Gmail scans emails for “smart features”: How to turn off this scanning

Google recently updated the wording in Gmail’s settings, which sparked a wave of rumors claiming the company had begun automatically analyzing all emails and attachments to train its Gemini AI model. Users—especially those handling confidential data—became alarmed, and not without reason. Although Google denies using email content for core AI training, scanning still takes place to support personalization features such as autocomplete, categorization, and suggestions. Here is what is actually happening and how to protect your privacy.

What Happens to Your Emails

Gmail has always scanned emails—since 2014, this has been done for spam filtering, sorting messages into categories (promotions, social), and for personalized advertising. The novelty in the recent policy update (November 2025) is that Google rephrased the description of “Smart Features,” making them more visible. These features now include integration with Gemini to improve search, suggestions, and generated responses. For most users, these options are enabled by default (an opt-out model), which allows Gmail to analyze content for local improvements.

Google emphasized that Gmail data is not used to train the core Gemini models, according to official statements. However, the article notes that scanning still occurs for personalization—for example, so Gemini can better understand a user’s writing style. In Europe (under GDPR), such functions require explicit opt-in consent, but in other regions they do not. This led to confusion when many users saw new checkboxes in settings but received no notice, prompting speculation that their emails were being fed directly into AI training.

Why You Might Want to Disable It: Risks and Legal Issues

Even if the data is not used for global training, scanning still carries risks. Sensitive information—medical records, financial details, workplace correspondence—can influence suggestions or summaries, and could become vulnerable in the event of a data breach. Disabling the features also stops automated calendar event creation and AI-generated suggestions, which sometimes malfunction (such as the German translation bug in July 2025).

The situation is intensified by a class-action lawsuit in California (filed November 11, 2025), in which plaintiffs accuse Google of allowing Gemini hidden access to Gmail, Chat, and Meet without consent—allegations that they claim violate the California Invasion of Privacy Act. The legal process may take years, but it has already fueled debates on Reddit and X about “privacy traded for convenience.”

How to Disable Scanning: Step-by-Step

Turning off the feature takes about a minute and works for personal Gmail accounts. For Google Workspace (business accounts), one additional step is needed.

For Personal Gmail:

1. Open Gmail in a browser (on a desktop—some options do not appear in the mobile app).
2. Click the gear icon in the upper-right corner → See all settings.
3. Go to the General tab → find Smart features and personalization.
4. Uncheck Enable smart features in Gmail, Chat, and Meet.
5. Click Save Changes at the bottom — Gmail will reload.

This disables scanning for autocomplete, categorization, spell checking, and AI suggestions. The downside is losing conveniences such as Smart Compose.

For Google Workspace (additional steps):

1. After completing the steps above, open Manage smart features in Google Workspace (or similarly named section).
2. Uncheck all boxes in the pop-up window (for Gmail, Drive, Calendar, etc.).
3. Save — the changes will apply to the entire account.

The feature is rolling out gradually, so some users may not see the option immediately. If it is missing, update your browser or wait. Turning the option off does not delete previously processed data, but it prevents further scanning.

In Brief

Google does not train Gemini directly on your emails, but Gmail still scans them for “smart features” like suggestions and categorization, and these options are enabled by default. To protect your privacy, disable the Smart Features setting under Gmail → General (and Workspace for business accounts). This stops further analysis but removes convenience features. A California lawsuit highlights the potential risks. Users handling confidential information should check their settings immediately.