How to Turn Off Gemini in Google Docs and Avoid AI Prompts

How to Turn Off Gemini in Google Docs

Google gives personal accounts no on/off switch for Gemini inside Google Docs. The closest control is the account-wide "Smart features in Google Workspace" setting. Google says that setting turns off Gemini features that summarize content, create drafts and find key information. Google's help pages do not name Docs in that setting, so Google does not say it removes Gemini from Docs.

If you want AI out of your documents, the controls below are the ones Google documents.

To change the setting from Gmail on a computer, follow these steps from Google's Gmail Help page on smart features.

1. Open Settings, then click See all settings.
2. Open the "General" tab.
3. Click "Google Workspace smart features," then click Manage Workspace smart feature settings.
4. Turn off the setting, then click Save.

Google says the setting applies across all devices where you are signed in. Some changes made on a computer may not show in the mobile app.

Gemini in Docs also depends on your plan. Google's Docs help page on collaborating with Gemini says the feature "requires an eligible Google Workspace or Google AI plan." On Google's US subscriptions page, Google AI Pro costs $19.99 a month and Google AI Ultra starts at $99.99 a month. Google's subscriptions page lists Gemini in Gmail, Docs, Vids and more for both plans. Google AI Plus, at $4.99 a month, lists Gemini in Gmail and Vids and does not name Docs. The free plan lists no Gemini-in-Google-apps feature. Google says "Google AI plans and Gemini for Gmail, Docs, and more are only available for ages 18+."

What the Smart Features Setting Changes

Google describes this setting as a control for Gemini features, personalized search and personalized feature recommendations. It turns off personalized search in products like Drive. Google's admin page lists Calendar, Gmail, Chat, Drive and Meet as the products the setting covers. It does not list Docs.

A second setting, "Smart features in Gmail, Chat, and Meet," controls different features. Google says turning it off turns off Smart Compose, Smart Reply, summary cards and automatic email categorization in Gmail. For Gmail alone, see how to turn off AI in Gmail.

Google's Gmail help page does not mention spelling or grammar. Google does not say whether turning off the setting changes those checks in Docs.

Smart Compose in Docs has its own control under Tools > Preferences. Google documents its steps in the Smart Compose and Smart Reply help page.

1. Open a file in Google Docs.
2. Go to Tools, then Preferences.
3. Click "Show Smart Compose suggestions" to turn it on or off.

Hiding the Gemini Bar and Side Panel in Docs

Google's Docs help page on writing and editing with Gemini says the bar minimizes by default. The page's wording is: "By default, the Gemini bar automatically minimizes to clear your screen and help you focus on what you write."

To show the bar again, Google says to hover over Gemini at the bottom. Google also says the bar can be moved to a side panel.

1. At the bottom bar, click Switch to side panel.
2. To go back, at the top of the side panel, click Switch to bottom bar.

On a computer, the side panel opens from the "Ask Gemini" icon. Google's help page places that icon at the top right of a document. The side panel has a "Close" control, but Google doesn't have a setting that turns the panel off.

TechCrunch reported a different route in June 2026. Its report says to click "Gemini" on the top menu bar, choose "bottom bar preferences" and turn the bottom bar off. Google's Docs help page does not mention that menu label, so this route is TechCrunch's report and does not come from Google.

Google doesn't offer a way to fully turn off the Gemini bar or the feature in Docs.

Gemini in Sheets, Drive and Slides

Drive is covered by the smart features setting, and Sheets appears in the admin Feature access setting. Google doesn't have a control for Gemini in Slides.

To reach the smart features setting from Google Drive, Google gives this path.

1. Open Settings, then click Privacy.
2. Click "Manage Workspace smart feature settings."

For Sheets, the Feature access setting in the Admin console lists Sheets as a service an admin can switch off. Google's pages do not document a per-user off switch for Gemini in Sheets.

Turning Off Gemini for a Work or School Account

On an eligible work or school account, an admin can turn Gemini off for each Workspace service, including Docs, Drive and Sheets. Google's admin help on Gemini features gives this path.

1. Open Menu in the Admin console, then click Generative AI.
2. Click Gemini for Workspace, then open the Feature access panel.
3. Click Edit next to the service, such as Drive, Docs or Sheets.
4. Choose On or Off, then click Save.

The Feature access panel is available on Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, the Teaching and Learning add-on, Education Plus and Google AI Pro for Education. Using it needs the Gemini Settings administrator privilege.

An admin can apply the setting to an organizational unit or a configuration group. Google says group settings override organizational units. Google also says "The default setting for Gemini features in Workspace services is on."

Google says smart features are off by default for domains in the European Economic Area (EEA), Japan, Switzerland and the UK. They are on by default elsewhere.

Smart features for Google Workspace has its own admin path, and only a super administrator can change it. The path is Admin console > Menu > Account > Account settings > Smart features for Google Workspace.

Admins can choose "Don't set a default experience" or "Set a default." Google says users can override the default in their individual settings.

The Gemini app switch is a different control. Its path is Admin console > Menu > Generative AI > Gemini app > Service status. Google says the switch "has no effect on other AI features in Google Workspace services," so it does not turn off Gemini in Docs.

The same switch controls gemini.google.com, the Gemini mobile apps and Gemini in Chrome. Google says changes can take up to 24 hours. For the Chrome side, see how to turn off Gemini in Chrome.

Ask your admin to turn Gemini off for Docs in the Feature access setting.

Does Google Docs Use Your Data to Train AI?

Google says it does not use Workspace data to train or improve its generative AI models without permission. Google's Docs help page on how Gemini protects your data gives the wording for Workspace users.

"We do not use your Workspace data to train or improve the underlying generative AI and large language models without permission."

Personal accounts on a Google AI plan get a separate statement. Google says Gemini in these apps "doesn't use your content to train or improve Gemini or other generative AI models."

Google's page also covers interactions with intelligent Workspace features, such as accepting or rejecting spelling suggestions. Google says these interactions are "anonymized and/or aggregated and may be used to improve or develop helpful Workspace features."

Google also says that Workspace data from personal accounts, shared with Gemini Apps or Search, "may be used for model training and improvement." Those services' own terms apply.

Writing Without AI Built In

For writing apps without AI built in, see our guide to writing software without AI.

This answer would change if Google names Docs in the smart features setting or documents a full off switch for the Gemini bar. Start with the Gmail steps in the first section, then check whether the Gemini bar still appears in Docs.

Sources

• Google Gmail Help: smart features settings
• Google Docs Editors Help: Collaborate with Gemini in Google Docs
• Google Docs Editors Help: Write and edit with Gemini in Docs
• Google Workspace Admin Help: Manage access to Gemini features in Workspace services
• Google Workspace Admin Help: Turn the Gemini app on or off
• Google Workspace Admin Help: Manage Google Workspace smart features for your users
• Google Docs Editors Help: Learn how Gemini protects your data
• Google Gemini subscriptions page
• Google Docs Editors Help: Use Smart Compose and Smart Reply
• TechCrunch: How to turn off AI in your Google Docs (June 2026)