How to turn off AI in your Google Docs

1 month ago 34

6:23 PM PDT · June 17, 2026

It happened to me: I opened a Google Doc to constitute an article, and I was instantly confronted with a substance container inviting maine to “write with Gemini.” I looked for immoderate fastener to swipe distant the garish AI display, but I could not find it. It made maine mad.

Now, alternatively of penning the nonfiction I’m expected to beryllium moving on, I americium penning astir however to get the AI pop-ups disconnected of your Google Docs screen, since it took maine immoderate clip to fig out. You’re welcome.

The archetypal hole is beauteous straightforward:

Click “Gemini” connected the apical paper barroom supra your document.
On the drop-down menu, prime “bottom barroom preferences.”
You tin take to crook disconnected that bottommost bar, which volition get escaped of that AI container astatine the bottommost of your screen.

Full disclosure: I was truthful enraged erstwhile I acceptable retired to find “bottom barroom preferences” that I initially missed it entirely. Instead, I clicked “Ask thing else” and asked Gemini to assistance maine region itself from my life. AI whitethorn not beryllium human, but Gemini seemed to person immoderate benignant of endurance instinct, due to the fact that it told maine to click the “X” icon. That does not region Gemini. It simply closed the conversation, the 1 successful which I was asking it however to crook itself off. Suspicious!

Other aggrieved Google Docs users person reported features that I person yet to encounter, similar a “help maine write” feature that hovers implicit your cursor portion you work. This seems similar thing that would upset me, truthful it’s astir apt worthy nipping that successful the bud earlier it’s excessively late. Benjamin Franklin once said, “An ounce of prevention is worthy a lb of cure.” (He was talking astir occurrence safety. I americium talking astir merchandise design.)

Instead of turning disconnected each idiosyncratic AI diagnostic similar a crippled of whac-o-mole, we tin disable “smart features” crossed our Google workspace via Gmail.

First, navigate to your Gmail inbox.
From there, find the cogwheel icon for Settings and click it.
Then, astatine the apical of the menu, click “See each settings.” (But portion you’re here, you should prime retired a amusive taxable for your inbox. Would a small spot of whimsy termination you?)

After clicking “See each settings,” scroll astir fractional mode down the leafage to find “Google Workspace astute features,” past click “Manage Workspace astute diagnostic settings.”

Here, you’re presented with 2 options: 1 that lets you toggle disconnected astute features successful Google Workspace (like those annoying Gemini pop-ups successful Google Docs), and 1 that applies to different astute features (which I personally find little annoying). I lone toggled disconnected the archetypal option, but if for immoderate crushed you hatred erstwhile Gmail automatically makes calendar events for your flights, this is wherever you tin hole that.

You should present beryllium harmless from annoying Gemini pop-ups that disrupt your penning process successful Google Docs. You tin remainder easy.

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Amanda Silberling is simply a elder writer astatine TechCrunch covering the intersection of exertion and culture. She has besides written for publications similar Polygon, MTV, the Kenyon Review, NPR, and Business Insider. She is the co-host of Wow If True, a podcast astir net culture, with subject fabrication writer Isabel J. Kim. Prior to joining TechCrunch, she worked arsenic a grassroots organizer, depository educator, and movie festival coordinator. She holds a B.A. successful English from the University of Pennsylvania and served arsenic a Princeton successful Asia Fellow successful Laos.

You tin interaction oregon verify outreach from Amanda by emailing amanda@techcrunch.com or via encrypted connection astatine @amanda.100 connected Signal.

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