How To Exclude AI From Google Search | Bypass AI Overviews

Google offers no single toggle to remove AI Overviews from all searches, but the Web tab view and a custom search URL using udm=14 are the most effective workarounds.

AI Overviews have turned every simple search into a scrolling chore. You type a question, and before any actual links appear, you get a paragraph of AI-generated text you didn’t ask for. Knowing how to exclude AI from Google Search results matters because Google itself hasn’t shipped a global off switch — but several workarounds exist, and some take less than a minute to set up.

None of these methods are perfect. The Web tab strips out AI Overviews reliably but resets after each search unless you pair it with a browser tweak. The udm=14 parameter does the same thing automatically once you configure it. Both avoid the AI panel entirely and deliver the classic ten blue links most searchers want.

Is There A Real Way To Turn Off AI Overviews?

No single account-level toggle exists. Google has not added a setting that turns AI Overviews off permanently across every device, browser, and app session. The company’s official help threads acknowledge the feature cannot be disabled universally — a point the support forum confirms directly.

That leaves workarounds, and they fall into three categories: switching the results view, modifying your default search URL, and (for a small set of users) submitting feedback through the Google Labs interface. The first two work for anyone on any device. The third depends on whether the Labs option appears in your Google app.

The Web Tab — The Simplest Workaround

The Web tab sits at the top of every Google search results page, between Images and Shopping. Clicking it strips out the AI Overview panel and returns a clean list of web links. It works immediately with zero setup.

The catch: Google resets to the default view after each search, so you have to click Web again every time. For a permanent fix, you need the method described below. The Web tab remains the fastest way to test whether the AI-free view solves your problem before committing to a browser-level change.

Excluding AI From Google Search With A Custom Search Engine

The udm=14 URL parameter tells Google to serve the classic Web results view by default. By adding it to your browser’s custom search engine settings, every search you type in the address bar skips AI Overviews automatically. The setup takes about 60 seconds.

Here is the step sequence for Chrome on a desktop or laptop:

1. Open Chrome and paste chrome://settings/searchEngines into the address bar.
2. In the Site Search section, click Add.
3. For Search engine, enter Google (No AI).
4. For Shortcut, enter g or any short keyword you will remember.
5. For URL with %s in place of query, paste: {google:baseURL}search?q=%s&udm=14
6. Click Save, then click the three dots next to your new entry and select Make default.

The every search typed into the address bar now returns the classic Web results view with no AI Overview panel. If you ever want the AI view back, change your default search engine to the original option.

The Google App Route (Android)

Some Android users see a Labs icon — a small beaker — in the top-left corner of the Google app. Tapping it opens a menu with AI Overviews and other experimental features visible. Google’s official help thread points users to the Feedback option on the AI Overviews card as a way to tell the company you want it removed.

This is not an off switch. It submits a request that Google may or may not act on per account. A subset of users who go through this path have reported the AI Overviews disappearing from their app, but the result is neither guaranteed nor documented as a standard feature.

For Site Owners — Opting Out Via Search Console

Publishers running their own websites can control whether their content feeds into AI Overviews. A toggle inside Google Search Console lets site owners opt out of AI Overviews, AI Mode, and related surfaces. The BBC and the UK Competition and Markets Authority reported this option specifically as available to publishers in the United Kingdom, though Google has indicated broader rollout plans.

This route does nothing for the average searcher’s own results page. It affects whether the publisher’s site appears as a source inside AI Overviews — a separate concern from hiding the feature on the user side.

Common Mistakes That Waste Your Time

The -ai query trick — appending -ai to a search — is widely shared online but unreliable. It treats “ai” as a search term to exclude, which has no consistent effect on Google’s AI Overviews generation system. It may work by coincidence in some queries but is not a supported method.

Another frequent confusion: thinking the Web tab is the same as a permanent setting. It resets to the default All view after every search. Without the custom search engine tweak, you must click it each time. A few browser extensions claim to automate this, but they vary in quality and privacy practices.

Which Workaround Fits You Best

For a single search on a shared computer, the Web tab takes one click and solves the problem right there. For your own daily browsing, the custom search engine setup in Chrome is the one-and-done solution — configure it once in about sixty seconds and never see AI Overviews in your address-bar searches again. Android app users can try the Labs feedback path as a secondary option, but it should not be your primary plan. Site owners managing Google visibility for their own content have the Search Console toggle, though it is region-limited for now. Stick with the udm=14 method if you want consistent, repeatable control over what appears on your screen.