Microsoft Is Promoting an AI Off Switch for Bing, With a Browser Default Change Attached
Microsoft highlights two ways to hide Bing's AI answers. Its Chrome extension also changes the default search engine and what opens in a new tab.
Microsoft is giving its pitch for AI search a curious companion: instructions for turning the AI answers off. In a November 11 Bing announcement, the company highlights a browser extension and a search operator that let people return to results without generated answers.
The extension comes with a trade. Microsoft's Chrome Web Store listing, checked November 12, says it also makes Bing the browser's default search provider and opens Bing in every new tab. The off switch doubles as another route into Microsoft's search engine.
A toggle with extra baggage
The Microsoft Bing AI Search Choice extension lets users show or hide AI answers, with the preference applying across Bing searches. Microsoft describes it as a preview and links versions for Chrome and Edge.
The Chrome listing makes the browser changes explicit alongside the AI controls. Someone installing it to remove summaries is also choosing a different starting point for searches and new tabs. Those are separate changes bundled into the same installation, even though switching off the summaries is the announcement's headline attraction.
The listing's update date is June 6, 2026. Microsoft's November post therefore should not be read as evidence that the Chrome extension first became available this week.
The option that skips the extension
Microsoft also says adding -ai to a Bing query returns results without AI-generated answers. That route requires no extension installation and works at the level of an individual search.
The company presents the choice as a way to accommodate different searches: sometimes a summary, sometimes a set of sources to inspect directly. Its announcement does not put a number on how many people want AI removed.
The two routes offer different bargains. The query operator changes a search; the Chrome extension combines an ongoing preference with changes to the browser's defaults.
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