In short. Gemini Deep Research can use other selected sources after Google Search is deselected.
Definition: Yes. In Gemini Apps, Google Search is selected by default, and Google says to deselect it when the research should use other selected sources. The documented workflow therefore supports a Deep Research run without Google Search when another source remains selected.
Key facts
- Google's Gemini Apps help page says that Google Search is included as a source by default and can be deselected to limit research to other selected sources.
- The same documentation says that source selection is optional and that the Sources control can include sources such as Gmail or Drive.
- Gmail and Drive are available only when the Google Workspace app is connected to Gemini Apps.
- Gemini Apps can also use uploaded files and NotebookLM notebooks as research sources.
- Google's separate Workspace Deep Research help page describes a source card in which one or more options can be selected, including Drive, Gmail, Chat and Web.
How do you remove Google Search from a Gemini Apps report?
On a computer, open gemini.google.com, click Add Files, and choose Deep Research. Before entering the research prompt, open Sources and select the sources to keep. Google documents the following control sequence:
Add Files > Deep Research
Sources > select the sources to include
Google Search > deselect
Submit > Edit plan > Start research
The help page says that Google Search is included by default. It then gives the direct instruction to deselect Google Search when research should be limited to other selected sources. After the prompt is submitted, Gemini creates a research plan. The plan can be edited before the report starts, and the report is opened after it is ready.
Which sources can remain selected?
Google's Gemini Apps documentation names personal Gmail and Drive as sources that can be added or changed. It also says that files can be uploaded and NotebookLM notebooks can be added. Gmail and Drive depend on the Google Workspace app being connected to Gemini Apps, so the available choices depend on that connection.
The Workspace documentation describes a related source picker in more detail. Its source card offers Drive for files and folders, Gmail for email information, Chat for chat messages, and Web for public web information. It also allows specific Drive files to be added. This page documents Gemini in Workspace apps, so its source list should be kept separate from the Gemini Apps picker described above.
What happens after Search is deselected?
The Gemini Apps workflow continues with a prompt, submission, plan review, and the Start research control. Google's help page does not describe a separate no-Search mode or a different report format. It describes the source setting as a limit to “other selected sources.”
The Workspace documentation likewise places source selection before plan creation and the start control. After research finishes in Workspace, Google says that Gemini generates the report in a Google Doc and that the document includes findings, citations, and an organized summary. Those report details are specific to Gemini in Workspace apps; the Gemini Apps help page does not assign them to every Gemini Apps report.
What does this setting mean for a website?
As of 17 October 2026, Google's documentation describes this as a source choice for an individual Deep Research workflow. When Google Search is deselected, public web pages are outside the selected Search source for that workflow unless the material enters through another selected source, such as an uploaded file or a connected Google service. The help page does not document an effect on a website's general indexing or visibility.
Related terms
FAQ
Can you deselect Google Search and keep Gmail or Drive?
Yes. Google says to select the sources to include, and then to deselect Google Search when research should be limited to other selected sources. Gmail and Drive require the Google Workspace app connection described in the same help page.
Does deselecting Search make Gemini use no sources?
The documentation describes limiting research to other selected sources. It does not state whether the interface permits starting with no remaining source, so the documented answer assumes that at least one other source is selected.
Is the Gemini Apps picker the same as the Workspace picker?
Google documents them on separate help pages. The Workspace page lists Drive, Gmail, Chat and Web in a source card, while the Gemini Apps page describes Google Search, Gmail, Drive, uploaded files and NotebookLM notebooks.
Sources
- Google Gemini Apps Help, "Use Deep Research in Gemini Apps", undated; accessed 17 October 2026
- Google Gmail Help, "Use Deep Research in Gemini in Workspace apps", undated; accessed 17 October 2026
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