The Accidental Tags
Google Docs recently heavily integrated “Smart Chips”—interactive, clickable pill-shaped links that connect to other Google Workspace elements. By default, the trigger for a Smart Chip is the “@” symbol. If you are typing a document and type the “@” symbol followed immediately by a name or a file title, Google Docs automatically attempts to convert that plain text into a live Smart Chip linking to a contact or a Drive file. While useful for project management, this is a disaster if you are simply trying to write out an email address, mention a Twitter handle, or write technical code that requires the “@” symbol to remain plain text.
Silencing the Smart Canvas
To prevent unwanted hyperlinking and stop Google Docs from automatically creating Smart Chips when you type the “@” symbol, you must disable the specific predictive text feature.
Open the Google Doc where the issue is occurring. Go to the top menu bar and click on Tools. Scroll down the dropdown menu and select Preferences. A new dialogue box will appear on your screen. Ensure you are on the General tab (the default tab on the left). Look down the list of checkboxes for the option explicitly named Show Smart Reply suggestions and, more importantly for this issue, Show link details or Automatically detect links (the exact phrasing occasionally shifts in Google updates, but it is grouped with link detection). Uncheck these boxes. If the “@” menu still pops up as you type, simply press the Escape (Esc) key immediately after typing the “@” symbol to instantly dismiss the menu and force the editor to leave your text alone.