Windows 11 has reintroduced the large search bar on the taskbar, a feature that many users found unnecessary and space-consuming in Windows 10. If you're looking to declutter your taskbar and remove the search bar, there are several methods to do so. In this guide, we'll show you how to hide or disable the search bar from your taskbar, as well as customize other search features to suit your preferences.

Disable the search bar from the taskbar via Settings

The easiest way to remove the search bar from your taskbar is through the Windows Settings. This method allows you to quickly hide the search box, replace it with a search icon, or remove it entirely. Follow the steps below to customize your taskbar.

Step 1: Open the Windows Settings app by right-clicking the Start menu and selecting Settings from the menu.

Step 2: In the Settings app, navigate to the Personalization section on the left pane, and then click on Taskbar on the right.

Step 3: Expand the Taskbar items section, and find the option labeled Search. Click on the drop-down menu next to it.

Step 4: From the drop-down menu, select Hide to remove the search box from your taskbar. If you're using an older build of Windows 11, you may need to turn off a toggle instead.

Once you select Hide, the search bar will disappear from your taskbar.

If you prefer to have a smaller search icon on the taskbar, select Search icon only from the drop-down menu.

Result:

Alternatively, to display a small search button instead of the full search box, you can select the Search button option.

Result:

Hide or remove the search box from the taskbar via Registry Editor

If you're comfortable modifying the Windows Registry, you can also remove the search bar by tweaking certain registry settings. Here's how:

Step 1: Press Windows + R to open the Run dialog box. Type regedit and click OK to open Registry Editor. If prompted by User Account Control, click Yes.

Step 2: In Registry Editor, navigate to the following location:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Search

Step 3: In the right pane, find and double-click the SearchboxTaskbarMode DWORD value.

Step 4: Change the Value data to 0 and click OK.

You can set the Value data to one of the following numbers to change the search box appearance:

0 - Hide the search box.

1 - Show the search icon only.

2 - Show the search box.

3 - Show the search button.

Step 5: Close the Registry Editor and restart your computer for the changes to take effect.

The images displayed inside the search box are known as Search highlights. These illustrations showcase notable events or special moments each day. If you find these images distracting, you can disable them by adjusting your settings.

Step 1: Press Windows + I to open Windows Settings. Click on Privacy & security from the left pane, then select Search permissions under the Windows permissions section.

Step 2: Scroll down to the More settings section, and turn off the toggle for Show search highlights.

Once you disable this option, the illustrations will no longer appear in the search box.

By default, when you search using Windows Search, if the item isn't found on your computer, Windows will display web results from Bing. If you prefer not to see web suggestions in your search results, you can disable this feature through the Registry Editor.

Step 1: Open the Registry Editor by pressing Windows + R, typing regedit, and clicking OK. Approve any User Account Control prompts.

Step 2: In Registry Editor, navigate to the following path:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows

Step 3: Look for a key named Explorer under the Windows key. If it doesn't exist, right-click on the Windows key, select New > Key, and name the new key Explorer.

Step 4: With the Explorer key selected, right-click in the right pane, select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value, and name it DisableSearchBoxSuggestions.

Step 5: Double-click on the DisableSearchBoxSuggestions value, set the Value data to 1, and click OK.

Step 6: Close the Registry Editor and restart your computer to apply the changes. Disabling web results in Windows Search using this method will also turn off search highlights.

Now, when you search for something that's not on your computer, Windows Search will display "No results found" instead of web suggestions.

By following these steps, you can customize your Windows 11 taskbar and search experience to suit your preferences, removing unwanted elements and keeping your workspace organized.