Microsoft Releases a Bing Extension for Chrome and Edge That Turns Off AI Search Features

Microsoft has released a browser extension that turns off AI features in Bing search results. The extension, Microsoft Bing AI Search Choice, is available for Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge and adds a toggle that switches AI overviews and chat features in Bing on or off at any time.

"When it comes to AI, we believe Bing users should have a choice in how they search," Microsoft says in a blog post. The company adds that "research shows users want to have the option to choose whether or not AI is involved in every session."

How the Bing AI Search Choice Extension Works

The extension only affects Bing. Once it is installed, the toggle in the browser controls whether Bing shows its AI features on search results pages. The extension comes with one condition that users should check before installing it:

• it sets the browser's default search provider to Bing
• it is available for Chrome and Edge only
• it controls AI features on Bing results, not on other search engines

Users who keep Google or another search engine as their default should not install it, since it changes that setting. Microsoft has not explained why it delivers the option as an extension instead of a setting on the Bing website.

Turn Off Bing AI Without an Extension

Microsoft has also added a search operator that disables AI features for a single query. Adding -ai to the end of a search term turns off the AI features in Bing for that search, with no extension required. The steps are:

1. Open Bing in any browser.
2. Type the search term followed by -ai, for example "windows 11 update -ai".
3. Run the search to get results without the AI overview and chat features.

The operator has to be added to every search, every time. The extension applies the choice automatically to all Bing searches in that browser.

The two options cover different users. The -ai operator suits people who use Bing now and then and want plain results for a specific search, while the extension suits people who use Bing as their default search engine and never want the AI features.

The options matter for users who want plain web results, for example when they need to check a specific source or want results to load faster. Users who like the AI answers can leave the features on or switch them back on through the toggle when needed.

Microsoft has not said whether a permanent setting to turn off AI features will come to Bing accounts, or whether the extension will be offered for Firefox and other browsers.