After Google IO 2026 expanded AI search features across its platform, demand for AI-free search alternatives has climbed measurably. DuckDuckGo reported US app installs rising an average of 18% week-over-week in the six days following the event, and visits to its AI-free search page climbed 23%. The signal is clear: a segment of the search-using public wants traditional link-based results, and they are actively looking for ways to get them. This guide covers what options exist - and what does not exist - across ten major search engines in 2026.

The frustration is not new, but the intensity has increased. Since Google launched AI Overviews in May 2024, PPC Land has documented that no built-in setting exists to remove the feature from standard results. Google removed the ability to disable AI Overviews through its Search Labs experimental interface when the feature moved to full rollout. The absence of a simple toggle has driven users toward workarounds, alternative engines, and regulatory complaints across the EU and UK.

The picture across the broader search industry is uneven. Some engines offer genuine user controls. Others have quietly removed controls they once provided. A few are AI-first by design and offer no traditional-results mode at all. What follows is a factual account of what each major platform currently provides.

Google: no toggle, but a URL parameter that works

Google offers no native setting to disable AI Overviews or AI Mode. According to PPC Land's coverage from May 2024, Google removed the toggle that had existed in Search Labs when AI Overviews moved to full deployment. The "Web" filter, introduced in the same month, provides the most reliable workaround available to regular users.

Clicking the "Web" tab in search results limits the page to traditional link-based results and removes the AI Overview box. The same effect can be achieved with a URL parameter: appending &udm=14 to any Google search URL forces the Web results view. The parameter, which corresponds to what Google's own interface uses internally for the Web filter tab, has remained functional since May 2024. It works across Google's country domains and on mobile.

For desktop users, Chrome allows a custom search engine to be configured at https://www.google.com/search?q=%s&udm=14, which makes every address-bar search default to the Web view. Proxy sites such as udm14.com and tenbluelinks.org apply the parameter automatically without requiring browser configuration. Browser extensions including Bye Bye Google AI and Hide AI Overviews are available in the Chrome Web Store and automate the bypass.

One important limitation: the parameter does not carry over to Google's AI Mode, which is a separate interface from standard Search. It also does not help mobile Safari users, who cannot edit search engine URL templates in that browser.

The regulatory backdrop is relevant here. The UK Competition and Markets Authority designated Google with Strategic Market Status in September 2025 and later issued binding conduct requirements. In June 2026, Google introduced a Search Console toggle allowing website owners - not regular users - to opt their content out of AI Overviews, AI Mode, and AI features in Discover. This is a publisher-facing control, not a user-facing one. Regular users still have no native setting.

The stakes are substantial. Research from Ahrefs published in February 2026 found that AI Overviews correlate with a 58% reduction in click-through rates for pages ranked at position one - nearly double the 34.5% figure documented in earlier research.

Microsoft Bing: a new extension ships today with a direct toggle

Bing today became the only major search engine to offer a dedicated browser extension giving users a one-click toggle to enable or disable AI-generated summaries in search results. Jordi Ribas, President of Search and AI at Microsoft, announced the extension on June 5, 2026, via LinkedIn. According to Ribas, "We just shipped a preview extension in Bing that lets you toggle AI chat-like features on or off with just one click. It's a simple but important step we're taking to ensure that our users always feel confident they have a choice in the search experience we're providing."

The extension, called Microsoft Bing AI Search Choice, is listed on both the Chrome Web Store and the Microsoft Edge Add-ons store. PPC Land covered the launch today. The toggle reads "Enable AI Features - Allow AI summaries and other features in Bing results." Flipping it off returns standard search links without AI-generated answer boxes.

The Chrome version carries version number 1.0.0.3 and was updated June 6, 2026. Its file size is 9.39 KiB. The Edge version is at version 1.0.0.2 and was last updated June 4, 2026 - two days before the public announcement. Both are listed as previews published by Microsoft Corporation, headquartered in Redmond, Washington. As of the Chrome Web Store listing on June 6, 2026, 6 users had installed it.

