How to Turn Off Gemini on a Laptop: Chrome, Google Account and Chromebook

Where does Gemini show up on a laptop?

Gemini appears in four places on a laptop, as of November 2026: the Ask Gemini button in the Chrome browser, the Gemini web app at gemini.google.com with its saved activity, the Ask Gemini panel inside Gmail, Docs and other Workspace apps, and Chrome on a Chromebook Plus. Each one has a separate setting. Turning one off leaves the others running.

How do you turn off Gemini in Chrome?

Open Chrome's settings, go to AI innovations > Gemini in Chrome, and turn off the Preferences and Permissions listed there. Google's Chrome Help page documents these as separate toggles and does not describe one master switch, so hiding the button and switching off the permissions is the complete set a personal account gets.

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   Step 1: Open the page

   In Chrome select More > Settings, then AI innovations > Gemini in Chrome. If the settings menu is hidden, select Menu first.

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   Step 2: Hide the button

   Under Preferences, turn off Show Gemini at the top of the browser. You can also right-click the top of the browser and choose Unpin Gemini.

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   Step 3: Remove the desktop icon

   On the same list turn off Show Gemini in system tray and turn on keyboard shortcut on Windows, or Show Gemini in Mac menu bar and turn on keyboard shortcut on a Mac.

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   Step 4: Switch off permissions

   Under Permissions, turn off Precise location, Microphone, Share current tab by default and Let Gemini browse for you.

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   Step 5: Check media understanding

   Type chrome://settings/ai/gemini in the address bar and turn off Media understanding, which is on by default and lets Gemini answer questions about audio and video you played.

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Google's page notes that Gemini in Chrome is opt in the first time you use it and is not available in Incognito mode or in a Chrome profile that is not signed in. If you never opted in, there may be nothing to turn off. Parents supervising a child of 13 or older can turn off the child's access with Family Link.

How do you turn off Gemini Apps Activity in your Google Account?

Go to gemini.google.com, select Settings and help > Activity, then near the top select On > Turn off, or Turn off and delete activity. Google's Gemini Apps Help page calls the setting Keep Activity and says it is on by default for anyone 18 or over. It controls saving, not whether Gemini works.

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   Step 6: Open activity

   Go to gemini.google.com and select Settings and help > Activity. The direct address myactivity.google.com/product/gemini opens the same page.

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   Step 7: Turn it off

   Near the top select On, then Turn off or Turn off and delete activity.

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   Step 8: Delete what is there

   Select Delete and choose Last hour, Last day, All time or Custom range.

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   Step 9: Set auto-delete

   Select the auto-delete option and choose 3, 18 or 36 months. Google's default is to delete activity older than 18 months.

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How do you turn off Gemini in Gmail, Docs and Drive?

Turn off the setting called Smart features in Google Workspace. Google's help page says that setting covers asking Gemini to summarize content, create drafts and find information across Workspace. It also switches off other things, such as flight emails appearing in Calendar. The full steps and the side effects are in the guide to turning off Gemini in Gmail and Docs.

What about Gemini on a Chromebook?

On a Chromebook, Gemini in Chrome needs a Chromebook Plus, according to Google's Chromebook Help page, and it is opt in. The control sits at the same Chrome path: More > Settings > AI innovations > Gemini in Chrome. There the Preferences toggle is named Show Gemini at the top of the browser and turn on Gemini keyboard shortcut, and the shortcut it removes is Search + g. The Permissions list matches Windows and Mac. Standard Chromebooks that are not Plus models do not get Gemini in Chrome at all, which matters if you are choosing between Chromebooks and small laptops.

What does a school or work admin control?

On a managed account the administrator holds the main switches. Google's Workspace admin help says the Gemini app setting covers the web app at gemini.google.com, the mobile apps, Gemini in Chrome, Gemini on Mac and Gemini for Windows, and that it has no effect on AI features inside Workspace apps. Those have their own admin setting under Generative AI > Gemini for Workspace.

Google's help pages also say that with a work or school account, Gemini in Chrome must be enabled by the administrator, and Gemini Apps Activity settings are controlled by the administrator, so you may not be able to change retention. If Gemini is on and you want it off, the request goes to IT.

Gemini is one of several assistants on a modern laptop. The how-to section has matching guides: the master list of AI switches, how to hide AI Overviews in Google Search, and how to turn off Apple Intelligence on a Mac.