Easy methods to Block Google’s AI Overviews utilizing Group Coverage and Intune — LazyAdmin

Google has rolled out the AI overviews broadly during the last couple of months. And whereas some might like the short overviews, the overall response that I hear from my customers is that they discover it annoying. And I get that.

A latest examine confirmed that the solutions supplied in AI Search are sometimes mistaken. Within the assessments carried out through the examine, greater than 60% of the solutions have been partially or utterly incorrect.

One other drawback with the AI overviews is that they take up a whole lot of house, forcing you to scroll method down earlier than you get an precise search consequence.

If we additionally take the YouTube carousel and Individuals Additionally Ask block into consideration, then rapidly looking for one thing on Google turns into extra work than wanted.

So there are a few choices right here; we will, for instance, swap over to a different search engine. Personally, I’ve been utilizing Bing for the final 12 months and it has served me greater than properly. However another choice is to make use of Google with the online search filter. This fashion, Google solely returns regular search outcomes, with out all of the AI overview and different junk.

On this article, I’ll present you how one can allow the online search filter to your customers, utilizing Group Insurance policies, Edge Configuration Insurance policies, or Intune.

Default Search Engine Insurance policies

There are a few methods to set the default search engine, relying in your setting. When you have an on-premise Lively Listing server, you should use the Group Insurance policies to configure the search engine. There are completely different GPOs for every browser you can configure.

If the customers in your group are primarily utilizing Edge, which I like to recommend to make use of, as a result of it’s extra environment friendly than Chrome, then you should use the Insurance policies for Microsoft Edge within the Microsoft 365 Admin Middle.

The final possibility is Intune, however that requires an Intune license. When you have Microsoft 365 Enterprise Premium or Microsoft 365 E3, for instance, then you’ve entry to Intune.

UDM 14

To drive the web-only outcomes, and thus eliminate the AI overview and different junk, we’re going to change the search URL for Google. We do that by including the search parameter, udm=14. This may inform Google to solely return internet outcomes, and no different content material blocks.

Irrespective of which technique you select to set the default search engine, set the search URL to:

https://www.google.com/search?udm=14&q={searchTerms}

Insurance policies for Microsoft Edge

When your customers are signed in to Edge with their work account, you should use the Insurance policies for Microsoft Edge within the Microsoft 365 Admin Middle. That is the best method to apply default settings to the Edge browser.

1. Open the Microsoft 365 Admin Middle
2. Develop Settings and click on on Microsoft Edge
3. Open the Configuration Insurance policies tab
4. Click on Create Coverage

5. Enter a reputation for the coverage: Set default search engine and click on Subsequent
6. Click on on Add Settings and add the settings under. They’re all listed below Default Search Supplier (you’ll need so as to add every setting individually)
   • DefaultSearchProviderEnabled -> Enabled
   • DefaultSearchProviderName -> Google Net Solely
   • DefaultSearchProviderSearchURL -> {google:baseURL}search?udm=14&q={searchTerms}
     Be certain to uncheck “Permit customers to override”
   • DefaultSearchProviderSuggestURL -> https://www.google.com/full/search?shopper=chrome&q={searchTerms}
   • NewTabPageSearchBox -> Deal with bar

The final setting units the brand new tab search field to match the deal with bar search supplier.

7. Click on Subsequent and skip to Assignments
8. Click on on Add all customers, or choose a Group that you simply wish to assign the coverage to
9. Click on Subsequent and Overview and Create the brand new coverage

To check the coverage, open Edge and go to the next URL: edge://coverage/. Click on on Reload Insurance policies and verify if the newly created insurance policies are listed.

Check out the search function by looking for one thing immediately from the deal with bar.

If you wish to use or drive Bing because the default search engine, then you possibly can specify the next search URL: {bing:baseURL}search?q={searchTerms}

Utilizing Intune

In case your customers don’t use Edge as their default browser, then you’ll need to make use of Group Insurance policies to configure the default search engine. We are going to first have a look at utilizing Intune for this, and as final the conventional Group Insurance policies.

Word

You may observe the steps under to create the coverage manually, or obtain the coverage from my GitHub repository and import it immediately into Intune.