Both store listings include privacy disclosures stating that the developer will not collect or use user data. The Chrome Web Store declaration explicitly states data is not sold to third parties, not used for purposes unrelated to the extension's core function, and not used to determine creditworthiness. This is notable for an extension that could theoretically log whether a user prefers AI-on or AI-off behavior.

There is also a per-query alternative that does not require installation. Ribas disclosed in the comments of his LinkedIn post that users can append -ai to any search query - his example was why is the sky blue -ai - and Bing will return results without AI summaries for that specific search. This operator has not been prominently documented in Microsoft's public help pages before.

The extension bundles a second function alongside the AI toggle: it sets Bing as the browser's default search engine and, in the Chrome version, opens Bing on every new tab. The two behaviors are not separable. Users who install the extension to control AI features also agree to make Bing their default provider.

The context matters. Bing once offered a settings-level toggle for Copilot responses, but that control was removed as part of broader interface updates during 2025. Microsoft's own support forums documented the absence of the setting through late 2025 and into 2026. Partial workarounds remained - Bing's vertical tabs for Images, Videos, News, Maps, and Shopping route queries away from the main web results page, avoiding most AI-generated answer boxes - but no direct control existed. Today's extension restores that control in a more explicit form.

Microsoft launched Copilot Search in Bing on April 4, 2025, a unified interface blending traditional results with generative AI summaries. The extension arrives as a direct response to user feedback following that deepened integration.

DuckDuckGo offers the most explicit user controls among major search engines. The company launched an anonymous AI chat service at duck.ai in June 2024, integrating AI capabilities while making them optional rather than default. The design reflects what DuckDuckGo describes as a "private, useful, and optional" philosophy for AI features.

AI Assist in DuckDuckGo's standard search can be disabled by adding the URL parameters assist=false and kbe=0 to search URLs. The Duck.ai chat panel can be suppressed with the kbg=-1 parameter. In July 2025, DuckDuckGo added a feature allowing users to filter AI-generated images from search results - accessible directly through a dropdown option in the Images tab labeled "AI images: hide," or permanently through search preferences. PPC Land documented this feature at the time of its launch.

DuckDuckGo's AI chat is also disableable through the Search settings menu, independent of the URL parameter approach.

The company's structural position matters for context. DuckDuckGo does not maintain its own web index at Google's scale. Its search results rely primarily on syndicated data, including from Bing. DuckDuckGo CEO Gabriel Weinberg addressed the post-IO demand surge directly, stating that "Google is force-feeding AI with no way to opt out" and that DuckDuckGo's goal is to let users "decide how much or how little AI they want."

A browser extension called "disable-ai," published on GitHub, handles DuckDuckGo alongside several other engines, automating the URL parameter approach for users who prefer not to manage it manually.

Brave Search: a documented URL parameter

Brave Search operates its own independent index, which the company describes as the third-largest globally, covering over 35 billion web pages and handling more than 1.5 billion queries monthly. The engine launched its AI answer feature - originally called Summarizer, then Answer with AI, now referred to as AI Answers - in March 2023.

Disabling Brave Search's AI answers is possible through a URL parameter. Adding summary=0 to a Brave Search URL suppresses the AI summary block. The disable-ai browser extension automates this for users who run Brave Search as their default engine. The extension also hides the "Answer with AI" button in the search bar and removes AI-related autocomplete suggestions.

Brave launched Ask Brave on September 29, 2025, merging traditional search with an AI chat interface accessible from the homepage and at the top of results pages. This is a separate product from the standard search AI summary, and the summary=0 parameter does not suppress it. Users who want to avoid both the inline summary and the Ask Brave chat interface need the browser extension or a manual approach to element blocking.

Brave Search's independence from Google and Microsoft infrastructure distinguishes it from engines that function as proxies. It is also ad-supported at no cost to users, with an optional paid tier.

