Ask anything on Google is the text box for AI Mode, Google’s chat-style search. You’ll see it in AI Mode itself and under some AI Overviews at the top of your results. Type a follow-up question there and Google answers with AI instead of a list of links. You can’t switch it off for good, but you can skip it with the Web filter or a custom search engine in Chrome.
Before you start
- Applies to: Google Search in Chrome and other browsers, on computers and phones. Not version-specific.
- Good to know: Google changes where AI Mode shows up quite often, and it isn’t the same in every country. What you see may differ a little.
What is Ask anything on Google?
It’s the prompt box Google uses for AI Mode. Google’s AI Mode help page calls it the “Ask anything” bar. When you type in it, Google writes an answer with AI and adds links to the sites it used. You can keep asking follow-up questions, like a chat.
You’ll usually find it in three places:
- In AI Mode: the box at the bottom of the AI Mode page.
- Under an AI Overview: a box that lets you ask a follow-up and moves you into AI Mode.
- In Chrome: an AI Mode button can show up in the address bar or on the New Tab page.
Can I turn off Ask anything on Google?
Not completely. Google has no setting that turns off AI Overviews or the Ask anything box for everyone. But you can avoid it in a few ways.
How do I get plain results with the Web filter?
The Web filter shows only links, with no AI Overview and no Ask anything box.
- Search for anything on Google.
- Under the search box, click Web. If you don’t see it, click More first.
- You now get a plain list of links.
You have to do this for each search, which gets old fast. The next fix makes it automatic.
How do I make Chrome skip AI answers every time?
You can add a custom search engine that opens Google’s Web results by default.
- Go to chrome://settings/searchEngines.
- Next to Site search, click Add.
- For Name, type Google Web. For Shortcut, type gw.
- For URL, paste {google:baseURL}search?q=%s&udm=14 and click Add.
- Click the three-dot icon next to Google Web and choose Make default.
Now searches from the address bar open the Web results. One warning: Google doesn’t officially support the udm=14 trick, so it could stop working one day. If it does, switch your default back to Google.
How do I remove AI Mode from the Chrome address bar?
Chrome may show an AI Mode button in the address bar or on the New Tab page. Our guide to turning off AI Mode in the Chrome address bar shows how to hide it. If you want to learn more about how it works, see our look at AI Mode and Gemini on the New Tab page.
Frequently asked questions
Is Ask anything the same as Gemini?
Not quite. Ask anything belongs to AI Mode in Google Search. Gemini is a separate app and chatbot, though both use Google’s AI models.
Does Ask anything save what I type?
Yes, if Search history is on. AI Mode keeps its own history, and the searches also go into your Google Search history. To fully remove one, delete it in both places.
Why did the Ask anything box show up on my search?
Google adds it when it shows an AI Overview or thinks a follow-up question could help. It doesn’t appear on every search.
The short version
Ask anything is the AI Mode chat box in Google Search. You can’t turn it off, but you can avoid it. Click the Web filter for plain links, or add a udm=14 search engine in Chrome so every search skips the AI answer.
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Last verified: November 9, 2026
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