How to Turn Off AI: Exact Steps for 10 Apps & Devices

Want to turn off AI on your phone? Most guides still tell Android users to tap "Switch to Google Assistant." That button is gone: Gemini is now the only assistant on Android phones. I rechecked every off switch on 10 apps and devices, and the answer is messier than the guides admit. Some AI turns off with one tap, some only partly, and Meta AI not at all.

⚡ Short answer: You can turn off AI fully in Apple Intelligence, Firefox, Gmail and Microsoft 365 desktop apps. Google Search, Android, Chrome, Samsung and Windows only let you hide or limit it. Meta AI on WhatsApp and Instagram has no off switch at all: you can mute it, reset it and keep it out of chats, nothing more.

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🔒 This is one part of my complete guide to AI privacy settings, with the exact switch for ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Copilot, Meta AI and more.

Can you turn off AI completely?

Short answer: Not everywhere. Four of the 10 platforms I checked have a real off switch; five let you hide or limit AI; Meta has none. The table below scores each one, so you can see where to turn off AI fully and where the best you can do is keep it out of your way.

Key idea: "Turn off" means three different things. A true switch removes the feature. A filter hides it from view. A mute only stops it from bothering you. Know which one you are getting before you spend time on it.

How to turn off AI Overviews in Google Search

Short answer: You can't. Google calls AI Overviews a core Search feature that cannot be turned off. What works is hiding them: click the Web filter under the search box, or add udm=14 to the search URL. Set that URL as your default search engine in Chrome and every search loads without AI Overviews.

The 10-second fix: the Web filter

Search as usual, then click Web in the row of filters under the search box (on phones and narrow windows it sits under More). You get plain blue links: no AI Overview, no AI Mode tab. It works for one search at a time, so it's best for occasional use.

The permanent fix: make udm=14 your default search

1. 1Open Chrome settings. Go to Settings, then Search engine, then Manage search engines and site search.
2. 2Add a site search. Name it "Google Web", and paste https://www.google.com/search?q=%s&udm=14 as the URL.
3. 3Make it the default. Open the three-dot menu next to your new entry and choose Make default.
4. 4Test it. Search for anything from the address bar. Results should open on the Web tab with no AI Overview.

Firefox 140 and later has the same custom search field, on desktop and on Android and iPhone. Chrome for Android and Safari don't accept a custom search URL, so on those you tap Web each time or switch browsers.

⚠️ udm=14 is an undocumented Google parameter. It has worked for over two years, but Google could change it without notice. The Web filter is the documented route.

AI Mode is a separate tab, not part of the results, so it only opens if you click it. Personal accounts have no setting to remove it; the Web filter hides the tab too. And the "AI in Search" toggle inside Search Labs doesn't turn off AI Overviews: it only takes you out of Google's experiments.

How do I turn off AI on Android (Gemini)?

Short answer: You can't switch back to Google Assistant anymore: Google removed that option and made Gemini the only assistant on Android phones. To turn off AI on Android as far as it goes, set your default digital assistant to None, change the power-button shortcut, turn off "Hey Google" and Gemini Apps Activity, then uninstall the Gemini app.

This is the change most turn-off guides still miss. The "Switch to Google Assistant" option disappeared with Google app version 17.60, and the phone shutdown phase started on September 4. If you still see the option, your Google app hasn't updated yet. Google Nest speakers and displays keep Assistant for now.

1. 1Remove Gemini as the default assistant first. Settings → Apps → Default apps → Digital assistant app → Default digital assistant app → None. Do this before uninstalling: deleting the app doesn't clear this setting.
2. 2Change the power button. Settings → System → Gestures → Press & hold power button, then pick the power menu instead of the assistant.
3. 3Turn off "Hey Google". In the Gemini app: profile picture → Settings → Talk to Gemini hands-free, then turn it off. While there, turn off "Use Gemini without unlocking" under Gemini on lock screen.
4. 4Stop saving your chats. Profile picture → Gemini Apps Activity → Turn off, or "Turn off and delete activity" to clear past chats too. Google still keeps new conversations for up to 72 hours.
5. 5Uninstall the app. Press and hold the Gemini icon, then tap Uninstall (or App info → Uninstall).
6. 6Turn off Circle to Search if you don't use it: search Settings for "Circle to Search" and switch it off.