Ecosia: settings toggle exists but is region-dependent

Ecosia is a Berlin-based search engine that directs most of its advertising revenue toward environmental initiatives. The engine introduced AI-powered overviews in December 2025. According to Ecosia's own help documentation, AI Overviews can be disabled through a setting called "Overviews" in the Ecosia settings panel. The documentation notes that this setting "will only appear if this feature is available for your selected region and search provider."

This conditionality matters. Users in regions where AI Overviews have not been activated may not see the toggle at all. Ecosia's index is partially independent - the company launched the Staan index jointly with Qwant in August 2025 through a joint venture called European Search Perspective. In August of that year, Staan began serving a portion of user queries, and Ecosia has described plans to use it to power AI summary features. Previously, Ecosia sourced results predominantly from Bing.

For users who cannot access the settings toggle, the disable-ai browser extension blocks Ecosia's AI Overview data request at the network level, removes AI chat tabs under the search bar, and suppresses AI-related autocomplete suggestions.

Ecosia's AI features share some data with partners; the company states in its documentation that personal data is not shared with OpenAI, but information input during AI chat interactions is transmitted to OpenAI's systems.

Qwant: optional AI requiring account creation

Qwant, the Paris-based search engine with its own indexing infrastructure, integrated AI into its search results in May 2024. Its AI features are documented as optional and require users to create a free account to access them. This design means users who do not create an account or do not opt in to AI features encounter a more traditional search experience by default.

Qwant operates as part of the European Search Perspective joint venture with Ecosia, using the Staan index to power features including AI summaries. The company states it does not track users or sell personal data and does not personalize search results. For users who prefer to avoid the AI summary features entirely, not logging in to a Qwant account leaves those features inactive.

Unlike Google or Bing, Qwant's default posture - for unsigned-in users - is closer to traditional link-based results.

Startpage: a privacy proxy with no AI summary layer

Startpage is a Dutch metasearch engine that strips the user's IP address and personal data before passing queries to Google or Bing, functioning as a privacy proxy. It does not add an AI-generated summary layer of its own to results. The search experience returns Google or Bing results without the AI Overviews that would appear on those engines directly.

Startpage also offers an "Anonymous View" feature that opens results through a separate browsing layer to further limit tracking. The engine does not log searches or build user profiles. For users who want Google-quality search results without Google's AI features or tracking infrastructure, Startpage operates as a functional intermediate layer. It does not, however, provide a control panel to configure AI behavior because it does not add AI to results itself.

Kagi: paid, no tracking, user control by design

Kagi is a paid search engine with no advertising model. It charges users a subscription fee - with a plan starting at $10 per month for unlimited searches - and directs no revenue from advertisers. The absence of an advertising model means Kagi has no structural incentive to surface AI-generated summaries or answers on behalf of platform monetization.

Kagi does offer AI-powered features, including its Kagi Assistant, but these are presented as optional capabilities rather than defaults embedded in standard results. The engine's "Lenses" and "Goggles" features allow users to restrict results to specific types of content or sources. Users who want traditional results can configure their search to minimize AI summary content.

Visits to Kagi's platform climbed after Google IO 2026, according to PPC Land's reporting on the period, alongside the DuckDuckGo install growth. The WAN Show technology segment that discussed the DuckDuckGo data cited Kagi as one of the alternatives being actively evaluated by users frustrated with mandatory AI in search.

Perplexity: AI-first, no traditional mode

Perplexity is architecturally different from the other engines in this list. It is an AI-first conversational search product, not a traditional web search engine with AI features added. Every query response is AI-generated, drawing on live web data. There is no traditional results mode to fall back to. Users seeking a non-AI search experience would need to use a different platform entirely.

The company launched its Comet browser in July 2025 for its $200-per-month Max subscribers and opened Comet globally at no cost in October 2025. The browser integrates Perplexity as the default search provider, with AI-generated summaries prominent in every tab. The browser also requires extensive permissions to function at full capability, including access to screen content, email, contacts, and calendar data.

