How To Disable the “Google Recommends” Popup

Lee Stanton September 9, 2022

Opening a website today often comes with a myriad of pop-ups, notifications, and unwanted widgets that are extremely distracting. The same is true for Google-owned websites that often recommend the user to switch to Google Chrome when visiting from any other browser.

If you aren’t planning on switching to Google’s browser, closing this pop-up every time can be bothersome. Is there a way to get rid of it altogether? Let’s see the methods you can try below.

Disable Google Recommends Using Chrome

Although Google owns the majority of the global market share when it comes to desktop browsers, it’s nowhere near the only option out there. Just to name a few alternatives, Safari, Mozilla Firefox, and Microsoft Edge are still holding their ground with millions of users.

Google doesn’t let users off that easily. Every time you visit the search engine’s page or any other site owned by Google, a pop-up in the corner will tell you that “Google recommends using Chrome.” You can disregard the pop-up by clicking “Don’t switch,” but this won’t stop the message from returning every time you visit a Google-owned page. If you don’t want to see the message again, employing an ad blocker extension is the way to go.

Use AdGuard Annoyances With uBlock Origin

uBlock Origin is a popular browser extension that ensures distraction-free browsing by blocking advertisements. It’s available for Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge, and Opera, but you can also install it manually if you use other browsers, like Chromium or Thunderbird.

Although the extension works pretty well by just installing it and turning it on, it has numerous options you can use to fine-tune your browsing experience. One of these options can help you remove Google’s widget advertising Google Chrome. If you want to try this method, follow the steps below.

Download and install uBlock Origin for your browser.
The extension’s icon should appear in your browser’s toolbar.
Click the icon and make sure to activate the ad blocker by pressing the button.
In the same window, find the “Go To Dashboard” gear button. The settings will open in a new browser window.
Switch to the “Filter Lists” tab.
Scroll down until you find “Annoyances” and expand this section.
The first option should be “AdGuard Annoyances.” Make sure it’s enabled.
Click the blue “Apply changes” button at the top of the page.
Close the dashboard, and you’re done.

AdGuard Annoyances has over 56,000 different filters to block various pop-ups and widgets all over the Internet. One of these will hide Google’s Chrome ad when you’re accessing Google sites using a different browser. You won’t have to worry about the widget even if Google changes its code. The developers update the list regularly, and any changes will be reflected in the extension. An added benefit of this method is that you’ll also run into fewer pop-ups and distractions on other sites.

Create Your Own Filter

Although AdGuard Annoyances in uBlock Origin is a great all-around fix for intrusive pop-ups, it’s an all-or-nothing solution. If you only want to hide that particular Google Chrome ad, AdGuard Annoyances may not be the best way to go. An alternative solution is adding your own filter for this Google widget. You’ll still need a content filter like uBlock Origin for this method.

Ghacks Technology News has developed a great custom filter you can paste into your content filter extension to stop the pop-ups. Download uBlock Origin or a similar extension and follow the instructions below.

Add uBlock Origin to your browser.
Activate the extension from your toolbar.
Click the gear button to access your dashboard.
Switch to the “My Filters” tab.
Paste the following filter into your filters list:
- google.com##iframe[src^="https://ogs.google."][src*="/widget/callout?prid="]
If you visit any other Google domains (such as google.es or similar), add these domains to your code after google.com, without spaces, separated by a comma.
Click the “Apply changes” button to save your filter.

This filter will only work as long as Google doesn’t modify its code. However, you can always adjust your filter when necessary.

Disable Annoying Pop-Ups

The “Google recommends using Chrome” widget can be useful if you are going to switch your browser anyway. It can be a nuisance when you’re just trying to browse the Internet in peace. Unfortunately, closing the window once doesn’t do the trick. You’ll need to install an ad-blocking extension and adjust its settings if you want to remove this message. You can also create a custom filter, though that has its limitations.

Which method of hiding the advertisement did you choose, and why? Did you manage to hide the pop-up? Let us know in the comments section below.