Web Browser Without AI: Options and How to Turn AI Off

A web browser without AI is one that does not push a chatbot, page summaries or AI-written answers at you while you read the web. You have two routes: pick a browser that ships without those features, or keep the browser you already use and switch them off. Either way, you will probably need to change your search engine too, because that is where a lot of the AI now lives.

This guide covers both routes, explains what actually counts as “AI” in a browser, and walks through a full setup you can copy.

What counts as AI in a browser?

“AI” covers several different things, and you will switch them off in different places. Knowing which one is bothering you saves a lot of clicking.

• Built-in assistants. A chatbot panel, usually in a sidebar, that answers questions or talks about the page you are on. Examples are Copilot in Microsoft Edge, Gemini in Chrome and the chatbot sidebar in Firefox.
• Page features. Buttons that summarise an article, rewrite text in a form or suggest replies. These often appear when you select text or right-click.
• Agentic browsing. Here the browser takes actions for you: clicking links, filling forms, navigating between sites. Several browsers built around this idea appeared in 2025.
• AI search answers. Generated summaries at the top of search results. These come from the search engine, not the browser, so changing browsers alone will not remove them.
• Quiet background features. Things like on-device translation or tab grouping may use machine learning under the hood. Many people are fine with these. Others want them off too.

There is also a security angle. AI browsers that read pages and act on them can be tricked by hidden instructions on a website, a problem called prompt injection. Security researchers and some government cyber security bodies have warned that agentic browsers carry this risk. If you handle banking, work accounts or sensitive email, that is a practical reason to keep at least one browser free of AI.

Which browsers come without AI features?

No list stays accurate forever, because browsers update every few weeks. Use the table as a starting point and check each project’s current release notes before you commit.

Option	AI situation	Trade-off
Vivaldi	Has publicly said it will not add generative AI to the browser	Lots of settings; can feel busy at first
Privacy-focused Firefox forks (for example LibreWolf, Mullvad Browser)	Generally strip or disable bundled extras	Stricter defaults can break some sites; updates may lag behind Firefox
De-Googled Chromium builds	No Google account features or Gemini integration	Fewer automatic updates and no built-in sync
Brave Origin	A paid, stripped-down Brave that drops the Leo assistant and crypto wallet	Costs money; standard Brave still includes Leo
Firefox, Chrome, Edge with AI disabled	AI is included but can mostly be switched off	Updates can add new features you need to switch off again

If you mainly want a non-AI browser that “just works” with little fiddling, a browser that has committed to leaving AI out is the simplest choice. If you rely on a particular browser’s sync, extensions or work policies, disabling AI in place is less disruptive than switching.

How to turn off AI in your current browser

Menu names change between versions, so the most reliable method is to open settings and use the search box at the top. Try the words AI, assistant, chatbot, Copilot, Gemini and sidebar.

Google Chrome

1. Open Settings and look for the section covering AI features (it has been labelled along the lines of “AI innovations” in recent versions).
2. Turn off each feature listed there, such as writing help and tab suggestions.
3. Hide the Gemini button from the toolbar if it appears, using right-click and unpin.
4. Under Search engine, change the default if you also want to avoid AI answers in results.

Microsoft Edge

1. Open Settings and find the Copilot and sidebar section.
2. Turn off the Copilot button and the option to show the sidebar.
3. Check the Privacy and services page for features that send page content for suggestions or summaries.
4. Change the default search engine under the address bar settings. Edge defaults to Bing, which includes AI answers.

Mozilla Firefox

1. Open Settings and search for AI or chatbot. Recent versions have added controls for blocking AI features; turn these off.
2. Remove the chatbot from the sidebar if it is pinned.
3. For finer control, type about:config in the address bar, accept the warning and search for preferences beginning with browser.ml. Setting the relevant entries to false disables machine learning features.

about:config
search: browser.ml
toggle matching entries such as browser.ml.enable and browser.ml.chat.enabled to false

Preference names can change between releases, so if a name above is missing, look for similar entries rather than creating new ones.

Safari and Brave

On a Mac, Safari’s summary features are tied to Apple Intelligence, which you can switch off in System Settings. In standard Brave, the Leo assistant can be hidden and disabled in its settings; search for Leo.

Why your search engine matters as much as the browser

Plenty of people install a browser without AI, then still see an AI summary at the top of every search. That is because the summary comes from the search engine. The browser just displays it.

Your options:

• DuckDuckGo with AI turned off. DuckDuckGo offers a version of its search with AI features disabled, and you can also turn off AI summaries in its normal settings.
• Startpage. Shows traditional link results with a privacy focus.
• Mojeek. Runs its own independent index rather than relying on another company’s results, and keeps a plain results page.
• Google’s Web filter. If you want to stay with Google, the Web filter (often under More above the results) shows only links without the AI overview.

