you search, click Web. If you do not see it, hit More, then Web. This strips out a lot of clutter. -
Make a custom search engine in your browser.
In Chrome or Edge, add a site search with:
Google Search
Then use that instead of the default. Saves time. -
Use Firefox plus an extension.
People use things like uBlacklist or custom filters. Results vary. Google changes stuff often, so fixes break. -
Switch engines.
DuckDuckGo, Startpage, Kagi, even Bing for some searches. Not perfect, but less junk for some ppl. -
Use search operators.
Add site:, filetype:, quotes, or minus terms. Tighter queries trigger fewer bloated results.
Short version, Google does not want you turning it off. Web tab and udm=14 are the fastesr fixes right now.
If you want less AI junk without doing the @viajeroceleste URL tricks, try changing how you search instead of hunting for a hidden off button that probly doesn’t exist.
A few things that help:
- Stay signed out of Google. Logged-in search tends to feel more “curated,” which usually means more clutter.
- Use the browser’s address bar with another default search engine, then only jump to Google when you really need it.
- In Google app on mobile, use the browser version instead. The app pushes extra stuff harder.
- Add more specific terms right away. Product model numbers, exact quotes, dates, “reddit”, “forum”, etc. Broader searches seem more likely to trigger AI boxes.
- Regional trick: sometimes different google domains or language settings show diff layouts. Not a magic fix, but worth testing.
I’ll be honest, I kinda disagree with the idea that extensions are the best answer. They break all the time and Google changes the page constantly. Feels like duct tape.
Real answer: you usually can’t fully disable AI Overview, only dodge it. Annoying, yep. Google wants you to see it, so they’re not exactly making the off switch easy lol.
Honestly, there usually is no real Google setting that kills AI Overview everywhere. That is the annoying part.
A practical workaround nobody mentions enough: force a different results tab by default. After you search, switch to Web and bookmark that results page format. On desktop, some browser extensions or custom search shortcuts can open Google directly in the Web filter, which strips out a lot of the extra junk. I slightly disagree with @viajeroceleste on extensions being useless though. Bad ones break, sure, but simple cosmetic filters with uBlock Origin rules can hide the AI block pretty reliably.
What also works:
- Use browser content blockers with custom element-hiding rules.
- Save a custom search engine that appends the Web-only parameter.
- On Firefox, use custom keyword searches to jump straight to cleaner results.
- Try alternative front ends or privacy search tools when you only need plain links.
Pros for the ‘’: can improve readability if it helps organize searches or filtering workflows.
Cons for the ‘’: not relevant unless it actually does something specific here.
So yeah, best bet is not disabling it officially, but forcing cleaner result views.