Guides · 25 August 2026 · 6 min read

How to Opt Out of AI on Google

A step-by-step guide to opting out of Google AI features, from search summaries to using your data for model training, with clear settings paths.

To opt out of AI on Google, you need to change several separate settings, because Google spreads its AI features across different products. There is no single switch. You can turn off web and app activity that feeds model training, opt out of Gemini features, and reduce AI summaries in Search. Below is how to do each one.

What "opting out" actually covers

Google uses your data in a few distinct ways. It records your activity to personalise services. It may use some of your interactions to improve its AI models. And it inserts AI-generated content, such as search summaries, into products you already use. Each of these is controlled in a different place, so you have to handle them one at a time.

Be clear about the limit here. Turning these settings off changes how Google treats your future activity. It does not remove information about you that other websites have already published, and it does not delete data brokers' records. This guide is about Google's own AI settings, not about scrubbing your name from the wider web.

Turn off Web and App Activity

Web and App Activity is the main record Google keeps of your searches and interactions. Some of this can be used to train and refine Google's AI. Switching it off stops new activity being saved to your account.

1. Sign in to your Google Account in a browser.
2. Open the Data and privacy section of your account settings.
3. Find the History settings area.
4. Select Web and App Activity.
5. Turn the setting off.
6. Confirm when prompted.

While you are there, look for an option to delete existing activity. You can clear what has already been saved and set activity to auto-delete after a chosen period. Turning the setting off only affects what happens from now on, so delete the history separately if you want it gone.

Manage Gemini activity and apps

Gemini is Google's conversational AI. If you have used it, your conversations may be retained and, in some cases, reviewed to improve the service.

1. Sign in to your Google Account.
2. Open the activity controls for Gemini within your account's Data and privacy settings.
3. Turn off the setting that saves your Gemini activity.
4. Delete any past conversations you do not want retained.

If you connected Gemini to other Google services such as Gmail or Drive, review those connections in the Gemini settings and disconnect any you do not want it to access.

A note on human review

When activity saving is on, a portion of AI conversations can be selected for human review to improve the models. Turning off the saved activity setting is the way to reduce this. Check the wording in the settings screen at the time, as the exact controls can change.

Reduce AI summaries in Search

Google Search may show an AI-generated summary at the top of some results. There is no universal off switch that guarantees these never appear, but you have a few practical options.

1. Look in your Search settings for any labelled experimental or AI features, and opt out where the option exists.
2. If you joined Search Labs to try new AI features, open Search Labs and turn off the experiments you enabled.
3. Use the Web filter on a results page to view a plain list of links without the summary block, when that filter is available.

The Web filter is the most reliable way to get old-style results for a single search. You can also set your browser to search a different default engine if you want to avoid Google's AI summaries entirely.

Personalised ads and AI

Ad personalisation is a separate system, but it draws on similar activity data. If you want to limit how your profile is built, open the ad settings in your Google Account and turn off personalised ads. This will not stop you seeing ads, but they will not be tailored using your inferred interests.

Do this on every account and device

These settings live at the account level, so a change on one device applies everywhere you are signed in with the same account. But if you use more than one Google account, you must repeat the steps for each one. Also check any accounts signed in on shared or work devices.

On Android, some AI features are tied to the operating system and to Google apps rather than only the browser. Open the Google app settings and your device settings to find equivalent controls there.

What this does not fix

Changing Google's settings only governs Google. It does nothing about the many other websites and companies that hold information about you. In particular, it does not touch data brokers and people-search sites, which collect your name, address, phone number and relatives from public and commercial sources and republish them.

It also cannot remove public records. Court filings, property records, corporate registrations and voter rolls are public by law. You can sometimes suppress how they appear on private sites, but the underlying records remain.

If your concern is that Google surfaces personal details about you in search results, that is a different process. Google has a dedicated removal request tool for results that expose certain personal information. That handles the appearance of a page in search, not the source page itself.

The catch with broker data

If you go the extra step of asking data brokers to delete your record, be realistic about how long it lasts. Brokers rebuild their records from upstream feeds and public sources. A listing you remove today will typically reappear within a few months as their data is refreshed. Removal is worth doing, but it is maintenance, not a one-off fix.

If you want the broker side handled for you

Adjusting Google's AI settings is a job you can finish yourself in a sitting. Clearing your details from the wider network of data brokers is more tedious, because there are many sites and each has its own process. Vanish is a Mac app that finds where brokers publish your personal information and sends CCPA deletion demands on your behalf, then repeats the checks as listings return. It is an automated alternative to doing the broker removals by hand, and it sits alongside the Google settings work rather than replacing it.

Common questions

Does turning off Web and App Activity stop Google using my data for AI?

It stops new activity being saved to your account, which is the main pool Google can draw on to refine its AI. It does not retroactively remove data already saved, so delete your existing history separately if you want that gone.

Can I completely remove AI summaries from Google Search?

There is no single setting that guarantees you never see an AI summary. You can opt out of experimental features in Search settings and Search Labs, and use the Web filter to view plain link results for individual searches. Switching your default search engine avoids them entirely.

Will opting out of Gemini delete my past conversations?

No. Turning off the saved activity setting only affects future conversations. You need to delete past conversations separately in your Gemini activity settings.

Does changing these settings remove my personal details from Google search results?

No. AI settings govern how Google trains models and shows summaries. To remove personal details that appear in results, use Google's dedicated personal information removal request tool. That affects the search listing, not the website hosting the information.

If I opt out of Google AI, are data brokers still holding my information?

Yes. Google's settings only control Google. Data brokers and people-search sites collect and republish your information independently. You need to opt out of those sites directly, and expect listings to reappear within a few months as brokers refresh their data.