Step-by-Step Guide to Disable Google Lens in Chrome

2024/09/17

Google Lens in Google Chrome is a valuable tool that enables users to search for information directly from images or sections of web pages. This can be particularly beneficial for quickly obtaining additional details. However, for those concerned about privacy, disabling this feature may be preferred. If you find yourself in this situation, this guide will demonstrate how to disable Google Lens in Chrome.

How to Disable Google Lens in Chrome?

There are three effective methods to disable Google Lens in Chrome:

Through Chrome’s address bar
Utilizing the Chrome Flags Page
Applying Chrome Policy

Rest assured, you can readily revert these changes if you change your mind later.

1] Hiding Google Lens on Chrome’s Address Bar

If you prefer to hide the Google Lens feature rather than completely disabling it, you can choose to untick the shortcut. This action will remove the Google Lens icon from the address bar.

First, highlight a link in the address bar.
Right-click on it and deselect Always show the Google Lens shortcut option.
After this, the Google Lens icon will no longer appear in the address bar. You can follow these steps again to restore it if desired.

2] Turning Off Google Lens Overlay via Chrome Flags

The simplest way to disable Google Lens in Chrome is by using the flags menu, which contains experimental features.

Open Google Chrome, and enter chrome://flags into the address bar, then press Enter.
In the search box at the top, type in Lens to locate the Lens Overlay option.
Use the dropdown menu next to it and select Disabled to turn off the functionality.
Once completed, close and relaunch your Chrome browser, and the feature will be deactivated.

3] Disabling Lens Overlay through Chrome Policy

If you’re using Windows, you can modify Chrome Policy settings to eliminate the Lens Overlay feature. Follow these steps:

Press Win Key + R to open the RUN dialog, type regedit, and hit Enter.
Navigate to this path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies
Right-click on the Policies folder, select New > Key, and name it Chrome.
Next, select the newly created Chrome folder, right-click in the empty space in the pane on the right, select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value, and name it LensOverlaySettings.

Then, double-click on the LensOverlaySettings value and set its value to 1.

Disable Lens Overlay Chrome Policy Settings

Finally, close the Registry Editor and relaunch your Chrome browser; the Lens Overlay feature should now be turned off.

The methods outlined above provide three quick options to disable Google Lens in Chrome. For simplicity and ease of use, I recommend disabling the feature via the Flags page, as it is straightforward and works across devices. Feel free to try these methods and see what works best for you.

How to Disable Google Lens on Android?

If you want to remove Google Lens from your Android device, uninstalling it may not be an option, as it’s integrated into core Google services.

How Can I Use Google Lens Without an App?

You can simply tap and hold an image, then drag it over the “Search an image with Google Lens”option. This action triggers an image search. A similar feature is also available on Edge, which uses Bing for image searches.

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