How to turn off AI in Google Docs

That happened to me. I opened Google Docs to write an article, and a text box immediately appeared asking me to “write with Gemini.” I looked for a button to wipe the fancy AI display, but couldn’t find it. It made me angry.

Now, instead of writing what I should have written, I’m writing because it took me some time to figure out how to get rid of AI pop-ups on my Google Docs screen. you’re welcome.

The first fix is ​​very simple.

• Click “Gemini” in the top menu bar above the document.
• Select ‘Bottombar preferences’ from the drop-down menu.
• If you choose to turn off the bottom bar, the AI ​​box at the bottom of the screen will be removed.

Full disclosure: I was so enraged when I set out to find “Bottom Bar Preferences” that I completely missed it at first. Instead, I clicked “Ask Something Else” and asked Gemini to help me remove myself from my life. AI may not be human, but Gemini seemed to have some sort of survival instinct. It told me to click on the X icon. It doesn’t eliminate Gemini. It simply ended the conversation, the one I was asking how to turn off. Suspicious!

Other disgruntled Google Docs users have reported features I haven’t encountered yet, such as the “authoring help” feature that lets you hover over the cursor while you work. This seems like it would piss me off, so it’s probably worth nipping it in the bud before it’s too late. Benjamin Franklin said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” (He was talking about fire safety. I’m talking about product design.)

Instead of turning off individual AI features like a game of whack-a-mole, Gmail lets you disable ‘smart features’ across your Google Workspace.

• First, go to your Gmail inbox.
• From there, find the gear icon for Settings and click on it.
• Then click ‘See all settings’ at the top of the menu. (But while you’re here, you should pick a fun theme for your inbox. Would a little whimsy kill you?)

• Click “See all settings,” then scroll about halfway down the page to “Google Workspace smart features,” then click “Manage Workspace smart feature settings.”

• There are two options here: One option allows you to turn off smart features of Google Workspace (such as Google Docs’ annoying Gemini pop-ups), and the other option applies to other smart features (which I personally find less annoying). If you’ve turned off only the first option, but for some reason you don’t want Gmail to automatically create a calendar event for your flight, here’s how to fix it.

Now you will be safe from annoying Gemini pop-ups that interrupt your writing process in Google Docs. You can rest comfortably.