The best way to break free from the filter bubble. Google has faced criticism for creating a “filter bubble” with its search results. By collecting data from your searches, Google builds a profile and tailors future search results to match your preferences. While this leads to more relevant results, it can also mean you miss out on useful information from outside your usual browsing habits. Now, Google has introduced a new toggle that makes it easier to turn off personalized search results and escape this bubble.
How to disable personalized Google search results:
Turning off personalized results is simple, but the new toggle may not always appear immediately. To try it, search for something on Google and scroll down to the bottom of the results page. Below the “Goooooooooogle” logo and page numbers, you might see a line that says “Results are personalized.” Click the “Try without personalization” button next to it. This will disable personalized search results.
This feature was first noticed by Search Engine Roundtable, but it’s unclear why it doesn’t always show up.
In a statement, a Google spokesperson told Lifehacker: “This change makes it easier for people to understand if their results have been personalized, while giving them the option to explore non-personalized results. We also make it easy for people to adjust their personalization settings at any time.”
When I tested this across several browsers, I found that personalized results weren’t the default in most cases. This is likely due to my frequent rejection of Google’s cookie consent pop-ups, or possibly because I had adjusted some site settings unknowingly. When I accepted a cookie banner, however, the option to turn off personalization appeared.
While this feature is useful, keep in mind that you can’t fully escape Google’s filter bubble just by turning off personalized results, as the search engine still makes various decisions behind the scenes about what content to show. Additionally, factors like the time of day or your location can also influence search results. However, if you feel Google isn’t giving you the results you want, there are other great alternatives, like the paid search engine Kagi, which offer an experience outside the filter bubble.
