How To Permanently Turn Off G+ Personal Results In Google Search
How To Permanently Turn Off G+ Personal Results In Google Search
Posted 01/12/2012 at 1:24pm
| by Brad Chacos
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Two days ago, Google started mixing Google+ connections with general search results. Pics, photos, shared links, posts, authored articles – if someone in your Circles shared something related to what you’re looking for, it shows up in your search results. Google calls it “Search Plus Your World;” I call it annoying. When the first page of results is dominated by “Personal Results,” that’s a problem. And to make it worse, Google doesn’t exactly make it easy to turn the “feature” off for good.
The “Hide Personal Results” button on the search page is a temporary solution but the problem rears its ugly head again the very next time your search for something. If you’re drowning in useless search results suggested by your 2000-plus Circle buddies, here’s how to swing the Personal Results banhammer permanently in less than 15 seconds.
First saunter over to Google.com, then open up your options by clicking on the gear icon in the upper-right hand corner of the screen. Select “Search Settings” from the list of options. (If you have a customized iGoogle setup, get to the classic Google homepage by selecting the gear icon, then the "Classic Home" option. You can return to iGoogle after disabling Personal Results. Thanks to Ghost6007 and Frances the Mute for pointing this out in the comments!)
Scroll down until you see the Personal Results options. By default, “Use personal results” is selected. Click the “Do not use personal results” bubble.
Now, just click “Save” at the bottom of the screen and you’ll never be bothered by those annoying and only tangentially on-topic Personal Results again! We’re interested in hearing what you think, though: do you like the inclusion of G+-related Personal Results in your everyday searches, or are you on your way to disable the feature right now?
Connect with Brad on Google+, just don't expect him to see your posts in Google Search results!
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cmlevy
January 13, 2012 at 9:01am
Maybe only gearheads still get the gear. I don't have one on google.com when I go directly there or when I switch to Classic Page from iGoogle. The gear is only on iGoogle page which, as we all agree, is useless. I guess Google is quick on their feet or you were seeing things or printing a screen in another string.
RUSENSITIVESWEETNESS
January 13, 2012 at 4:12am
More often than not, Maximum PC gnores Google foibles and exhaults even the most minor of accomplishments. I thought it was law not to be critical of anything they do?
I'm not pleased with Google's aggressive prying, collecting, and disseminating. Their use of my login IDs from other web sites was the last straw; the day I found my Hotmail account being used to identify me at the top of the Google main search page was the day I realized how intrusive they plan to be going into the future.
Here we have a company that fully intends to monitor, record, and sell everything we do on the web. Who wants to sign up for that?
FrancesTheMute
January 12, 2012 at 3:26pm
Just FYI, if you go to the Search Settings from the iGoogle page, you won't have the Personal Results option. Have to do it from the actual Google Search page.
Neufeldt2002
January 12, 2012 at 2:15pm
Don't have that option, but then I live in Canada and that "feature" may not be rolled out here yet. But if it ever does, it will be turned off the minute I notice it.
Brad Chacos
January 12, 2012 at 3:27pm
I think it's still being rolled out gradually, even in the US -- a friend of mine doesn't have it yet, either. But when you do get it, you'll want to turn it off, anyways :-)
ghost6007
January 12, 2012 at 3:50pm
Ok, so my default page is www.google.com/ig which is the customized iGoogle page and when I followed your advice, I could not find the settings you mentioned. In order to disable my personal search results here is what I did:
- On my iGoogle page I clicked the "gear" icon on the top right and selected "Classic Home" which is the last option
- Once I got to the clean Google classic, I followed Brad's advice:
- Click on the "gear" icon on the top right (again)
- Select "Search Settings"
- You will now have "Personal Results" right under "Results Per Page" settings, disable personal search and save
- Next, click on the "gear" icon on the top right for the last time and select "iGoogle" to return to your old page
- Once you are there, the search settings still stick (atleast for me and my wife they did)
Hope this helps :)
Brad Chacos
January 12, 2012 at 1:45pm
Don't know what to tell you -- I took that screenshot less than half an hour ago.
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