In recent years, Google has integrated its Gemini artificial intelligence into virtually all of its applications and services. From AI-assisted email management in Gmail to a conversational interface in Chrome, Gemini has become a pervasive element within the Workspace suite. For users who view these AI tools as unnecessary interruptions—such as generating formulas for spreadsheets or drafting initial outlines—this guide offers practical steps to minimize their presence.
Disabling Gemini requires adjusting two distinct groups of settings. The initial group affects shared functionalities across Gmail, Chat, and Meet, including intelligent composition tools; deactivating them in one application disables them throughout these three. The simplest method to access these controls is via the web version of Gmail.
Navigate to the General section in settings and locate the Smart features option.
Deactivate the 'Turn on smart features in Gmail, Chat, and Meet' toggle. In regions such as Japan, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the European Economic Area, these features are disabled by default.
Still in the General section, find and select 'Manage Workspace smart feature settings.' Then, switch off the toggles for smart features in Google Workspace and in other Google products.
Note that fully deactivating smart features across Google Workspace eliminates not just Gemini but also essential tools like spell-check and grammar suggestions. It also removes long-standing conveniences, such as priority sorting of emails in Gmail, which will prompt a message indicating that inbox organization depends on these features. This setup appears designed to deter users from opting out of AI integrations.
For those seeking to eliminate Gemini while retaining other Gmail and app functionalities, consider keeping the broader smart features enabled but disabling only the Workspace-specific ones. Selective deactivation within the first category is also possible. Here are the features in that group, with explanations for the more complex ones:
Smart Compose: Offers predictive text suggestions while composing emails in Gmail. Smart Compose personalization: Adapts suggestions to match the user's personal writing patterns. Nudges: Sends alerts to encourage replies or follow-ups on pending emails. Smart Reply: Provides quick response options for incoming messages. Package tracking: Integrates delivery status updates directly into Gmail. Desktop notifications: Relies on AI for computer-based alerts.
Regrettably, Google provides less detailed control over Workspace smart features. Disabling Gemini in Docs, for example, will prevent Calendar from pulling in events sourced from Gmail. This approach further emphasizes the company's preference for keeping AI active.
In organizational settings using Google Workspace, these settings should appear in Gmail's menu, allowing similar deactivation steps for most smart features. However, the Workspace-specific adjustments will not fully remove Gemini from tools like Docs and Sheets. Complete elimination requires intervention from an administrator.