The Interactive Clutter
Google Docs is continuously evolving to integrate more tightly with the rest of Google Workspace. One of the primary vehicles for this integration is “Smart Chips.” If you type an email address, paste a link to a Google Drive file, or mention a date, Google Docs frequently attempts to automatically convert that plain text into a rounded, interactive “Smart Chip” pill. While these chips allow readers to hover over them to see contact cards or file previews, they completely alter the visual formatting of the document. If you are drafting a formal manuscript, legal document, or a clean text template where visual uniformity is paramount, these automatic bubble insertions are highly disruptive.
Disabling Smart Chip Conversion
To preserve your standard text formatting and stop Google Docs from automatically creating Smart Chips when you type specific data formats, you must adjust the application’s core preferences.
Open any Google Docs document (this is a global setting linked to your Google account). In the top menu bar, click on Tools and select Preferences from the dropdown menu. A dialogue window will appear. Ensure you are on the General tab. Look down the list of checkboxes for the setting labeled Automatically detect links. Unchecking this will stop URLs from turning into interactive elements. More importantly, to stop the specific Smart Chip behavior for contacts and files, look for the checkbox labeled Show Smart Chips (or “Suggest contacts when you type @”). Uncheck this box. Finally, click the blue OK button to save your changes. Going forward, email addresses and links will remain strictly as the raw text you typed.