Google uses your personal info to tailor search results. Here’s how to stop it

If you’ve used Google over the last few months, you may have noticed not only an increase in AI summaries but — as some in the search community are speculating — an increase in personalized search results. While that’s not necessarily a bad thing, it does mean you might not see the results you want. Fortunately, there’s something you can do about it.   

Over the past few days, a new link has started appearing on Google Search – “Results are personalized – Try without personalization.” If you click on it, you’ll see the same Google search and an explanation: “These results are not personalized.” 

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What exactly does this link do, and why would you want to turn off personalization?

When you search Google normally (not all the time, just for certain searches), the search engine tailors the results based on your past searches and other personal information. For example, Google explains, if you search “chocolate cake,” and then search again for “how to make,” Google might be more likely to predict that you’re searching for “how to make chocolate frosting.” The idea is to help you pick up where you left off.

On a support page discussing personalization, Google says this also affects the order in which search results appear. Sometimes, this even changes what content blocks appear, like video results appearing over links if your search history indicates you like video content. 

Here’s how to search Google without personalized results.

If you want to turn it off for a single search, just use Google normally. When you get your results, scroll down to the bottom of the page and find the link that says, “Try without personalization.” Click it, and you’ll get a new page without optimized results.

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If you want to turn it off for good, head to “Search Personalization” when signed in to your account. You’ll see a toggle for “Personalize Search.” If you turn that off, your personal information and search history will not impact future results. Google warns you also won’t get personalized versions of things like discover stories, movie recommendations, and auto-complete suggestions.

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