You ever just been trying to look up a recipe for banana bread? Or maybe a tutorial on how to fix a leaky faucet? Suddenly, everywhere you go online, you see ads for baking sheets and plumbing supplies.
It’s like the internet is listening. Which, I mean, it kind of is.
Those ads are Google Ads, and they follow you around based on what you search for and what websites you visit.
For a lot of us, it gets old pretty fast. If you’re tired of feeling like you’re being followed around the web, you’re in the right spot. Let’s get into how to disable google ads and get some of your internet privacy back for 2025. It’s not as hard as you might think.
Why Do I See So Many Google Ads Anyway?
Before we start turning things off, it’s good to know why this is happening. It isn’t random. There’s a whole system behind it.
Google’s business is built on information. When you use their search engine, watch YouTube, or use Google Maps, you’re giving them little bits of information.
These bits get put together to make a profile of you. A profile of your interests, what you might want to buy, and where you’ve been.
It is this profile that advertisers then use to show you ads they think you’ll click on. It’s a system, you see, that is considered to be very effective at its job which is making money.
So, when we talk about disabling ads, we’re mostly talking about telling Google to stop using this personal profile to target you. Makes sense, right?
The Main Event: Turning Off Personalized Google Ads
Alright, let’s get to the good stuff. The main way to stop these personalized ads is by going directly to the source: your Google Account. This is the control center for a lot of your data.
The Google Account Method
This is probably the big one you’re looking for, the main control panel so to speak. It’s where you tell Google directly, “Hey, stop using my info for ads.”
Here is how you typically do it:
First, go to your Google Account. You can just search “My Google Account” and click the first link. Make sure you’re signed in.
Find the section called ‘Data & privacy’ it’s normally on the left side menu. Give that a click.
Scroll down until you see a box or section called “Ad settings.” Sometimes it’s under a heading like “Things you’ve done and places you’ve been.”
Click on that. You’ll be taken to the Ad Personalization page.
You want to be looking for a toggle switch, it should be blue and on. It will say something like “Ad personalization is ON.”
Click that switch to turn it OFF.
A pop-up window will probably appear. It’ll warn you that you’ll still see ads, they just won’t be based on your information. Just confirm you want to turn it off.
That’s basically it for the main setting. You’ve told Google to stop personalizing. The ads you see now will be more random, not based on your recent searches for banana bread.
Using an Ad Blocker Extension
Okay so that’s one way. Then there is the ad blocker route. This is a bit different. This method doesn’t just stop personalization, it tries to stop most ads from loading at all.
An ad blocker is a little tool for your browser, like Chrome or Firefox. It works by looking at the code of a website as it loads and blocking the parts that are identified as ads.
Go to your browser’s extension store. For Chrome, it’s the Chrome Web Store. For Firefox, it’s the Firefox Add-ons site.
Search for “ad blocker.” You’ll see several popular options like uBlock Origin or AdBlock Plus. They generally have lots of users.
Click “Add to [Your Browser].” It will ask for some permissions. Read them over and if you’re comfortable, approve it.
It installs itself. That’s pretty much it. The little ad blocker icon will appear in your browser’s toolbar, and it will start working right away.
This is a more aggressive approach. It can sometimes break parts of a website that rely on ad scripts to work properly, but usually, it’s fine.
What About Ads on My Phone? Taming Mobile Ads
Disabling ads on your computer is one thing but your phone is a whole different beast. Your phone has a unique advertising ID that apps use to show you targeted ads. You need to handle that separately.
For Android Users
If you have an Android phone, Google has built the settings right into the operating system.
The steps are generally simple. Go to your phone’s Settings. Scroll and find the Google section. Tap on it. Then tap on Ads. In here, you should see an option that says “Delete advertising ID.” Go ahead and do that. What this does is reset the unique ID that advertisers use to track you across different apps, for your phone.
For iPhone (iOS) Users
Apple has its own thing going on with ads, which you also need to manage separately from your main Google account.
On your iPhone, you’ll want to go to Settings. Then scroll down to Privacy & Security. Near the bottom, you’ll find Apple Advertising. Tap on that. Inside, there’s a switch for Personalized Ads. Just make sure that is turned off.
Does This Stop All Ads? Let’s Be Real
So you did all that. And you still see an ad. What gives?
The reality of the situation is that you’ll still see ads. Turning off personalization just means the ads won’t be creepy and specific to you. You’ll get generic ads instead.
An ad for a car you have no interest in is much less jarring than an ad for the exact pair of shoes you were looking at 10 minutes ago.
Only a good ad blocker will get close to stopping all ads, and even then, some websites have found ways to get their ads through. It is a constant game of cat and mouse. The goal here is control, not complete invisibility.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. How do I disable Google ads completely?
You can’t really disable them “completely” from Google’s side, as they are part of many free services. The best way to block most ads is to use an ad blocker extension on your web browser and adjust your phone’s advertising ID settings.
2. Will turning off ad personalization stop YouTube ads?
No. You will still get ads on YouTube. They just won’t be based on your Google activity. They might be based on the video you’re watching or just be general ads for a broad audience.
3. Is it safe to use an ad blocker?
For the most part, yes. Stick to well-known, highly-rated ad blockers from your browser’s official extension store. Be careful of fake ones that might be malware. A good ad blocker can actually make you safer by blocking malicious ads.
4. Why do I have to turn this off on my phone and computer separately?
Because they are treated as different devices with different tracking methods. Your computer browser activity is tracked differently than your mobile app usage, which uses your phone’s specific advertising ID.
5. Do I need to do this again in the future?
It’s a good idea to check your settings once a year or so. Sometimes settings can be reset after a major software update, or Google might change where the settings are located.
Key Takeaways
The main control for personalized ads is in your Google Account under “Data & privacy” and then “Ad settings.”
Turning off personalization means you get generic ads, not ads based on your personal web history.
For a stronger approach, a browser-based ad blocker can stop most ads from appearing at all.
Don’t forget your phone. You need to reset the advertising ID on both Android and iOS devices separately.
The goal is to reduce targeted tracking, not to eliminate every single ad from the internet.
