Bing now lets you exclude its AI answers using the «-ai» operator or an extension for Chrome and Edge. Microsoft presented both options as ways to choose between conventional results and generative features; the extension applies the preference to searches and also sets Bing as the default search engine.
The new feature responds to a specific request: being able to use the search engine without automatically generated summaries appearing. The company is keeping its AI features but adding controls for people who prefer to browse links, compare sources, and decide what information is useful to them without a synthesized answer on the page.
Two ways to remove AI answers
«-ai» works without installing anything: simply add the operator to the end of a Bing search. Microsoft gives «why is the sky blue -ai» as an example. The query returns results without AI-generated answers, according to the company's explanation.
This is a one-off method: you have to type the suffix in every query where you want to hide these features. Windows Central also describes this drawback and contrasts the operator with the extension, which keeps AI options disabled automatically according to the selected preference.
The extension is called Microsoft Bing AI Search Choice and is available for Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge. Its toggle lets users switch from an experience with AI-generated answers to one focused on conventional results and links. Microsoft says the selected option applies to all Bing searches.
The extension does more than control answers. It also sets Bing as the default search engine; the Chrome listing also says it opens Bing in every new tab. Windows Central warns about this change before installation, a condition that may matter to anyone who wants the toggle but prefers to keep another search engine as the default.
The Chrome listing identifies Microsoft Corporation as the developer and shows version 1.0.0.3, a size of 9.39 KiB, and English as the language. It also displays a rating. The store includes the developer's statements about data handling: it says data is not sold to third parties except for approved uses, and is not used or transferred for purposes unrelated to the core functionality.
This information applies to the Chrome listing; the available information does not provide equivalent specifications for the Edge version. The listing also says the developer has not identified itself as a trader and warns consumers residing in the European Union that consumer rights do not apply to contracts they enter into with the developer.
An option Microsoft had offered before
The announcement does not introduce the control for the first time, according to Search Engine Roundtable. The outlet recalls that Bing had a setting to hide AI features, identified there as Copilot, which was later removed. Instead, the company is once again explaining how to use the extension and the «-ai» operator.
The previous setting included an option called «Copilot response on result page», which let users decide whether to show Copilot answers on the results page. There was also a control to choose whether Copilot opened when scrolling or swiping up at the top of the page. Search Engine Roundtable questions why users now have to install an extension or add the operator instead of having a setting within the search engine itself.
Microsoft does not explain why it removed that setting in its November 11 Bing post. In that text, it presents the two current alternatives and maintains that everyone should be able to decide when they want to use AI. The blog presents the extension and operator as available options, without announcing the return of a built-in toggle in Bing settings.
Microsoft's Jordi Ribas summed up the alternatives on X: the preview extension lets users toggle the features with one click, and «-ai» can be added to any query. Search Engine Roundtable also quotes his explanation that the company published the post after receiving considerable interest in how to turn AI features on or off.
“We believe Bing users should have a choice in how they search.”
— Microsoft, Bing blog
The extension is still in preview
Microsoft classifies the extension as a preview and says it may modify it based on the feedback it receives. The company invites people to try it and share what works, what is missing, and what would help them choose when AI is involved in searches. The blog says feedback can be sent via X.
The company argues that offering the option to disable answers does not mean abandoning its work on AI. In its post, it says that choice lets people decide between a quick summary when convenient and a list of results they can review and compare on their own.
Computer Hoy frames the change as a way to give more control to people who prefer traditional search, while Microsoft maintains its commitment to Bing's smart features. Windows Central highlights the extension's practical effect and warns that it changes the default search engine; Search Engine Roundtable focuses on the removal of the previous setting.
For now, there are two announced alternatives: type «-ai» in specific queries or install the extension and choose a preference that applies to Bing searches. The extension remains in preview, and Microsoft says user feedback will inform possible changes.
Sources: Computer Hoy, Microsoft Bing Blog, Windows Central, Search Engine Roundtable, Google Chrome Web Store, TechPowerUp
