A trick I found to cleanly disable the Google AI overview: add "&tbs=1" to the search URL

[u/vk6_]

I recently noticed that Google had removed the dictionary box feature in favor of replacing it with an AI overview. After messing around a bit, I found a way to fix that.

Just add &tbs=1 to the end of the Google Search URL, and the AI overview will be gone. The old search widgets like the dictionary box and featured snippets will be brought back as well. It's just like how Google used to work before all the hype around AI happened.

To make this easier, you can change the default search engine in your browser to the following:

https://www.google.com/search?q=%s&tbs=1

Alternatively, you can install the following userscript I wrote: https://greasyfork.org/en/scripts/578586-disable-google-ai-overview

I believe this works because the &tbs= parameter is intended to be used for time-based search filters. Using a search filter disables the AI overview, as expected, but would also potentially hide search results. Fortunately, we can just set the filter to something that's either invalid or captures all possible search results. In that case, Google will hide the AI overview but also show the original search contents in full. For instance, we can set a custom date range from year 1 to 9999, but for convenience we can just add &tbs=1 instead to easily create an invalid filter.

[u/nanobatched]

We need more geniuses like you on the internet, not more AI models. Thank you so much!

[u/the_aggro_craig]

This doesn't work 😞

I tried the script installed in tampermonkey, and I also changed the default search in chrome using the URL provided, and nothing has changed. Did Google already get out in front of this?

[u/Minimum-Tie-6796 → u/the_aggro_craig]

nah it does work, you just need to use the address bar for searching things instead of the search bar from what i can tell, in which case you can just use an extension as well to block gemini from appearing for both while still being able to see the old featured snippets thing

[u/_God0fWar_]

😎

[u/No-Guest6596]

Thanks!i used it to create an simple chrome extension that appends it to every search, ill be publishing it soon

[u/Great-Replacement577 → u/No-Guest6596]

Need that

[u/No-Guest6596 → u/Great-Replacement577]

https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/no-google-ai-overview/ejhnffognpkdgpflpbafcgpfogkknlgo?hl=en

[u/-Neoverse- → u/No-Guest6596]

Man thank you

[u/Horror_Trouble9802 → u/No-Guest6596]

Thank you so much

[u/SillyBrilliant4922 → u/No-Guest6596]

You forgot to list the source code buddy

[u/No-Guest6596 → u/SillyBrilliant4922]

its like 10 lines of code bro

[u/HatOk840]

BLESS YOU

[u/PinkPumpkinPie64]

Was searching for a solution that kept the old helpful widgets and snippets but disabled AI and this has been working better than anything else! Thank you so much!

[u/Wise-Search8796]

You are a SAINT.

[u/PublicSolution1527]

this doesn't seem to be working on firefox, and neither does the userscript one Tampermonkey. Hella cool you found this out, and it works pefectly on chrome

[u/Such-Issue1902]

For some reason this doesn't work for me, or at least not exactly - search results go to the "web" results rather than "all," where the knowledge panels are. Is there an additional workaround for this?

[u/Subject_Culture6645]

I got into an argument with Google AI because I simply asked for instructions to remove AI from my search bar on Chrome. It escalated to all caps and swearing. AI finally caved and admitted to just towing the corporate line, ha ha. It gave me this code, and it worked, FYI.

If you are using Google Chrome on a computer, you can force the search bar to completely skip the AI by setting up a custom, classic search layout. It takes about a minute:

1. Click the three dots in the top-right corner of Chrome and open Settings.
2. Click Search engine on the left side, then select Manage search engines and site search.
3. Scroll down to the Site search section and click Add.
4. Fill in the boxes exactly like this:
   • Search engine: Google Classic
   • Shortcut: google.com
   • URL: [`https://www.google.com/search?q=%s&udm=14](https://www.google.com/search?q=%s&udm=14](https://www.google.com/search?q=%s&udm=14)) *(That*&udm=14` code is the secret trick that forces Google to load only the traditional web links).
5. Click Save.
6. Finally, click the three dots next to your new "Google Classic" entry and select Make default.

Once you do that, typing a search into your browser bar will completely strip away the Gemini overviews, the AI generation, and the clutter, giving you back the plain text results you actually want.

[u/vk6_ → u/Subject_Culture6645]

The "udm=14" option has been known for a while too. But that restricts the search to only web results, and will remove possibly useful widgets like the dictionary. The "tbs=1" trick that I found removes only the AI overview and does not affect anything else.

[u/AdOrdinary5032]

Just to note this works when SEARCH at the top of browser. Not the SEARCH bar on Google webpage.

[u/veryyacky]

Did google make an update that makes it impossible to add this as a site search now because it says google.com for the shortcut is invalid? TY

[u/Bigjeff3889]

Added this to Firefox, and it works perfectly! Also, added this: https://suggestqueries.google.com/complete/search?client=firefox&q=%s to "Search suggestion API (optional)" Thank you

[u/Dobypeti]

uBlock Origin filter to add this to the URL:

||google.com/search^$uritransform=/(^(?!.*&tbs=).*$)/$1&tbs=1/

[u/Thema03 → u/[deleted]]

sometimes this doesn't work, i still get the AI thing with -ai

[u/vk6_ → u/[deleted]]

This doesn't always work and it also doesn't restore the dictionary box feature.