The Ghostly Text
Google Docs utilizes a powerful, machine-learning feature known as “Smart Compose.” As you type, the editor constantly analyzes your sentence structure and attempts to predict the next few words you are going to write, displaying them ahead of your cursor in light grey text. You can press the “Tab” key to accept the suggestion. While this can speed up writing generic emails, it is often incredibly distracting for creative writers or authors dealing with complex narratives. The constant flickering of grey text across the screen interrupts your train of thought, and the AI’s generic suggestions can inadvertently influence your unique writing style.
Silencing Smart Compose
To maintain a focused writing environment and stop Google Docs from automatically suggesting words and phrases as you type, you must disable the predictive text features within the editor’s core preferences.
Open the Google Doc where the grey suggestions are appearing. Navigate to the top menu bar and click on Tools. Scroll down the dropdown menu and select Preferences. A new dialogue box will appear in the center of your screen. Ensure you are on the General tab (the default view). Look down the list of checkboxes for the option explicitly named Show Smart Compose suggestions. By default, this box is checked. Click the box to uncheck it. While you are here, you may also want to uncheck Show Smart Reply suggestions to fully disable the AI assistance. Click the blue OK button at the bottom. Your document will now remain completely clear of any predictive grey text.