How do I temporarily disable the Ahrefs toolbar without uninstalling?

Go to chrome://extensions, find Ahrefs SEO Toolbar, and click the toggle switch to turn it off (grey). This disables the extension without uninstalling it — you can re-enable it at any time by toggling it back on.

Will disabling Ahrefs Toolbar delete my settings?

No. Disabling the extension preserves all your settings. Your signed-in Ahrefs account and any custom settings will remain when you re-enable it.

Why would I want to disable the Ahrefs toolbar?

Common reasons: the metrics bar is overlaying SERP results during non-SEO browsing, the extension is using memory on older devices, you want to see what a page looks like without the toolbar overlay, or you want to speed up Chrome temporarily.

Home › Guides › How to Disable Ahrefs Toolbar

Updated April 2026

How to Disable the Ahrefs Toolbar
Without Uninstalling

Three ways to turn off the Ahrefs SEO Toolbar temporarily — keyboard shortcut, extensions menu, or Chrome settings. Takes under 30 seconds.

Under 30 secondsNo data lostEasy to re-enable

In This Guide

Method 1: Toggle in chrome://extensions
Method 2: Via pinned toolbar icon
Method 3: Turn off metrics bar only
Keyboard shortcut
How to completely uninstall
FAQ

Method 1: Toggle in Chrome Extensions Page

This is the most reliable method and works in all versions of Chrome.

Open the Extensions page

Type chrome://extensions in Chrome's address bar and press Enter. This opens the full extensions manager.

Find Ahrefs SEO Toolbar

Scroll through your installed extensions to find Ahrefs SEO Toolbar. If you have many extensions, use Ctrl+F (Cmd+F on Mac) to search the page.

Click the toggle switch

Click the blue toggle switch at the bottom-right of the Ahrefs SEO Toolbar card. It will turn grey — the extension is now disabled. The icon in your toolbar will dim. To re-enable, click the toggle again.

✓ Settings are preserved: disabling does not delete your Ahrefs account connection or extension settings. Everything will be exactly as you left it when you re-enable.

Method 2: Via the Extensions Menu

Click the puzzle icon

Click the puzzle piece icon in Chrome's top-right toolbar to open the Extensions menu.

Find Ahrefs and click the three dots

Find Ahrefs SEO Toolbar in the list. Click the three-dot menu (⋮) next to it.

Select "Manage extension"

Click Manage extension — this takes you directly to the Ahrefs entry in chrome://extensions where you can toggle it off.

Method 3: Turn Off Just the Metrics Bar

If you only want to hide the Ahrefs metrics bar from SERP results (without disabling the full extension), you can toggle it inside the extension settings:

Click the Ahrefs toolbar icon

Click the Ahrefs "A" icon in your browser toolbar to open the extension popup.

Open Settings

Click the Settings (gear icon) within the popup.

Toggle off "Metrics bar"

Find the Metrics bar or SERP overlay toggle and turn it off. The on-page audit and other features remain active — only the SERP overlay is hidden.

Keyboard Shortcut

Chrome supports custom keyboard shortcuts for extensions. Go to chrome://extensions/shortcuts — if Ahrefs SEO Toolbar has a registered shortcut, you'll see it here. You can also assign your own shortcut to activate/deactivate the extension with a keystroke.

How to Completely Uninstall Ahrefs Toolbar

If you want to permanently remove it (not just disable):

Right-click the toolbar icon

Right-click the Ahrefs "A" icon in your browser toolbar (if pinned).

Click "Remove from Chrome"

Select Remove from Chrome… and confirm. The extension is uninstalled. You can reinstall at any time from the Chrome Web Store at no cost.

⚠ Uninstalling will disconnect your Ahrefs account link. If you reinstall later, you'll need to sign in again.

Frequently Asked Questions

Go to chrome://extensions → find Ahrefs SEO Toolbar → click the toggle off. This disables it without removing it — all settings and account connections are preserved. Toggle back on at any time.

No. Disabling preserves all settings. Your Ahrefs account connection, custom configurations, and preferences are all saved. Re-enabling restores everything instantly.

Active extensions consume RAM and can add slight overhead to page loading even when you don't click them. If Ahrefs Toolbar is injecting a SERP overlay or running background checks, disabling it fully stops all activity. On older machines this can meaningfully improve Chrome's performance.

In Firefox: click the three-bar menu → Add-ons and themes → Extensions → find Ahrefs SEO Toolbar → click the toggle to disable. Same effect as Chrome — disabled without uninstalling.

How to Disable the Ahrefs ToolbarWithout Uninstalling