An overabundance of shortcut icons filling out your taskbar can be frustrating. Especially when you want to add a few more but that annoying search bar is in the way. You don’t even use the search bar as much as the programs the shortcuts are attached to, so why is it even there?
Thankfully, your frustrations can be short lived. The search bar on the Windows 10 taskbar can be removed, or at least hidden from view, freeing up valuable real estate on your taskbar.
There are two ways in which to show and hide the Windows 10 taskbar from view on your computer: Through the Context Menu, and using the Registry Editor.
1. How To Hide Search Bar From Taskbar Using The Context Menu
Step 1. Right-click an open area of your Taskbar to pull up a menu.
Step 2. Select Search, which should pull open a submenu with three options.
Step 3. To completely remove the taskbar search bar from view, select “Hidden”. You’ll know that it worked because the taskbar search bar will disappear and a check will now be placed to the left of Hidden.
Step 4. However, if you only want the bar hidden but still wish to access it, you can opt to select “Show search icon” from the submenu. This will replace the bar with an icon that can be clicked to open search.
Step 5. To bring the search bar back to the taskbar, you need only select “Show search box” from the submenu.
This will return the search bar back to the taskbar for easier use.
2. How To Get Rid Of The Search Bar On Windows 10 Through The Registry Editor
Step 1. Open the Run dialog box by pressing Win + R keys on your keyboard.
Step 2. Type regedit into the box and press Enter.
If the User Access Control prompt pops up, click Yes.
Step 3. From the Registry Editor window, navigate to the following path: Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Search
Step 4. Locate the entry named SearchboxTaskbarMode.
Step 5. Right-click it and select Modify… from the menu.
Step 6. In the new window you’ll get to change the value data for the entry. To remove the search bar from taskbar, replace the ‘2’ in the Value data: box to ‘0’.
Subsequently, if you want to change the search bar to an icon, you can place a ‘1’ in the box instead.
Now the search box will either have been removed or changed into an icon. To show the search bar in the taskbar once again, change the value back to ‘2’.
FAQs About Search Bar in Windows 10
Why Should I Hide The Taskbar Search Bar in Windows 10?
If you feel that the taskbar has become over cluttered by shortcut icons, it could benefit you to remove the search bar. By removing the search bar it can open up additional room on the taskbar for additional shortcut icons.
If I Remove The Search Bar, Can I Bring It Back?
Yes. If you were to remove the search bar on the taskbar from view, you can easily get it back by retracing your steps. The above methods already provide you with the option to hide, unhide, and how to utilize a search bar icon instead.
Can I Access Search While It’s Disabled From The Taskbar?
Yes. The taskbar can still remain free of a search bar while still maintaining the search function. To open the search you’ll need to use the Windows keyboard shortcut Win + S.
Can I Permanently Remove The Search Bar From Windows 10?
Unfortunately, no. The search bar, as well as Cortana, are built-in features of Windows 10 and cannot be permanently removed from the operating system. Both can be disabled, however.
Conclusion
This should free up the extra room on your taskbar. Remember that the search bar is never permanently gone. So if you’re feeling the need to have it back without using keyboard shortcuts, you can return it to the taskbar by following the steps laid out in the article.
