Disable Built-in Browser AI in Chrome, Edge & Firefox with Just The Browser Script

Strip AI From Your Browser With One Script — Just The Browser (GitHub)

Executive summary: Browsers are shipping built-in AI features, shopping panels, and expanded telemetry by default. Just The Browser is a free, open-source toolkit that applies browser policy files to Chrome, Edge, and Firefox so you can quickly disable those AI features and many surface-level data-collection points. It’s fast, auditable, and useful as a baseline hardening tool — but it doesn’t guarantee full account-level telemetry suppression. Read on for how it works, hands‑on results, verification steps, and a pragmatic deployment checklist for IT teams.

Why strip AI from your browser?

Browser vendors add AI assistants, suggested content, and shopping integrations because they create new product features and monetization opportunities. For businesses and privacy-minded users this trend introduces risk: more data shared with third-party services, UI surfaces that nudge users toward vendor-controlled features, and more places for sensitive information to leak. Managed browser policies are the same controls IT uses to lock down browsers — but creating and applying those policies manually is tedious. Just The Browser packages them into an easy-to-use workflow so you can enforce a cleaner, less chatty browser experience quickly.

“I prefer to browse the old‑fashioned way and don’t want AI or extra data collection in my browser.”

What Just The Browser does

Just The Browser (repo: corbindavenport/just-the-browser on GitHub) supplies pre-built policy files and helper scripts that target:

  • Built-in generative-AI features (Copilot / AI Mode)
  • Tab suggestions and New Tab sponsored content
  • Price tracking, coupon and shopping integrations
  • Welcome prompts and persistent “try this feature” nudges
  • Many browser auto-start and unwanted extension behaviors
  • Selected telemetry and data-collection settings

It works by applying the same managed browser policies enterprises use, but packaged for quick deployment by administrators or power users.

How it works — in plain terms

  • Scripts and files: A helper script automates copying policy JSON files to the browser’s managed policy directory (or provides MDM/Device Management instructions for macOS/Windows).
  • Where it writes: Example path for Chrome on Linux: /etc/opt/chrome/policies/managed. Edge and Firefox use the platform-specific policy mechanisms or MDM templates.
  • What you do: Run the provided script or drop the supplied managed_policies.json into the correct folder and restart the browser.
  • What the browser sees: On startup the browser reads managed policies and disables the targeted features at the UI and policy layer.

Quick verification steps: After applying policies, open chrome://policy or edge://policy to confirm the list of applied policies and their status. Check the New Tab page and the URL bar for removed AI boxes or suggestions.

Tested results — what to expect

  • Edge on macOS: After running the script and following macOS device-management steps, Copilot/AI Mode functionality was removed from the UI. Some New Tab UI remnants (an AI box placeholder) remained visible even though the feature was disabled.
  • Chrome on Linux: Copying a managed_policies.json into /etc/opt/chrome/policies/managed removed AI Mode from the URL bar and disabled targeted integrations.
  • Firefox: The project includes policy snippets to disable tab suggestions and other built-ins that affect browser privacy.

The convenience win is clear: what would take many minutes or hours per machine via manual flag hunting becomes a repeatable, auditable process that leverages the browser’s supported policy model.

What it doesn’t (fully) solve

Two important caveats:

  • Account-level telemetry and sync: Some telemetry settings are tied to a user’s signed-in account (for example, Chrome’s search-improvement or sync features). Managed policies can restrict many behaviors, but they don’t always control data that flows via a user’s cloud account. That means some “make searches and browsing better” signals can still be sent unless you also change account settings, block sign‑in, or apply network controls.
  • UI remnants and maintenance: Policies can disable functionality, but browsers sometimes leave placeholder UI elements. Browser updates can also rename policies or reintroduce features, so policies need periodic review and maintenance.

