It happened to me: I opened a Google Doc to write an article, and I was immediately confronted with a text box inviting me to “write with Gemini.” I looked for some button to swipe away the garish AI display, but I could not find it. It made me mad. Now, instead of writing the article I’m supposed to be working on, I am writing about how to get the AI pop-ups off of your Google Docs screen, since it took me some time to figure out. You’re welcome.
The Gemini Takeover of Google Docs
Google has been pushing its Gemini AI assistant aggressively into its Workspace products, and Google Docs is no exception. Users across the US, UK, Australia, and Canada have reported encountering a persistent bottom bar that invites them to “write with Gemini,” as well as a floating “help me write” feature that hovers near the cursor. For those who prefer a clean, uninterrupted writing environment, these pop-ups can be a significant annoyance. The good news is that Google has provided settings to disable them, though the options are buried in menus that are not immediately obvious. This guide covers both the quick fix for the bottom bar and the more comprehensive method for disabling smart features across your entire Google Workspace.
Method 1: Disable the Gemini Bottom Bar Directly
The most direct way to remove the Gemini prompt that appears at the bottom of your document is through the top menu bar. This is the fix I eventually found after a frustrating search.
- Click “Gemini” on the top menu bar above your document.
- On the drop-down menu, select “bottom bar preferences.”
- You can choose to turn off that bottom bar, which will get rid of that AI box at the bottom of your screen.
Full disclosure: I was so enraged when I set out to find “bottom bar preferences” that I initially missed it entirely. Instead, I clicked “Ask something else” and asked Gemini to help me remove itself from my life. AI may not be human, but Gemini seemed to have some sort of survival instinct, because it told me to click the “X” icon. That does not remove Gemini. It simply closed the conversation, the one in which I was asking it how to turn itself off. Suspicious.
Method 2: Disable All Google Workspace Smart Features via Gmail
Other aggrieved Google Docs users have reported features that I have yet to encounter, like a “help me write” feature that hovers over your cursor while you work. This seems like something that would upset me, so it’s probably worth nipping that in the bud before it’s too late. Benjamin Franklin once said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” (He was talking about fire safety. I am talking about product design.)
Instead of turning off each individual AI feature like a game of whac-o-mole, we can disable “smart features” across our Google workspace via Gmail.
- First, navigate to your Gmail inbox.
- From there, find the gear icon for Settings and click it.
- Then, at the top of the menu, click “See all settings.”
- After clicking “See all settings,” scroll about half way down the page to find “Google Workspace smart features,” then click “Manage Workspace smart feature settings.”
Here, you’re presented with two options: one that lets you toggle off smart features in Google Workspace (like those annoying Gemini pop-ups in Google Docs), and one that applies to other smart features (which I personally find less annoying). I only toggled off the first option, but if for some reason you hate when Gmail automatically makes calendar events for your flights, this is where you can fix that.
How to Disable Gemini AI Pop-Ups in Google Docs
To disable Gemini AI pop-ups in Google Docs, open a document, click “Gemini” in the top menu bar, select “bottom bar preferences,” then turn off the bottom bar. For a more comprehensive solution, go to your Gmail settings, click “See all settings,” scroll to “Google Workspace smart features,” and toggle off the smart features option. This will disable the persistent Gemini prompts across your entire Google Workspace environment.
Taking Control of Your Google Docs Workspace
You should now be safe from annoying Gemini pop-ups that disrupt your writing process in Google Docs. You can rest easy. The immediate action to take is to open a Google Doc, navigate to the Gemini menu in the top bar, and adjust your bottom bar preferences. For those who want a permanent, workspace-wide solution, the Gmail settings route is the better option. Either way, you can reclaim a distraction-free writing environment without having to ask Gemini for permission to remove itself.