Menu names vary by phone maker, so search Settings for the setting name if a path doesn't match. Google's own steps are on its Gemini app help page. If you use Gemini but want it to read less of your data, my Gemini Personal Intelligence privacy checklist covers the middle ground.

How to turn off AI in Gmail (Gemini)

Short answer: To turn off AI in Gmail, switch off two settings: "smart features in Gmail, Chat, and Meet" and the Google Workspace smart features. That removes Gemini summaries and AI suggestions from Gmail, but it also switches off spell check, inbox tabs, package tracking and automatic calendar events. Settings apply per account, so repeat them for every address.

On a computer

1. 1Open Gmail, click the gear icon, then See all settings.
2. 2On the General tab, find Smart features and uncheck "Turn on smart features in Gmail, Chat, and Meet". Confirm with Turn off and reload.
3. 3Back on the General tab, click Manage Workspace smart feature settings. Turn off "Smart features in Google Workspace" and "Smart features in other Google products", then save.

On Android and iPhone

Android: menu → Settings → your address → Data privacy, then turn off "Smart features and personalization" and "Smart features in other Google products". iPhone: menu → Settings → your address, uncheck "Smart features", and follow the link to the Workspace settings. Work and school accounts may be locked by an admin.

How to turn off AI in Chrome

Short answer: Open Settings → AI innovations (or type chrome://settings/ai in the address bar) and switch off the Gemini features you don't want. Leave the on-device AI switch at the bottom alone unless you mean it: it also powers Chrome's scam detection.

Chrome's AI lives in one place now, which makes it the easiest Google product to tidy up. Your Gemini chats from Chrome are still saved to Gemini Apps Activity, so review or delete them at myactivity.google.com. On work devices, your admin decides whether Gemini in Chrome is on at all.

If you want a browser with less AI by design, the Firefox switch below is the cleanest option, and my safest AI browser comparison covers the privacy side.

How to turn off AI on iPhone and Mac (Apple Intelligence)

Short answer: Settings → Apple Intelligence & Siri → turn off Apple Intelligence, then confirm. It's the cleanest switch on this list: one toggle, and your phone deletes the on-device models, which Apple lists at about 7 GB. On a Mac it's the same path in System Settings.

Prefer to keep some features? You can switch off pieces instead, but only the master switch removes the models and frees the space.

• ChatGPT extension: Settings → Apple Intelligence & Siri → ChatGPT → turn off Use ChatGPT.
• Notification summaries: Settings → Notifications → pick an app → turn off Summarize Notifications. Repeat per app.
• Writing Tools and Image Playground: Settings → Screen Time → Content & Privacy Restrictions → Intelligence & Siri, then set them to Don't Allow. Useful on a child's device.

On a Mac, the freed storage can take a day or two to show up. If you turned Apple Intelligence on by accident during setup, this one switch puts your phone back to how it was.

How to turn off AI on Samsung (Galaxy AI)

Short answer: Samsung has no single switch to turn off AI. Open Settings → Galaxy AI and switch off each feature you don't want, one by one. Then turn on "Process data only on device" at the bottom of that menu, so the features you keep never send your data to the cloud.

On a Samsung phone, Gemini and Galaxy AI are two separate systems, so do the Android steps above as well. "Process data only on device" limits some features, such as translation in fewer languages, and the phone tells you which ones before you confirm. Not every Galaxy model shows it; if yours doesn't, switching features off one by one is the only option.

How to turn off AI on Windows 11: Copilot and Recall

Short answer: To turn off AI on Windows 11, uninstall the Copilot app from Settings → Apps → Installed apps, and remove Recall from Settings → System → Optional features → More Windows features. Then turn off AI in Notepad from its own settings. Copilot can come back with updates, so check again after big Windows releases.

1. 1Copilot app: Settings → Apps → Installed apps, search "Copilot", open the three-dot menu and choose Uninstall.
2. 2Recall (on Copilot+ PCs): Settings → System → Optional features → More Windows features, uncheck Recall, click OK and restart.
3. 3Notepad: open Notepad, click the settings icon and turn off the Copilot toggle under AI features.
4. 4Paint (Pro and higher): in Group Policy, Computer Configuration → Administrative Templates → Windows Components → Paint, enable "Disable Cocreator", "Disable generative fill" and "Disable Image Creator".
5. 5Click to Do: Windows 11 Pro users can set it to Disabled in Group Policy under Windows Components → Windows AI.