Set your choice as the default in the browser’s search settings so the address bar uses it automatically. If your preferred engine is not listed, visit its site first; most browsers then offer it as an option.

Worked example: a no-AI setup from scratch

Here is one complete setup for someone on Windows who uses Firefox at home and wants plain browsing without losing their bookmarks. The same logic applies to other browsers.

1. Back up first. Export bookmarks to an HTML file from the bookmarks manager. This takes a minute and protects you if a setting goes wrong.
2. Disable the assistant. In Settings, search AI and turn off the chatbot and any AI feature controls.
3. Clean up the sidebar. Right-click the sidebar icon and remove the chatbot entry.
4. Check about:config. Search browser.ml and set the main switches to false.
5. Change search. Pick DuckDuckGo with AI off, Startpage or Mojeek as the default engine.
6. Test it. Search for something factual, such as a recipe or a train timetable. You should see a plain list of links. Select some text on a page and right-click: no “summarise” or “ask AI” options should appear.
7. Recheck after updates. After a major update, open Settings and search AI again. This takes under a minute and catches anything newly added.

If you would rather not maintain settings at all, repeat steps 1, 5 and 6 in a browser that already ships without AI and import your bookmarks file there.

Trade-offs and common mistakes

Going without AI is mostly painless, but there are a few things people get wrong.

• Changing only the browser. As covered above, AI search answers follow you to any browser until you change the search engine.
• Installing “no AI” extensions from unknown sources. An extension that hides AI elements needs permission to read every page you visit. That is a bigger privacy risk than the feature you are removing. Prefer built-in settings.
• Forgetting the second device. Your phone browser has its own settings. Sync may copy bookmarks but not every feature toggle.
• Turning off useful extras by accident. Some people disable translation or spell check along with everything else, then miss them. Decide which background features you actually object to.
• Expecting websites to change. Many sites now include their own chat widgets or AI search boxes. A browser cannot remove those without extensions or content blockers.
• Assuming it stays off. Updates sometimes reset or add features. A quick recheck after big updates is the only reliable fix.

When an AI browser is the better tool

Avoiding AI for everyday reading does not mean AI is never useful. Repetitive web tasks, like filling the same form across many pages or collecting information from a list of sites, are where browser automation actually helps. The sensible pattern is separation: a plain browser for banking, email and personal accounts, and a separate AI browser for tasks where automation earns its keep.

That separation also limits the prompt injection risk. If the AI browser is not signed in to your sensitive accounts, a malicious page has much less to work with.

At Binary Monster we make one of these tools, so take this as a disclosure rather than a recommendation to switch. Golem: AI Web Browser is an AI-powered web browser with browser automation, a coding agent, the Eve voice assistant and built-in image, video and audio generation. Installers are available for Windows, Linux and macOS as a prerelease (v0.1.4). It is intended as the “AI tasks” browser in a two-browser setup, not a replacement for a plain one. For a broader look at what these browsers do and how to judge them, see our guide to the AI-powered web browser.

If you are tidying up your setup more widely, our Software and Utilities pages list the other tools we are building, and the software guides cover practical tasks such as screen recording and voice typing on Windows.

Frequently asked questions

What web browser does not use AI?

Vivaldi has publicly said it will not build generative AI features into its browser. Privacy-focused Firefox forks and de-Googled Chromium builds also tend to leave out bundled assistants. Mainstream browsers such as Chrome, Edge and Firefox include AI features, but you can switch most of them off in settings. Check the current release notes, because features change with updates.

How do I turn off AI in my browser?

Open the browser's settings and search for terms like AI, Copilot, Gemini, chatbot or sidebar. Turn off the assistant, hide its toolbar button and disable page summaries. In Firefox you can also check about:config for preferences starting with browser.ml. Then change your default search engine, since many AI answers come from search results rather than the browser itself.

Is DuckDuckGo actually more private than Google?

For most people, yes. DuckDuckGo does not build a personal search history profile tied to your account, while Google links searches to your account when you are signed in. DuckDuckGo still sees your queries and partly relies on other providers for results. It also has a version of its search with AI features turned off, which helps if you want plain results.

Can I stop AI answers in Google search?

You cannot fully remove AI answers from the main Google results page through a normal setting. A common workaround is the Web filter, which shows only traditional link results. You can find it under the More menu above the results. Alternatively, switch your browser's default search engine to one that offers results without AI summaries, such as DuckDuckGo's no-AI option, Startpage or Mojeek.

How do I browse without SafeSearch?

SafeSearch is a search engine setting, not a browser one. Open your search engine's settings and change SafeSearch to off or moderate. If the option is locked, your account may be supervised, your network may enforce filtering, or a school or work policy may control it. In those cases, only the account owner or network administrator can change the setting.