# nosnippet

Category: [Crawling & Indexing](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/category/crawling-indexing/) › [robots.txt & robots directives](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/category/crawling-indexing/robots-txt-directives/)

**nosnippet** is a robots rule that tells a search engine not to show a text snippet or video preview for a page. The page stays indexed and can still rank.

## What does it do at Google?

Google applies the rule to all forms of search results at Google: web search, Google Images, Discover, AI Overviews and AI Mode. It also prevents the content from being used as a direct input for AI Overviews and AI Mode. A static image thumbnail may remain visible when it gives the user a better experience.

Like every indexing rule, `nosnippet` only works if the crawler may fetch the page. If robots.txt blocks the URL, Google never sees the rule. When rules conflict, the more restrictive one applies, so `nosnippet` wins over `max-snippet:50`.

For finer control, `max-snippet` limits the length and the `data-nosnippet` attribute excludes single page sections. Bing also supports `nosnippet` and added support for `data-nosnippet` in October 2025.

## Example

```html
<meta name="robots" content="nosnippet">
```

As an HTTP header: `X-Robots-Tag: nosnippet`

## Snippet and preview rules compared

| Rule | Where it's set | What it controls in Google Search | Effect on AI Overviews and AI Mode |
|---|---|---|---|
| nosnippet | whole page (robots meta tag or X-Robots-Tag) | no text snippet or video preview; a static image thumbnail may still appear | content isn't used as direct input for AI Overviews and AI Mode |
| max-snippet:[number] | whole page | caps the text snippet at that many characters; 0 equals nosnippet, -1 lets Google choose the length | limits how much content may be used as direct input for AI Overviews and AI Mode |
| data-nosnippet | single text section (attribute on span, div or section) | the marked text isn't used in the snippet | listed by Google as a control for limiting content in AI features in Search |
| max-image-preview:[none/standard/large] | whole page | maximum size of the image preview; without it, a default-size preview may be shown | Google only lists web search, Google Images, Discover and Assistant here, no AI features |
| noimageindex | whole page | images on this page aren't indexed | no statement from Google |
| unavailable_after: [date] | whole page | the page stops appearing in search results after that date; Googlebot then crawls the URL much less often | no separate statement from Google |
| indexifembedded | whole page, only together with noindex | content may be indexed when embedded in another page through an iframe or similar tag | no statement from Google |
| noindex (for comparison) | whole page | page doesn't appear in search results | listed by Google as a control for AI features; a link in AI Overviews or AI Mode requires an indexed page |
| noarchive | whole page | no longer used by Google and ignored; the cached link it controlled no longer exists | none (Google ignores the rule) |

Sources: [Google Search Central: Robots meta tag, data-nosnippet, and X-Robots-Tag specifications (last updated 2026-03-24)](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/robots-meta-tag); [Google Search Central: AI features and your website (last updated 2025-12-10)](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/ai-features). Last checked: October 8, 2026

## Related terms

- [data-nosnippet](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/data-nosnippet/index.md)
- [AI opt-out](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/ai-opt-out/index.md)
- [max-snippet](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/max-snippet/index.md)
- [Search snippet](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/search-snippet/index.md)
- [Meta robots tag](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/meta-robots-tag/index.md)
- [X-Robots-Tag](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/x-robots-tag/index.md)

## Sources

- [Robots meta tag, data-nosnippet, and X-Robots-Tag specifications – Google Search Central](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/robots-meta-tag)
- [Announcing new options for webmasters to control their snippets at Bing – Bing Webmaster Blog (2020-04-08)](https://blogs.bing.com/webmaster/april-2020/Announcing-new-options-for-webmasters-to-control-their-snippets-at-Bing)
- [Bing Introduces Support for the data-nosnippet HTML Attribute – Bing Webmaster Blog (2025-10-15)](https://blogs.bing.com/webmaster/October-2025/Bing-Introduces-Support-for-the-data-nosnippet-HTML-Attribute)

---

Last updated: October 8, 2026
URL: https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/nosnippet/