AI-free mode
AI-free mode hides the AI answers and AI buttons that Acira recognizes on supported websites. It is off by default. This beta of Acira has no AI features of its own. This mode changes what websites show you.
Turn it on or off
- Press Ctrl+Shift+X (Cmd+Shift+X on a Mac). The same key turns it off.
- Open the Acira menu and switch AI-free mode. The menu stays open so you see the change.
- Open Settings › Privacy › Content filters › AI-free mode.
- Add the AI-free mode button to the toolbar. It shows a shield with a check when the mode is on. See Toolbar and menu.
- Choose it in the setup screens.
The switch belongs to the profile. Each profile can have its own. See Profiles.
A page that is already open may need a reload to show the change.
What it hides
The What it hides list under the switch reads:
| Site | What is hidden |
|---|---|
| AI Overviews, and the AI Mode button and tab. | |
| Bing | Copilot answers, and the Copilot buttons. |
| DuckDuckGo | Search Assist answers, and the Duck.ai prompt. |
| Brave Search | AI answers, and the Ask button. |
The rules for Google, Bing and Brave Search were read from live result pages in October 2026. DuckDuckGo's rules were written from its live page markup, because it blocks automated browsers. Search sites change their pages, so a rule can stop matching after a site update.
Acira also has rules for AI buttons and links on a few other sites: YouTube, Reddit, Quora, Stack Overflow, GitHub, Amazon, Gmail and Google Docs, LinkedIn, X, Instagram and Facebook, and Microsoft 365 and Outlook. These hide entry points such as a button or a link, never a block of page content. Most were written from public page markup and could not be checked without signing in, so treat them as a helpful extra rather than a promise.
What you see
When Acira hides an answer on a search page, it leaves one quiet line in its place: AI answer hidden · Show. Choose Show to bring that one answer back. Search results stay as they were. Buttons and tabs, such as Google's AI Mode, go without a line.
Acira hides a known block before the page paints, so a recognized answer is not on screen even for a moment.
Turn it off for one site
On a site where Acira has rules, the Page information panel (the button at the start of the address field) shows AI-free mode on this site. Switch it off to see that site's AI features while the profile setting stays on. The Content filters section in the same panel has a Hide AI answers in search checkbox marked For this site, and a Temporarily show AI surfaces button.
When something has been hidden on the page, the Protection list in the panel shows AI answers hidden with a count.
Limits
- It hides things on websites. It does not stop a site from using AI on its servers.
- Google's AI Overview is recognized by its heading as well as by the page structure. Headings were read from live Google pages in English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil) and Arabic. In other languages the structural rules are what you rely on.
- The rules are fixed lists on your computer. They run without any AI.
- If a hidden element was part of a page you needed, choose Show or turn the mode off for that site.
Related pages
- Privacy settings for the other content filters.
- Ads and trackers for cookie banners and blocking.
Last updated November 2, 2026