Remove the AI Search Sidebar from Chrome

Chrome opened a narrow AI panel beside the page you were reading, and now it keeps coming back. That panel is AI Mode, and there are three separate places that control whether it appears.

Close it from the panel header, hide the AI Mode button beside the address bar, then check Appearance settings for a Google Search AI Mode toggle. If the panel keeps returning, the section on account rollouts explains why.

In this guide, I have covered:

What Chrome’s AI Search Sidebar Is and Why It Appears

You asked Chrome a question about the page in front of you, and a narrow panel slid open beside it. That panel is AI Mode. It can also open as a full tab when you start a related search from the New Tab page.

Everything below applies to Chrome for Computer. The controls you see can vary by profile, account, language, region, and how far Chrome’s rollout has reached you. Google notes that AI features are not available in every window or for every user.

Google documents the controls and requirements in its official guide to using AI Mode in Chrome.

Close the AI Side Panel

Is the panel open right now and you just want your screen space back? Start here.

1. Select the close icon at the top of the Chrome side panel.
2. Confirm the panel has closed and the webpage has returned to its full width.

You’ll know it worked when the page fills the window again. Closing the panel does not remove Chrome’s AI entry points, though, so it can reopen the next time you ask about a page.

Hide AI Mode from the Address Bar

That AI Mode button sitting beside the address bar is the entry point you probably see most, and it is the one you can turn off fastest.

1. Right-click an empty area of Chrome’s address bar.
2. Select Always show AI Mode to clear the check mark.
3. Confirm the AI Mode button is gone from beside the address bar.

You’ll know it worked when no AI icon sits to the right of the address bar. If Always show AI Mode was already clear, the panel is probably coming from a broader side panel feature rather than a pinned AI Mode button.

Changing the address-bar setting hides the AI Mode entry point. It may not disable AI features opened another way, or ones that appear through an account-based rollout.

Turn Off Google Search AI Mode

Some Chrome profiles show a separate Google Search AI Mode switch inside Appearance settings. If yours does, this is the closest thing to a real off switch.

1. Open the menu in Chrome.
2. Select Settings.
3. Select Appearance.
4. Find Google Search AI Mode in the Google Search or AI Mode section.
5. Turn the Google Search AI Mode switch off, if it is there.
6. Close Settings and check whether the entry point and sidebar behavior have changed.

You can also jump straight to chrome://settings/appearance. If the Google Search AI Mode option is missing, your profile is on a different rollout, and the address-bar method above stays the reliable way to hide the entry point.

You’ll know it worked when the toggle stays off after you close Settings and the panel no longer opens from that button.

Move the Side Panel to the Other Side

Maybe you don’t mind AI Mode, but the panel sits on the side where it covers what you need. Chrome lets you swap it over.

1. Open the menu in Chrome.
2. Select Settings.
3. Select Appearance.
4. Find Side panel.
5. Change the side setting to the opposite side.
6. Open an AI Mode result for the current page and check the new position.

This moves the panel. It does not remove AI Mode. Still handy when the panel currently covers the controls or the text you are reading, and you’ll know it worked when the panel opens against the opposite edge of the window.

Unpin AI From the Side Panel

Is there a sparkle, Gemini, or AI button pinned directly into Chrome’s side panel? You may be able to pull that button out on its own.

1. Open the Chrome side panel.
2. Right-click the AI, sparkle, or Gemini icon in the panel.
3. Select Unpin.
4. Confirm the icon is no longer pinned in the side panel.

You’ll know it worked when the panel opens without that icon in its toolbar. AI Mode is not always part of Chrome’s documented list of standard pinnable side-panel items, so if the right-click menu has no Unpin option, go back to the address-bar and Appearance methods.

Check Whether AI Mode Is Account Related

Controls that appear on one profile and vanish on another usually point to your Google account or Chrome setup rather than a bug. A quick comparison tells you which one you are dealing with.

1. Open an Incognito window in Chrome.
2. Check whether the AI Mode entry point is available there.
3. Return to your normal Chrome window and confirm your signed-in account.
4. Review the AI Mode controls under Appearance again.

According to Google’s availability guidance, AI Mode is not available in Incognito. That alone tells you a lot. If the feature is gone in the private window, the panel is tied to your signed-in profile. You can also review the requirements for using AI to search and ask about your tabs in Chrome.

TIP: Want to test Chrome without your normal profile? The BrowserHow guide to opening a new tab and an Incognito window in Chrome on the computer walks through the fastest way to set up that comparison.

RELATED: Always Open Chrome in Safe or Incognito Browsing Mode

What to Do If the Sidebar Keeps Returning

If the panel keeps sliding back open after you close it, work through the controls in order rather than all at once. Repeat the address-bar method first, then check the Google Search AI Mode setting under Appearance. Close and reopen the side panel to confirm the change stuck.

If no AI-related option appears in your settings at all, your account may not have the full set of controls. Availability also varies by device, language, region, and the pace of Chrome’s rollout. Updating Chrome can change which options show up, and so can waiting.