Disable Gmail Smart Compose & Smart Reply on All Devices

This guide shows you how to turn off Gmail’s Smart Compose and Smart Reply features on the web, Android, and iPhone. Disabling them removes the gray suggested text while typing and the quick-reply chips under emails, which can help reduce distractions and prevent accidental sends. You only need access to your Gmail settings; no other tools are required.

What You’ll Need

• Access to your Gmail account (web browser or mobile app)
• Your Gmail password if you are not already signed in

Step-by-Step

On Gmail Web (Desktop or Laptop)

1. Open your web browser and go to mail.google.com. Sign in if prompted.
2. Click the gear icon (Settings) in the top-right corner of the screen.
3. In the dropdown menu, click “See all settings”.
4. You will land on the General tab by default. Scroll down until you see the “Smart Compose” section.
5. Click the radio button next to “Writing suggestions off”. This disables Smart Compose entirely.
6. Scroll further down to the “Smart Reply” section.
7. Click the radio button next to “Smart Reply off”.
8. Scroll to the very bottom of the page and click “Save Changes”. A confirmation bar may appear at the top; your settings are now saved.

On Gmail for Android (Phone or Tablet)

1. Open the Gmail app on your Android device.
2. Tap the hamburger menu (three horizontal lines) in the top-left corner.
3. Scroll to the bottom of the sidebar and tap “Settings”.
4. Tap the email address for which you want to disable the features. If you have multiple accounts, repeat these steps for each one.
5. Scroll down to the “Compose” section.
6. Find “Smart Compose” and tap the toggle switch to turn it off (the switch should no longer be blue).
7. Scroll down to the “Suggestions” section.
8. Find “Smart Reply” and tap the toggle switch to turn it off.
9. Press the back button to exit settings. Changes are saved automatically.

On Gmail for iPhone (iOS)

1. Open the Gmail app on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Tap the hamburger menu (three horizontal lines) in the top-left corner.
3. Scroll to the bottom and tap “Settings”.
4. Tap the email account you want to adjust.
5. Scroll down to the “Compose” section.
6. Tap the toggle next to “Smart Compose” to turn it off (the switch will no longer be green).
7. Scroll to the “Suggestions” section.
8. Tap the toggle next to “Smart Reply” to turn it off.
9. Swipe down or tap the back button to exit. Your changes are saved automatically.

Common Mistakes

• Not saving on web: Forgetting to click “Save Changes” at the bottom of the Gmail web settings page is the most frequent error. The settings revert if you navigate away without saving.
• Changing the wrong account: In the mobile apps, toggling settings for one email address does not affect others. Ensure you have selected the correct account from the settings menu before making changes.
• Confusing Smart Compose with Smart Reply: These are two separate toggles. If you only turn off Smart Compose, the quick reply chips under emails will still appear. You must disable both individually.
• Looking for a global switch on mobile: The Gmail mobile app does not have a single “turn off all AI” button. You must go into each account’s settings individually.

Tips

• Use the search in settings: On the web, you can press Ctrl+F (Windows) or Cmd+F (Mac) and type “Smart Compose” or “Smart Reply” to jump directly to the correct section of the long settings page.
• Turn off only one: If you find Smart Reply helpful but dislike the text predictions while typing, you can disable only Smart Compose and keep Smart Reply active.
• Re-enable anytime: The process is identical to enable the features again—just select the “On” radio button or flip the toggle back on.
• Check for updates: Occasionally, Gmail updates its settings layout. If you cannot find the exact menu names, look for a “General” or “Compose” section, as the toggles are always located there.

Troubleshooting

Suggestions still appear after turning them off:

• Refresh the Gmail tab in your browser (press F5 or Ctrl+R).
• Close and reopen the Gmail app on your phone.
• If using the web, ensure you clicked “Save Changes” at the bottom of the settings page. The page does not auto-save.
• Check that you are looking at the correct account. If you have multiple Gmail accounts open in different tabs or added to the same app, the setting may have been applied to a different one.

Smart Compose is off, but gray text still appears:

• This is likely Smart Reply, not Smart Compose. Smart Reply appears as full sentence chips below an email, while Smart Compose appears as gray text inline as you type. Go back and disable the other feature.
• Some third-party keyboards (like Gboard) have their own predictive text feature. If the gray text appears in other apps too, it may be your keyboard’s setting, not Gmail’s.

Changes on web do not sync to the app:

• Gmail settings do not always sync instantly between platforms. It can take a few minutes or require you to close and reopen the mobile app. If it persists, manually change the setting in the app as described above.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Will disabling Smart Compose affect my existing drafts?
No. Disabling the feature only stops new suggestions from appearing. Your existing drafts remain unchanged.

2. Can I turn off Smart Compose for only one language?
No. The setting is global for the account. You cannot disable it for one language and keep it for another within the same Gmail account.

3. Does Smart Reply work on emails I receive in languages other than English?
Smart Reply supports several languages, but the toggle in settings disables it for all languages at once. There is no per-language control.

4. I turned off Smart Reply, but I still see “Reply” buttons with text. Why?
Those may be standard template replies you have set up, or the sender may have included suggested replies in the email body itself. The Gmail Smart Reply feature shows gray or blue chips below the email, not inside the email content.

5. Will disabling these features speed up Gmail?
It can slightly reduce the processing load when composing or reading emails, but the difference is usually not noticeable. The main benefit is a cleaner interface without distractions.

6. Do these settings apply to the Gmail app on both Android and iPhone if I use the same account?
No. The web setting and mobile app settings are independent. You need to change the setting in each place you use Gmail. Changing it on the web does not automatically change it in the iOS or Android app.

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