Crawl and index controls
max-snippet
max-snippet:[number] is a robots rule that sets the maximum number of characters Google may use as a text snippet for a page.
In plain words
The value 0 means no snippet at all, -1 means no limit, and any other number is a character limit.
It doesn’t affect image or video previews. You can set it in a robots meta tag or in an X-Robots-Tag header.
Example
A recipe blog sets max-snippet to 150 characters. Google can still show a short preview, but not the full recipe text.
<meta name="robots" content="max-snippet:150">Why it matters for AI search
Google says max-snippet also limits how much of the content may be used as direct input for AI Overviews and AI Mode.
If max-snippet and nosnippet conflict, the more restrictive rule wins, which is nosnippet.
What you can do
- Use a limit when you want a preview, but not a full copy.
- A lower value can make featured snippets less likely, but Google says that is not guaranteed.
- Remember that a short limit also limits what AI features can use.
Often confused with
- nosnippet
- nosnippet removes the snippet. max-snippet only shortens it.
Sources
- Google Search Central: Robots meta tag, data-nosnippet, and X-Robots-Tag specifications
- Google Search Central: Featured snippets and your website
Facts and sources last checked on 19 October 2026.
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