Practical mitigations include disabling Chrome Sync via policy, enforcing “block browser sign‑in” policies on managed devices, or blocking telemetry endpoints at the network/proxy level. Where regulatory or contractual guarantees are required, negotiate vendor commitments or use enterprise-grade endpoint management to enforce account controls.

How to verify and troubleshoot

  • Open chrome://policy or edge://policy — verify the policy keys and their “Status” values.
  • Confirm file placement and permissions on Linux: policies should be readable by the browser process in /etc/opt/…/policies/managed.
  • Restart the browser and test the UI surfaces you care about (New Tab, URL bar, price-tracking menus).
  • If telemetry appears to persist, review account-level settings (disable sync, turn off “improve searches” options) and consider network-level blocking.

Illustrative example (pseudo) managed_policies.json — for illustration only; see the GitHub repo for exact keys:

{
“ManagedBookmarks”: […],
“DisableAIFeatures”: {
“AIEnabled”: false,
“NewTabSuggestions”: false,
“PriceTracking”: false
},
“Startup”: {
“DisableAutoStart”: true
}
}

Use the repository’s actual files for production; the pseudo-example above shows the structure conceptually rather than precise policy names.

Enterprise guidance — a practical rollout checklist

Use this checklist to deploy Just The Browser policies safely across a fleet.

  • Pre-deployment audit: Inventory browser versions, extensions, and workflows that rely on built-in AI or shopping features.
  • Test device: Apply policies to a lab machine, verify UI and functionality, run the verification steps above.
  • Pilot group: Roll out to a small user group (10–20 devices) and collect feedback on broken workflows.
  • MDM integration: If you use MDM (Intune, Jamf, Workspace ONE), convert the policy JSON into MDM templates for centralized delivery.
  • Rollback plan: Keep original policy files and a script to restore defaults if compatibility issues arise.
  • Monitoring: Add policy checks to device health dashboards and schedule quarterly reviews to track browser updates and policy changes.
  • Account controls: Enforce block-signin or restrict sync where needed to minimize account-level telemetry.

For small environments this approach reduces repetitive per-device configuration. For larger organizations, integrate the repository’s policy sets into your existing Group Policy or MDM templates so policies are maintained centrally.

Alternatives and trade-offs

  • Managed MDM/Group Policy: More complete and supported in enterprise environments, but requires configuration overhead.
  • Privacy-first browsers: Browsers built around minimal telemetry avoid the need for policy hardening, but may break enterprise compatibility or specific web apps.
  • Network-level controls: Blocking telemetry endpoints can stop some data flows but risks false positives and maintenance overhead.

Just The Browser sits in the middle: faster to deploy than building policies from scratch, more transparent than opaque third-party tools, and auditable because everything is open-source on GitHub.

Key takeaways

  • Can you remove built-in AI features from mainstream browsers?
    Yes — Just The Browser can disable many generative-AI features, Copilot/AI Mode, tab suggestions, and sponsored New Tab content across Chrome, Edge, and Firefox using managed browser policies.
  • Is it easy for non-experts?
    Generally yes — a script or dropping a managed_policies.json into the correct folder is much faster than manual flag hunting. Some OS-specific admin steps still apply.
  • Does it stop all telemetry?
    No — policy application disables many features, but some telemetry tied to account-level sync or search-improvement settings (especially in Chrome) can remain enabled without additional account or network changes.
  • Is it suitable for enterprise deployment?
    Useful as a baseline. Enterprises should integrate these policy files into existing MDM/Group Policy processes and add account governance and vendor controls for complete coverage.

Just The Browser is a pragmatic, low-friction way to strip AI-driven surfaces from your default browser while keeping the browser itself. It’s not a one-click privacy panacea — combine it with account policies, network controls, and vendor agreements when you need guaranteed telemetry suppression or compliance-level guarantees.

If you want a ready-to-use asset, tell me whether you want a 1‑page deployment checklist (technical), a 30‑day maintenance plan, or a short executive memo that explains the risk reduction and estimated time savings — I’ll draft it.

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