1. Open the Intune Admin Middle
2. Go to Gadgets > Configuration
3. Click on on Create New Coverage

4. Set the platform to Home windows 10 and later
5. Select the profile kind, Settings catalog
6. Enter a reputation for the coverage, Set default search engine. It’s at all times an excellent observe so as to add a brief description explaining what the coverage does to your fellow coworkers.
7. Click on Add Settings
8. Within the Settings Picker, choose Microsoft Edge and select Default search supplier
9. Choose the next settings:
   • Configure the brand new tab web page search field expertise
   • Default search supplier title
   • Default search supplier search URL
   • Default search supplier URL for ideas
   • Allow the default search supplier

10. Shut the Settings Picker
11. Now allow every of the settings and enter the next values the place wanted:
    • Default search supplier title: Google with out AI
    • Default search supplier search URL: {google:baseURL}search?udm=14&q={searchTerms}
    • Default search supplier URL for suggestion: https://www.google.com/full/search?shopper=chrome&q={searchTerms}
    • New tab web page search field expertise (Gadget): Deal with bar

12. When finished, click on Subsequent
13. Add any scope tags if wanted, in any other case depart empty, and click on subsequent
14. Within the Task tab, both choose a safety group or Add all customers
15. Click on subsequent and assessment, and create the brand new coverage

To check the coverage, open Edge on a shopper machine and go to the next URL: edge://coverage/. Click on on Reload Insurance policies and verify if the newly created insurance policies are listed.

We will create the same coverage for Chrome. I gained’t undergo all steps, however within the settings picker, step 8, go to Google Chrome and choose Default Search Supplier. Choose the identical settings as we did for Edge and use the identical values.

Utilizing Group Insurance policies

We will, after all, additionally use group insurance policies to configure the default search engine in Chrome or Edge. Just remember to have the most recent ADMX information put in for Edge. You may obtain them right here from Microsoft (the hyperlink is under the black obtain button).

The coverage is just about the identical as those in Intune and the Microsoft 365 Admin Middle:

1. Open the Group Coverage Administration Editor
2. Create a brand new coverage to configure Edge
3. Edit the coverage and go to:
   Person Configuration > Administrative Insurance policies > Microsoft Edge > Default search supplier
4. Allow and set the next insurance policies:
   • Allow the default search supplier
   • Default search supplier title: Google with out AI
   • Default search supplier search URL: {google:baseURL}search?udm=14&q={searchTerms}
   • Default search supplier URL for suggestion: https://www.google.com/full/search?shopper=chrome&q={searchTerms}
   • New tab web page search field expertise (Gadget): Deal with bar

For Chrome, additionally, you will first want to put in the ADMX file. Obtain the Google Chrome ADMX information and duplicate them to your central retailer.

When put in, you can see the Google Chrome insurance policies within the Group Coverage Administration console below: Person Configuration > Administrative Insurance policies > Google > Google Chrome > Default search supplier

Allow and set the identical values as we did above for Edge to eliminate the AI overviews. Or for those who don’t wish to use Google in any respect, then you possibly can change the search supplier to Bing for instance and use the next search URL: {bing:baseURL}search?q={searchTerms}.

Different Search Supplier URLs

There are, after all, a dozen extra search engines like google and yahoo that you should use as a substitute of Google. Beneath is a fast overview of the three hottest options, subsequent to Google and Bing, with required settings:

DuckDuckGo

• DefaultSearchProviderName: DuckDuckGo
• DefaultSearchProviderSearchURL: https://duckduckgo.com/?q={searchTerms}
• DefaultSearchProviderSuggestURL: https://duckduckgo.com/ac/?q={searchTerms}&kind=record

Ecosia

• DefaultSearchProviderName: Ecosia
• DefaultSearchProviderSearchURL: https://www.ecosia.org/search?q={searchTerms}
• DefaultSearchProviderSuggestURL: https://ac.ecosia.org/autocomplete?q={searchTerms}

Qwant

• DefaultSearchProviderName: Qwant
• DefaultSearchProviderSearchURL: https://www.qwant.com/?q={searchTerms}
• DefaultSearchProviderSuggestURL: https://api.qwant.com/api/counsel/?q={searchTerms}&kind=internet

Wrapping Up

AI instruments will be actually helpful, however relating to search, I simply discover it annoying. The AI Overviews are sometimes solely part of the reply (if it’s even appropriate), and 90% of the time, I simply wish to learn an article in regards to the subject or examine stuff myself.

And for those who ask round, you can be stunned that the majority of your customers will most likely really feel the identical. So, having the choice to take away the AI overviews for all (or a bunch of) customers with insurance policies is a straightforward method to make looking the online accessible once more.

You can even change this setting in your personal browser; merely go to Settings > Search. Add a brand new merchandise, title it Google Net Solely, and set the URL to https://www.google.com/search?q=%s&udm=14 and set it as your default search engine.

Hope you want this text. When you have any questions, simply drop a remark under. And ensure to unfold this text with your folks and coworkers who’re additionally finished with Google AI Overviews.