Instructions on how to turn off or reduce Gemini AI on Gmail, Google Search, and Google Workspace.
If you're using Google services, you've probably noticed Gemini appearing more and more in most of the company's products. Just like how Google integrated AI into Pixel phones, the company is bringing AI into almost every one of its services.
This can sometimes be very helpful, but at other times it can make the experience cumbersome or "too AI." If you want to revert to a simpler, less AI-intensive Google experience, that's entirely possible. Google actually lets you turn off or reduce AI in just a few steps, but it's not always easy. When you turn off AI, you might inadvertently lose some useful features you're used to.
Here's how to reduce or turn off AI on your Google account.
Turn off Google Workspace's smart features.
Turning off smart features in Google Workspace will have an immediate impact, but you will still see the Gemini icon in the services. This is because Google still wants you to be able to easily turn AI back on when needed.
When you turn off smart features, many AI features in Gmail, Drive, Docs, Sheets, and Slides will be disabled. However, you will also lose some familiar utilities.
For example, if you like Google Calendar automatically adding events from Gmail, this feature will no longer work. Additionally, Google search will be less personalized, potentially resulting in less relevant results.
If you still want to continue, follow these steps:
- Log in to your Gmail account.
- Click on the Settings icon.
- Select See all settings
- In the General tab , scroll down to the Google Workspace smart features section.
- Click Manage Workspace smart feature settings
- Turn off the following two options:
- Smart features in Google Workspace
- Smart features in other Google products
Once completed, the number of AI features on your Google account will be significantly reduced.
What about AI Overviews?
Even if you've turned off smart features, AI Overviews in Google Search may still appear. However, you can reduce their frequency using the following methods.
Turn off Google Labs testing.
One way to reduce AI Overviews is to turn off experiments in Google Labs. This doesn't guarantee complete removal, but it's still worth a try.
Steps to follow:
- Access Google when you're logged in to your account.
- Click the Labs icon (test tube shape) if available.
- Scroll down to the AI experiments section.
- Select AI Overviews and more
- Turn off the switch on the right.
However, in some cases, disabling this experiment may not make a noticeable difference, as the AI Overviews feature has already been rolled out in over 200 countries.
Add "-ai" to Google search.
Currently, Google doesn't provide an official way to completely disable AI Overviews. However, a simple trick is to add "-ai" to the end of your search query.
For example:
- Best laptops 2026 - AI
- How to fix Wi-Fi - AI
This method often helps reduce or eliminate AI Overviews in search results, and works on both computers and phones.
Google is integrating AI more and more deeply into its ecosystem. Therefore, completely shutting down AI is nearly impossible, but you can still significantly reduce its frequency of use.
If you prefer a simpler Google experience, the methods above can help you better control the AI in your account.