Perplexity processes over 230 million queries monthly. The platform introduced advertising in November 2024, with sponsored questions and side placements targeting users who fit a high-income professional demographic. Users who want to use Perplexity selectively while retaining a traditional search engine for other queries would need to manage both as separate tools.

Yahoo: Bing-powered with similar constraints

Yahoo Search is powered by Bing and shares Bing's underlying AI infrastructure. Yahoo's search experience reflects Microsoft's Copilot integration, meaning the AI summary boxes that appear on Bing results also appear on Yahoo in comparable form. Yahoo does not maintain its own web index and does not offer independent controls for AI features.

Users seeking to reduce AI responses on Yahoo face the same practical options as Bing: using Yahoo's vertical search tabs for Images, News, Finance, or Sports to route queries away from the main web results interface, or switching to a different default search engine. Yahoo launched Scout in January 2026, described as an AI assistant that leverages Microsoft's Bing grounding API alongside Yahoo's own data. Scout is a further step toward AI-generated response as the primary interface for Yahoo Search.

The broader context for the marketing and advertising community

The question of user-facing AI controls in search is not only a consumer issue. It carries direct implications for advertisers, publishers, and the search marketing professionals who manage both.

PPC Land has tracked since SISTRIX data from March 2026 showed click-through rates at position one falling from 27% to 11% as AI features expanded in search. Research from Seer Interactive, published November 2025, documented organic click-through rates for informational queries featuring AI Overviews falling 61% since mid-2024, while paid CTRs on those same queries fell 68%. The Ahrefs February 2026 study of 300,000 keywords found AI Overviews correlate with a 58% reduction in click-through rates at position one.

When users bypass AI results using the &udm=14 parameter or switch to non-AI engines, the traffic pattern shifts. A query that would have been answered by an AI summary in standard Google results instead becomes a clickable result visit. That behavioral distinction matters for advertisers trying to understand where paid and organic investment is generating actual traffic.

The DuckDuckGo install surge after Google IO 2026 - 18% week-over-week on average over six days, peaking at 30.5% on May 25, with iOS hitting a 33% average and a 69.9% peak - represents a measurable behavioral shift, even from a small base. Apptopia, an independent app analytics firm, reported a 29% increase in average daily US downloads for DuckDuckGo following the Google IO announcements.

For search marketers, the fragmentation of the search audience across engines with different AI behaviors introduces complexity into keyword analysis and traffic attribution. A user running queries through Startpage returns Google-indexed results but without AI Overviews. A Brave Search user sees an independent index. A DuckDuckGo user with AI Assist disabled sees Bing-sourced links. The query may be identical; the resulting click behavior is not.

Google's EU antitrust complaint filed in June 2025 highlighted the specific issue that publishers cannot opt out of having their content used in AI summaries without losing search visibility entirely. The UK's CMA binding requirements, implemented in 2026, addressed the publisher opt-out question directly but did not mandate user-facing AI controls. User options, for the most part, remain in the hands of the search engines themselves - with results that vary considerably across platforms.

