Google Search has become increasingly cluttered, filled with AI summaries, shopping shortcuts, and sponsored results that can dilute the experience. For users who miss the clean and straightforward layout of early Google, there’s a way to reclaim that simpler search interface—free from distractions and artificial intelligence interventions.
How to activate the clean search view
After performing a search, go to the top of the results page and click on “More,” then select “Web”. Sometimes the “Web” tab appears directly next to other filters like Images or Videos. This action hides many of the newer, AI-driven elements—including featured snippets, shopping cards, and suggested questions—offering a streamlined list of plain links. It’s a near-identical experience to what Google Search used to be in its early days.
Make it your default search behavior
To avoid repeating the process each time, you can set this clean search mode as the default through your browser settings. In Chrome or any Chromium-based browser like Brave, open Settings and navigate to the “Search engine” section. Then select “Manage search engines and site search.” Under “Site search,” click “Add” and input a name, a shortcut keyword, and use this URL: https://www.google.com/search?udm=14&q=%s. Save it and set it as default via the three-dot menu.
Once done, every search typed in the browser’s address bar will bypass AI features and other distractions, giving you a more focused and classic search experience—just the way many still prefer.