Whenever you paste a web address or type the “@” symbol followed by a filename into Google Docs, the software immediately attempts to convert that plain text into a “Smart Chip.” If you paste a link to a YouTube video, for example, Google Docs will automatically convert the raw URL into a clickable, dynamic button showing the title of the video and a small icon. When a reader hovers over this chip, a massive “Link Preview” card pops up, displaying thumbnail images, descriptions, and interactive buttons.
While Smart Chips look incredibly modern on a computer screen, they are a nightmare if you are designing a document that is intended to be printed or exported as a clean PDF. A Smart Chip hides the actual URL, meaning someone reading a physical printout has absolutely no way to know what the web address actually is. To maintain traditional, printable URLs, you must disable these automatic previews.
Disabling Smart Chip Suggestions
You can turn off the automatic conversion of URLs into Smart Chips directly from the main Tools menu.
- Open a document in Google Docs on your web browser.
- Look at the main menu bar at the top of the screen and click on Tools.
- From the dropdown menu, select Preferences (usually located near the bottom of the list).
- A new “Preferences” window will pop up in the center of your screen. Click on the General tab at the top of this window.
- Look through the list of checkboxes for the setting labelled Automatically detect links.
- Click the checkbox to uncheck it.
- (Optional) If you also want to stop Google from turning the “@” symbol into a dropdown menu for files and people, uncheck Show smart chip suggestions as well.
- Click the blue OK button at the bottom of the window to save your changes.
From this point forward, when you paste a URL like https://www.example.com into your document, it will remain exactly as you typed it: as raw, readable text that translates perfectly to a printed page.