For Firefox 5 users, this is a simple way to remove the annoying new Google +1 button from your search results:
UPDATE, 20th July 2011: the previous AdBlock Plus solution stopped working at 13th July. Google changed something. I have now amended the instructions to work with their new code. What follows works at 20th July…
1. Open Firefox. Go to the top menu bar | Tools | Addons | Adblock Plus | Options
2. In your Filter option add…
www.google.com##BUTTON[class=”esw eswd”]
Don’t be tempted to add a “http://” in front. Save and exit the Adblock Plus options.
3. Restart Firefox. The distracting animated buttons are gone. If you run on some other national version of Google, try replacing “.com” with your national domain (like .uk or .ca).
I tried this and the stupid +1 buttons still show up in my search results. I’m using Firefox 5.0 and installed AdBlock Plus from the link you provided.
Did Google already break this? It is so frackin annoying!
I just tested it. Mine still holds, so they haven’t broken it yet. Try fully closing Firefox and restarting?
Your problem might be that you run search on a differently-named version of Google. For instance, if you run the addon HTTPS Everywhere, your Google search home page is: https://encrypted.google.com/
Worked for me, thanks! Just wish there was a fix for Chrome browsers. I just recently switched to Chrome after using Firefox for years.
AdBlock is for the Chrome browser too, so this should also work on Chrome.
This worked for me at home yesterday, but at work today it no longer does.
I also tried taking the www out of the filter with no luck:
google.com##BUTTON[name=”eswidget”]
I think this is a cat-and-mouse game being played by the Google engineers who probably just can’t imagine why we don’t think their new baby is as cute as they do…
It could be that your work techies have the AdBlock config files locked-down across all PCs?
Ok, they really are back now, 14th July. I guess Google must have changed name=”eswidget”
Thanks you!!!
Thanks to Ilias Karampatsos for a new fix, 20th July. With the new code snippet for AdBlock, the instructions (see body of post) now work again!
Thanks…. works for google.co.uk. Excellent work.
Google Chrome users: instructions on how to rid yourself of (most) of this pernicious button:
http://www.d-log.info/?p=14350
Here’s how Firefox users can turn off /disable/remove Google +1 Buttons from search results with or without AdBlock or AdBlock Plus:
1) Go to Firefox Profiles folder on your hard drive. To locate your Firefox
Profiles in Windows XP, Vista, 7, press:
[Windows Key]+[R] → Type in (minus the quotes):
“%APPDATA%\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles” → click OK
or from the Taskbar click:
START → RUN → Type in (minus the quotes):
“%APPDATA%\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles” → click OK
The Profiles Folder will open. There will probably be only one folder in the
Profiles folder.
2) Open the folder with the “.default” extension name.
3) Look for a folder named Chrome in the .default folder. If Chrome folder does
not exist, you need to create it. (If the Chrome folder exists, skip to #4).
To create the Chrome folder:
Right click inside the .default folder → Select NEW FOLDER
→ Type in (without the quotes): “Chrome”
4) Open the Chrome folder and create a .text file named userContent.css.
(The contents of this file tells Firefox not to display +1 Buttons on
web pages.)
To create a text file named userContent.css:
Right click inside the Chrome folder → Select NEW → TEXT
DOCUMENT → Type in (without the quotes): userContent.css
Windows will bring up “Rename” warning dialogue box that says:
If you change a file name extension, the file may become unusable.
Are you sure you want to change it?
Yes No
Select YES
5) Open userContent.css.
(It will open in Notepad with a box titled: userContent.css – Notepad).
6) Paste the following into Notepad (minus the quotes):
” .esw { display:none!important; } /* Hides the +1 Button completely */ ”
Be sure to include the period (.) before “esw” in the above.
7) Save the Notepad file and Close it:
Select FILE → SAVE → FILE → CLOSE (or select X on folder title bar
to Close)
8) Close remaining open folders.
9) If Firefox Browser is not closed, close it. Re-open Firefox Browser. Perform
a Search and Google +1 Buttons will be gone from all future search results.