Key points at a glance
- Since 7 May 2026, Google no longer shows FAQ rich snippets. The expandable question-and-answer boxes below a result are gone.
- In June 2026 the FAQ report in Search Console disappears too; the API data follows in August 2026.
- You do not need to delete your FAQ schema (the technical markup of your questions and answers). It stays valid and Google keeps reading it.
- For most business websites nothing actually changes: since 2023, FAQ snippets were only shown for government and health sites anyway.
- You only need to act if your FAQ schema no longer matches the visible page content.
The expandable FAQ fields under Google search results are gone. For good. Many site owners are now wondering: was all that work on the FAQ schema for nothing? Does it have to go?
The answer is more reassuring than the headlines suggest. In most cases, you simply leave your FAQ schema in place. Why that is, what exactly Google switched off, and when you do need to act: we walk through it here, step by step.
What Google switched off in May 2026
Google didn't announce the shutdown as a big blog post, but as a note directly in the developer documentation for the FAQ schema. The wording is unambiguous:
> "As of May 7, 2026, FAQ rich results are no longer appearing in Google Search. We will be dropping the FAQ search appearance, rich result report, and support in the Rich results test in June 2026." > — Google Search Central, FAQ structured data (as of 2026-05-08)
In plain terms: the FAQ rich snippet (the question-and-answer list that Google used to expand right inside the search result) no longer appears. The timeline behind it:
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| 7 May 2026 | FAQ rich snippets no longer appear in Google Search |
| June 2026 | FAQ filter and FAQ report in Search Console are removed; the Rich Results Test drops FAQ support too |
| August 2026 | The Search Console API no longer returns FAQ rich result data |
The distinction that often gets lost in the noise matters here: Google is switching off the display format, not the markup itself.
Why this doesn't affect most business websites at all
Here comes the part most people miss. For classic B2B and SMB sites, the FAQ snippet has been history since August 2023. That is when Google narrowed the display to a very small circle.
> "Going forward, FAQ (from FAQPage structured data) rich results will only be shown for well-known, authoritative government and health websites. For all other sites, this rich result will no longer be shown regularly." > — Google Search Central Blog, 8 August 2023
In plain words: if your site is neither a government body nor a health portal, you haven't been getting the FAQ snippet for almost three years. The May 2026 shutdown simply draws the final line under a format that was practically already gone for you.
That is good news. It means there is no sudden loss of visibility for you to catch now. Anyone who bet on the FAQ snippet as a lever in recent years was waiting for a display that no longer came anyway.
Does Google still read your FAQ schema?
Short answer: yes. The schema.org type FAQPage is still valid. Google is only removing the snippet, not the ability to read the markup.
Google has said the same thing about unused structured data for years:
> "Structured data that's not being used does not cause problems for Search, but also has no visible effects in Google Search." > — Google Search Central Blog, 8 August 2023
In other words: your FAQ schema does no harm when it currently produces no snippet. It stays machine-readable. Google uses structured data to place a page better, to understand which questions it answers.
An honest point on AI search (AI Overviews, AI Mode): Google has not officially confirmed that FAQ schema feeds these AI answers. All that is documented is that the markup is still parsed (that is, read). Anyone promising you that FAQ schema is now your ticket into the AI answer is going beyond the evidence. The clean position: the schema is helpful context for machines, not a switch you flip for AI answers.
What to do with your FAQ schema now
You don't need a big move. Three cases, three clear answers:
- Your FAQ schema matches the visible content, leave it.
If the page carries real questions and answers and your schema mirrors exactly those, leave it. It stays valid, costs nothing, and gives machines clean context.
- Your FAQ schema is outdated, fix it.
If the markup describes questions or answers that are no longer on the page (say, after a price or product change), bring the two into line. Markup should always mirror the real page content.
- Your FAQ was only decoration for the snippet, remove it.
If the FAQ block was created purely to trigger the snippet (generic questions, no real help for the reader), you can delete the block and the schema. Without a snippet, there is no reason to keep it.
What you should not do: frantically tear every FAQ schema off the page. It gains nothing and only costs time. If you need historical data, export the old FAQ report from Search Console first, before it disappears in June 2026.
How we handle this in our own articles
An open word from our own practice: we mark up every blog article with FAQPage schema, this one included. After 7 May 2026 we asked ourselves the same question you are asking.
Our decision: we keep the FAQ schema. Not because we hope for a snippet, we never had one. But because our FAQ answers real questions from our customers, and the markup makes those questions cleanly machine-readable. What we changed: we no longer treat FAQ schema as an SEO trick, but as what it is, a description of the content.
That is the whole lesson from this update: structured data is not a lever for pixels in the search result. It is an honest description of what is really on your page. Think that way and shutdowns like this one won't catch you cold.
Conclusion
The FAQ rich snippets are gone, for everyone since 7 May 2026, for almost everyone since 2023. You don't need to delete your FAQ schema because of it. It stays valid, is still read, and gives machines context. You only need to act where markup and visible content drift apart.
Not sure whether your website's structured data still matches its content? That is exactly what a short check can tell you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to remove my FAQ schema now?
No. The FAQPage schema remains a valid schema.org type and will continue to be recognized by Google. You should only remove it if it doesn't match the visible page content or if the FAQ block served no real purpose.
What exactly did Google shut down?
The FAQ rich snippet, that is, the expandable list of questions and answers in the search result, is no longer displayed as of 7 May 2026. The report in Search Console (June 2026) and the API data (August 2026) follow.
Will this cause me to lose visibility on Google?
Not for most company websites. Since August 2023, FAQ snippets have only been available for government and healthcare websites anyway. Other websites haven't received the snippet in a long time.
Does the FAQ schema now support AI searches such as AI Overviews?
The only thing that's been confirmed is that Google continues to read the markup. An official connection between the FAQ schema and AI responses has not been confirmed. Treat the schema as helpful context, not as a guaranteed path to an AI response.
Sources
- Google Search Central — Structured Data FAQ, Deprecation Notice. developers.google.com
- Google Search Central Blog — Changes to How-To and FAQ rich results. developers.google.com
- schema.org — FAQPage. schema.org
- Google Search Central — Documentation Updates. developers.google.com