Two limits I couldn't get around: Paint's generative erase and background removal have no off switch yet, and Windows doesn't offer a simple way to remap the Copilot key on every laptop. Check your laptop maker's keyboard app for that.

How to turn off AI in Word, Outlook and Edge (Copilot)

Short answer: To turn off AI in Word, Excel, PowerPoint or OneNote on Windows, go to File → Options → Copilot and clear "Enable Copilot", then restart the app. On a Mac it's Preferences → Authoring and Proofing Tools → Copilot. Each app and device needs its own change, and the mobile and web versions have no off switch.

Outlook works differently: one "Turn on Copilot" toggle under Settings → Copilot in new Outlook, Outlook on the web, Mac and mobile, and it follows your account. Classic Outlook for Windows doesn't have it yet. Microsoft lists every path on its turn off Copilot support page.

In the Edge browser: Settings and more → Settings → Copilot and AI, then turn off "Show Copilot button in toolbar", the Copilot new tab page and Browse with Copilot. For the writing helper, go to Settings → Languages and turn off "Use Writing Assistant for writing on the web".

Can you turn off AI on WhatsApp and Instagram (Meta AI)?

Short answer: No. None of Meta's apps have a setting that removes Meta AI. On WhatsApp you can mute the Meta AI chat, wipe what it remembers with /reset-ai, and turn on Advanced Chat Privacy so your chats can't be used with AI features. On Instagram and Messenger, mute or delete the Meta AI conversation.

• Mute it: open the Meta AI chat, tap its name → Notifications → Mute → Always.
• Reset it: type /reset-ai in a chat, or /reset-all-ais to reset every chat where you used Meta AI.
• Protect a chat: open any chat or group, tap its name and turn on Advanced Chat Privacy. Do it chat by chat.
• Groups: group admins can remove Meta AI from a group.

One change worth knowing: since December 16, 2025, Meta uses your conversations with its AI to personalize content and ads in most regions, with no opt-out. If you're in the EU, you can still object to Meta training on your public posts. I go deeper on WhatsApp in my guide to disabling WhatsApp Meta AI.

Key idea: With Meta, the realistic goal is "out of my way and out of my chats", not "off". Mute plus Advanced Chat Privacy gets you closest.

Two tools that let you turn off AI with one switch

Short answer: Firefox and DuckDuckGo let you turn off AI by default. Since Firefox 148, Settings → AI Controls → Block AI Enhancements turns off every AI feature in the browser, including future ones. DuckDuckGo runs a no-AI version of its search at noai.duckduckgo.com that hides AI images and AI summaries by default.

These two are the opposite of the platforms above: AI stays off unless you choose to turn it on. In Firefox you can still allow one feature at a time, such as translation, while the main switch stays on. Bookmark noai.duckduckgo.com, or set it as your browser's search engine, and you never see an AI answer box again.

Build your own turn-off checklist

Tick the apps and devices you use. The builder writes one checklist with only your steps, ready to copy into your notes or send to a parent who keeps asking how to turn off AI on their phone.

What breaks when you turn off AI?

Short answer: Mostly nothing you'll miss, with three exceptions. Turning off Gmail smart features also kills spell check, inbox tabs and package tracking. Chrome's on-device AI switch also powers scam detection. And Samsung's on-device mode limits translation. Check the table before you flip each switch.

Turning off a feature also isn't the same as stopping a company from training on your data. Those are separate settings; my guide to AI privacy settings for every platform covers them, and stopping AI apps from listening in the background handles microphone access.

📖 Companion Read

Digital MinimalismCal Newport

Switching off features is the easy half. Newport's book is about the harder half: deciding which tech earns a place in your day at all. It pairs well with a 30-minute cleanup like this one.

Get the book →

Where to start

If you only have five minutes, do the three switches that touch the most screens: the Web filter or udm=14 default for Google Search, the Apple Intelligence master switch or the Android assistant set to None, and mute plus Advanced Chat Privacy on WhatsApp. Then use the builder above for the rest.