--- title: "Midjourney Brings Back the --no Flag in V8.1 After User Outcry" subtitle: "Midjourney brings back the --no flag in V8.1, letting you explicitly exclude elements like people, objects, or styles from generated images." url: "https://alphasignal.ai/news/midjourney-brings-back-the-no-flag-in-v8-1-after-user-outcry" author: "AlphaSignal Newsroom" author_url: "https://alphasignal.ai/editorial-team" company: "Midjourney" company_url: "https://alphasignal.ai/company/midjourney" published: "2026-05-20T19:38:18.000Z" updated: "2026-06-16T21:19:56.155Z" type: "News" topics: - "Image" - "Development" subtopics: - "Image Generation" upvotes: 318 read_time: "3 min" source_url: "https://docs.midjourney.com/hc/en-us/articles/32173351982093-No" comments: 0 --- # Midjourney Brings Back the --no Flag in V8.1 After User Outcry > Midjourney brings back the --no flag in V8.1, letting you explicitly exclude elements like people, objects, or styles from generated images. Midjourney's V8 model family launched without one of the most-used tools in the toolkit: the `--no` parameter. After enough user requests, it's back. [The `--no` flag](https://docs.midjourney.com/hc/en-us/articles/32173351982093-No) is now available in V8.1, letting you explicitly tell the model what to leave out of a generated image. The feature is simple in concept: append `--no` to any prompt, followed by a comma-separated list of things you don't want. It gives Midjourney a direct instruction to steer clear of specific concepts, and it's the most reliable way to get clean, focused results. Think of it as creative subtraction rather than addition. ## Under the hood, it's a weight Using the `--no` parameter is the same as using a -0.5 weight. So `vibrant tulip fields --no red` is functionally identical to `vibrant tulip fields:: red::-0.5`. The flag is just a cleaner shorthand for a concept that power users were already doing manually with multi-prompt syntax. Negative weights give you more control over how strongly certain words influence the final image -- when you add one, you're telling Midjourney to push an element away rather than remove it completely. The syntax is straightforward: - `still life gouache painting --no fruit` -- removes a single element - `still life gouache painting --no fruit, apple, pear` -- removes multiple elements - `forest landscape --no people, paths, buildings` -- clears a scene of human presence ![Screenshot showing --no flag used in a Discord prompt for Midjourney image generation](https://docs.midjourney.com/hc/article_attachments/32175097839245) ## One gotcha to know about The moderation system reads every word in your `--no` list independently. Typing something like `--no water trees` is read as "no water" and "no trees," which can lead to misunderstandings. The same logic applies to multi-word phrases: `--no modern clothing` gets parsed as "no modern" and "no clothing" separately, which can accidentally trigger a content warning. The fix is to describe what you **do** want in the positive prompt instead of trying to negate a phrase. ## When to reach for it If you're generating a "serene forest landscape," Midjourney might include hikers, man-made paths, or distant buildings. A simple `--no people, paths, buildings` cleans up the scene, ensuring the forest stays pristine. That's the core use case: you have a composition you mostly like, but the model keeps hallucinating a specific element you don't want. Common practical applications: - **Product shots:** `--no shadows, reflections, background clutter` - **Architecture renders:** `--no people, cars, signage` - **Nature photography style:** `--no power lines, fences, buildings` - **Abstract art:** `--no text, watermarks, faces` ## Where it fits in V8.1 V8.1 became the default Midjourney version, and it's the fastest model so far, with standard jobs rendering about 4-5 times faster than earlier versions -- it also does a better job reading your prompt and holding on to small details. The `--no` flag slots into that improved language understanding. V8.1's language understanding is strong enough to parse intent, so complex negatives like `--no sky --no clouds --no birds` can often be replaced with plain English like "an interior scene with no visible windows." That said, `--no` remains the most explicit and reliable mechanism when plain English isn't cutting it. In many cases, positive prompting is the better option -- it's easier for Midjourney to understand what you want than to figure out what to remove, so it's worth first trying to describe exactly what you're looking for. Reserve `--no` for the stubborn cases where the model keeps defaulting to something you don't want. The feature is available now on [midjourney.com](https://www.midjourney.com) and in Discord for all V8.1 users. It's included in all existing subscription tiers with no additional cost. For a full breakdown of what's compatible with V8.1, the [official version docs](https://docs.midjourney.com/hc/en-us/articles/32199405667853-Version) have the parameter compatibility chart. ## Sources - [X post by @midjourney](https://x.com/midjourney/status/2057184157869199429) - [No – Midjourney Official Docs](https://docs.midjourney.com/hc/en-us/articles/32173351982093-No) - [Version – Midjourney Official Docs](https://docs.midjourney.com/hc/en-us/articles/32199405667853-Version) - [Multi-Prompts & Weights – Midjourney Official Docs](https://docs.midjourney.com/hc/en-us/articles/32658968492557-Multi-Prompts-Weights) - [Midjourney Negative Prompt Guide – Promptaa](https://promptaa.com/blog/midjourney-negative-prompt) - [Midjourney V8.1 Alpha Review – Nemo Video](https://www.nemovideo.com/blog/midjourney-v8-1-alpha-review)