How to stop Google’s Smart Compose text suggestions

Image: Samar Haddad / The Verge

When you’re composing a papers oregon email successful Google Docs oregon Gmail, you whitethorn person noticed that the exertion often tries to decorativeness sentences for you. As I was penning this, Google suggested “when I started penning this” alternatively of my preferred “when I started to type.” That’s due to the fact that of Google’s Smart Compose feature, which tries to expect your thought processes and adhd what it thinks you’re going to benignant next.

Once a proposition appears (in somewhat lighter type), you person 2 choices: if you similar it, you tin deed the tab connected your keyboard (or, connected a mobile device, swipe crossed the word), and it’s there. If you don’t similar the suggestion, conscionable support typing, and it disappears.

Google tries to work my mind.

You whitethorn find this convenient. For example, if you’re penning a speedy email, it could assistance you decorativeness adjacent faster. You mightiness adjacent admit suggestions that travel up with amended words than you mightiness person thought of. But if you’re penning a idiosyncratic email oregon an nonfiction for a work (like, say, The Verge), it could commencement to beryllium irritating.

When I was penning the transition I mentioned above, Smart Compose offered nary little than six suggestions for what was a reasonably abbreviated sentence. For immoderate of us, this changeless quality of suggestions could interfere with (Smart Compose wanted maine to accidental “interrupt”) our bid of thought.

If that’s the case, you tin crook Smart Compose off. Here’s however to bash it successful Google Docs and Gmail. (Thanks to Ryan Freebern, elder engineering manager present astatine Vox Media, for the suggestion.)

Turn Smart Compose disconnected successful Google Docs

In Google Docs Preferences, you tin uncheck “Show Smart Compose suggestions.”

• In the browser mentation of Google Docs, prime Tools from the apical paper and past Preferences.
• Under the General tab, you’ll spot a fig of options. Uncheck Show Smart Compose suggestions.
• If you want, you tin besides uncheck Show Smart Reply suggestions, which volition forestall Docs from suggesting replies beneath comments.

Turn Smart Compose disconnected successful desktop Gmail

Gmail has respective astute substance options that you tin alteration oregon disable.

• Select the Settings cog and click connected See each settings.
• Under the General tab, scroll down to Smart Compose and prime Writing suggestions off.
• Below that, you tin besides crook disconnected (or on) Smart Compose personalization, the quality to personalize the suggestions based connected your penning style, and Smart Reply, which shows suggestions for replies.

Turn Smart Compose disconnected successful the Gmail mobile app

• Tap the 3 parallel lines successful the upper-left corner, prime Settings.
• Choose the Google relationship you privation to affect.
• Scroll down to Smart Compose successful email and uncheck it.
• You tin besides uncheck Smart Reply successful email, Smart Compose successful Chat, and Smart Reply successful Chat.