How to remove Gemini from Google Docs, Sheets and Drive

Google Docs, Sheets, Slides and Drive now have Gemini buttons in the toolbar. There’s also a Gemini side-panel button in the corner, and pop-ups inviting you to try it. If you just want to edit a spreadsheet, it’s a lot of extra buttons.

Where Gemini shows up

• Ask Gemini buttons in Docs, Sheets, Slides and Drive.
• The Gemini side-panel button at the top right of each app.
• “Suggest file moves” in Drive, which offers to reorganise your files.
• Pop-ups such as “What’s new” and “Try Gemini”.

Can you turn it off in Google Docs?

Partly. There’s no Gemini switch inside Docs, Sheets or Drive. The setting lives in Gmail and covers all of Workspace.

1. Open Gmail, click the gear icon, then See all settings.
2. On the General tab, scroll to Google Workspace smart features.
3. Click Manage Workspace smart feature settings.
4. Turn off Smart features in Google Workspace and click Save.

What this costs you

Google says this switch also turns off personalised search in Drive, events from Gmail appearing in Calendar, and personalised Workspace recommendations. We found that Gemini icons can stay visible afterwards, and clicking one asks you to turn smart features back on.

In Docs, the Gemini menu has bottom bar preferences, where you can turn off the “write with Gemini” bar at the bottom of the page. That removes the bar only.

For work accounts

A Workspace admin can turn Gemini off in the Admin console under Generative AI > Gemini for Workspace > Feature access. Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drive and Forms are switched together, not one by one. This is only available on some editions, such as Enterprise Standard and Enterprise Plus.

Hide the buttons and close the pop-ups

DeclutterMe removes the Ask Gemini buttons and the Gemini side-panel button from Docs, Sheets, Slides and Drive, plus Drive’s “Suggest file moves”. With Dismiss feature tips on, it also closes “What’s new” and “Try Gemini” pop-ups. Drive search and your other features keep working. Switch it back on any time from the extension.