How to Remove AI from Google Search Results for Good

Google treats AI Overviews the same way it treats knowledge panels: as a core Search feature that cannot be turned off. That same support page acknowledges, without much ceremony, that "AI Overviews can and will make mistakes." So you're getting a feature you didn't ask for, and it isn't guaranteed to be accurate.

There is a workaround, and Google documents it themselves. The Web filter strips AI-generated features from results and shows only text-based links. Google's own support page describes it plainly: select the Web filter after a search, and you get links without AI Overviews. This guide covers two ways to use that filter one manual, one automated from the address bar. Neither requires signing into a Google account or installing anything.

One important scoping note before the steps: the Web filter changes which results view loads. It does not touch your account settings, disable AI features in the Google app, or affect searches run through google.com without the parameter. AI remains active in Google's systems. You're routing around it, not switching it off.

Both methods work as of this writing. A later section covers one development that could change this picture over time worth understanding, but not a reason to skip the setup.

Method 1: How to remove AI from Google Search results with the Web tab

The simplest approach takes a few seconds and works on any browser.

Steps:

1. Run a search on Google as usual.
2. Find the filter row directly beneath the search bar. It typically shows All, Images, News, Videos, and a few others. Click or tap Web.
3. The page reloads showing text-based links without AI Overviews, per Google's documentation.

Confirmation check: After the page reloads, look at the URL in your browser's address bar. It should include &udm=14 as part of the string. That parameter is what puts you in Web view. If an AI-generated summary block still appears at the top of results, the tab change didn't register try clicking Web again.

What the Web filter removes: AI Overview panels and other AI-generated feature blocks. Note that the Web filter also drops certain result formats that appear in the All tab, such as maps and image carousels. If you need those for a particular search, switching back to All is straightforward.

The limitation: This setting doesn't stick. Each new search opens back on the All tab, which means the AI Overview can reappear. If clicking Web every time sounds tedious, Method 2 automates the whole thing.

Method 2: Make Google Search without AI your default using udm=14

The URL parameter udm=14 is what the Web tab actually applies behind the scenes. Set it as part of your browser's default search URL, and every search from the address bar goes straight to Web view no tab click needed.

The Verge surfaced this shortcut in May 2024, crediting the newsletter Tedium. The full string to use is:

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

A note on stability: Google has not officially documented udm=14 as a supported or permanent parameter. It has worked consistently since at least mid-2024, but it could change without notice. If searches start returning AI Overviews again after setup, the troubleshooting steps at the end of this section cover the most likely causes.

Prerequisites: Access to your browser's search engine settings. No Google account required.

On Chrome (desktop):

1. Open Settings, then navigate to Search engine, then select Manage search engines and site search.
2. Under the "Site search" section, click Add.
3. In the Name field, enter something you'll recognize, like Google Web.
4. In the Shortcut field, enter a short keyword, like gw.
5. In the URL field, enter https://www.google.com/search?q=%s&udm=14
6. Click Add. Find the new entry in the list, open the three-dot menu beside it, and select Make default.
7. Run a test search from the address bar. The URL should contain udm=14, and results should load without an AI Overview.

On Firefox (desktop):

1. Go to Settings, select Search, and scroll to the Default Search Engine section.
2. Add a new engine using the URL https://www.google.com/search?q=%s&udm=14 and save it.
3. Set it as your default. Run a test search and verify udm=14 appears in the address bar.

Note that browser interfaces change between versions, so the exact menu labels may differ slightly from what's listed here. The principle is the same across browsers: find the custom search engine or address bar search settings, and substitute the standard Google search URL with the udm=14 version.

On mobile: Setting a persistent custom search URL isn't reliably supported across mobile browsers, so Method 1 is the practical option on phones and tablets. Some Chromium-based Android browsers do allow custom search engine URLs; if yours does, the same string applies. Look for the option under a setting labeled "Search engines" or "Address bar search."

Troubleshooting: If the workaround stops working, check three things in order. First, confirm udm=14 still appears in the URL after a search from the address bar if it's missing, the default engine setting has likely reverted, and you'll need to redo the setup steps. Second, manually click the Web tab to verify it still loads results without AI Overviews. Third, open Search Labs and check whether Web Guide is enabled there. Web Guide, covered in the next section, occupies the same Web tab and will reintroduce AI-organized content if you've switched it on.

Why the Web tab workaround may not last

The Web tab has functioned as a clean-results view because Google built it as a link-only space. That positioning is under pressure.

Last July, Google launched an opt-in Labs experiment called Web Guide. It is currently available inside the Web tab itself the same tab that, for users who haven't enabled it, still strips AI Overviews. Web Guide is not the same feature as AI Overviews, but it still uses AI to reorganize what used to be a plain list of links. Specifically, it runs on a custom version of Gemini to sort results into AI-generated categories and find related questions, using the same query fanout technique as AI Mode breaking a single search into multiple simultaneous sub-searches, per The Verge's reporting.

The practical difference is visible in the results. In The Verge's testing, a search for "how to care for a mango tree" with Web Guide enabled returned two standard links, then an AI-generated summary, then links sorted under AI-created headings like "Mango Tree Care in Specific Climates" and "Troubleshooting Mango Tree Issues." A separate category, "thorough Mango Tree Care Guides," included an AI-written note explaining why results vary by tree age and location. What was a list of links became a structured document organized by an AI model.

For now, Web Guide is opt-in and experimental. If you haven't enabled it in Search Labs, it won't appear. But The Verge reported that Google has already indicated plans to expand Web Guide beyond the Web tab and into the All tab as well. The workaround in this article works precisely because the Web tab still defaults to link-only results for most users. Don't enable Web Guide in Search Labs if a clean Web view is what you're after.

The bigger picture: Google has shown a consistent pattern of treating the Web tab as a testing ground rather than a permanent refuge. The tab has held so far, but its status as an AI-free zone is a product of current defaults, not a guarantee.

What to do if something stops working

Use the Web tab manually to verify the underlying behavior hasn't changed. If clicking Web still returns clean results but udm=14 has stopped appearing in the address bar after address-bar searches, the issue is your browser's default search engine setting, not the parameter itself. Redo the setup steps in Method 2.

If the Web tab itself now shows AI-organized content, check Search Labs first. Disabling Web Guide there should restore plain link results. If Web Guide is not enabled and AI content still appears in the Web tab, Google may have changed how the tab works more broadly, and the workaround may need an update.

The Web filter remains the most direct path to Google Search without AI features. Use Method 1 for occasional clean searches and Method 2 if this is how you want Search to behave by default. Both routes lead to the same place; the difference is how much clicking you want to do.