Timeline

  • May 2024 - Google launches AI Overviews globally and removes the Search Labs toggle that had allowed users to disable the feature. PPC Land documents the absence of an opt-out. The "Web" filter tab is introduced simultaneously, and the &udm=14 URL parameter becomes the primary workaround.
  • May 2024 - Bing introduces the ability to turn off AI Copilot responses in search results, briefly offering a control that Google did not.
  • June 2024 - DuckDuckGo launches its anonymous AI chat service at duck.ai, with a design that keeps AI features optional. PPC Land reports on the launch.
  • April 2025 - Microsoft launches Copilot Search in Bing on April 4, 2025, blending traditional results with generative AI summaries in a unified interface.
  • May 2025 - Qwant integrates AI into its search engine, requiring account creation for access and maintaining a non-AI default for signed-out users.
  • June 2025 - Independent Publishers Alliance files a formal antitrust complaint with the European Commission and UK CMA over Google's AI Overviews, noting that publishers cannot opt out without losing search visibility. PPC Land covers the complaint.
  • July 2025 - DuckDuckGo adds a feature letting users filter AI-generated images from search results. PPC Land reports on the update.
  • August 2025 - Ecosia and Qwant begin serving queries through their jointly developed Staan index, the first stage of the European Search Perspective project.
  • September 2025 - Brave launches Ask Brave, merging traditional search with AI chat in a single interface. The company reports generating more than 15 million AI answers daily.
  • November 2025 - Bing's global toggle for Copilot responses in search is confirmed as deprecated. The previously documented control no longer appears consistently across users and regions.
  • December 2025 - Ecosia introduces AI-powered overviews, with a settings toggle available in supported regions.
  • January 2026 - Google announces it is exploring opt-out controls for AI search features after UK regulators issue binding requirements. PPC Land covers the announcement.
  • May 2026 - Google IO 2026, held May 19 in Mountain View, California, expands AI Mode and AI Overviews further. DuckDuckGo reports US app installs jumping 18% week-over-week in the following six days, with iOS peaking at 69.9%. PPC Land reports on the DuckDuckGo surge.
  • June 4, 2026 - Microsoft updates the Edge Add-ons version of Microsoft Bing AI Search Choice (version 1.0.0.2), two days ahead of the public announcement.
  • June 5, 2026 - Jordi Ribas announces the Microsoft Bing AI Search Choice extension on LinkedIn and discloses the -ai query operator as a per-query alternative.
  • June 6, 2026 - Microsoft ships version 1.0.0.3 of Microsoft Bing AI Search Choice to the Chrome Web Store. PPC Land covers the launch. Google simultaneously introduces a Search Console AI opt-out toggle for website owners, under pressure from UK CMA binding conduct requirements - a publisher control, not a user-facing one. PPC Land covers the Google update.

Summary

Who: Users, search marketers, publishers, and advertisers seeking to manage or reduce AI-generated search results across major search engines, including Google, Microsoft Bing, DuckDuckGo, Brave Search, Ecosia, Qwant, Startpage, Kagi, Perplexity, and Yahoo.

What: The ability to disable AI-generated summaries, overviews, or chat responses in search results varies considerably by platform. Google offers no user-facing toggle but supports the &udm=14 URL parameter workaround. Bing removed its previous Copilot toggle. DuckDuckGo provides URL parameters and settings menu controls. Brave Search supports a summary=0 parameter. Ecosia has a region-dependent settings toggle introduced in late 2025. Qwant keeps AI features optional and account-gated. Startpage adds no AI layer of its own. Kagi is a paid engine with AI as an optional add-on. Perplexity is AI-first with no traditional results mode. Yahoo reflects Bing's constraints. Browser extensions such as disable-ai handle multiple engines simultaneously.

When: The landscape described reflects the state of each platform as of June 2026. Key milestones include Google's May 2024 AI Overviews rollout, Bing's subsequent removal of its own toggle, DuckDuckGo's July 2025 AI image filter, and the DuckDuckGo install surge in late May 2026 following Google IO.

Where: These controls and workarounds operate globally, though some platform features - including Ecosia's AI Overviews toggle and Google's AI Mode - have regional availability differences. The &udm=14 parameter works on all Google country domains.

Why: User demand for traditional, link-based search results has increased as major engines have expanded AI features without providing native disable options. DuckDuckGo's post-Google IO install data, Google's EU and UK regulatory proceedings, and the documented 58-68% click-through rate declines on AI-featured queries collectively demonstrate that both users and publishers have material interests in controlling AI search behaviors. The marketing industry is directly affected through changes in paid and organic traffic patterns as search behavior fragments across platforms with different AI configurations.