In this post, you will learn how to disable web search from start menu. When you perform a search in Windows 10 start menu, It will first look for local search results are displayed, such as Settings, Programs, Apps, and Files that are available locally in device. If don’t get local search results by default it will start navigating you to search online and include web results from Bing search. These suggestions are based on their past entries into the Search Box that providing you web results as well.
How many of you have seen Bing web search results in Windows 10 start menu when you try to search some application or files. Let’s learn how to disable this setting for end users to avoid confusion. Web search is supported for all the regions or only specific regions. I think this is supported only for some regions.
Disable Web Search From Windows 10 Start Menu
Lets start to disable search online and include web results from Bing Search using Group policy and Registry tweaks.
This is what it shows results on the start menu searches –
Note – You may experience different options if you are not using Windows 10, version 1909 or later.
Disable Web Search Results Using Group Policy
- In Windows 10 device, click Start type gpedit.msc in search to run the Local Group Policy Editor.
- Navigate to User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > File Explorer. Double-click the Turn off display of recent search entries in the File Explorer search box policy to edit it.
- To disable Bing search, Select Enabled, click Apply and OK.
Note: If you enable this policy, File Explorer will not show suggestion pop-ups as users type into the Search Box, and it will not store Search Box entries into the registry for future references.
- Close the Local Group Policy Editor. Restart Windows Explorer or restart your computer to apply the changes.
Disable Web Search Results Using Registry
To add or import a registry value follow these steps:
Important – We recommend you create a backup before editing the registry.
- Open Notepad, Copy and paste the registry value below into the text editor.
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer]
"DisableSearchBoxSuggestions"=dword:00000001
- It will look like in the following syntax, when you see the file.
- In the File menu, Select Save As and click Browse to your preferred folder or location. In the File name box provide the appropriate name “FileName.reg” with .reg extension and Choose Save as type “All” from drop-down list. Click Save.
- The registry file will appear on your saved location. To start the execution, Double click or Right click and select Merge option on the saved .reg file content to merge into the local registry.
- A warning box with the following messages prompted, Click Yes to continue.
- Once Information in path of .reg file has been successfully entered into the registry below prompt will be appear. Click OK.
- Restart Windows Explorer or restart your computer to apply the changes.
End User Experience
- File Explorer will not show suggestion pop-ups, Web based Bing search as users type into the Search Box.
Resources
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- How to Enable or Disable Remote Desktop Access in Windows 10
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- How to Capture Screenshots in Windows 10 | Tools
- Web search in Windows 10 and supported regions
Does nothing:-
“DisableSearchBoxSuggestions”=dword:00000001
(web results still show up)
Works for me.
After changes you have to KILL explorer in the task manager and run it again:
File => Start new task => and print “explorer” in the new window
if i type gpedit.msc of regedit it does a web search, so how do i turn off web search without using start search?
The registry hack works great, thank you so much! While I generally appreciate having web search results in start menu as a feature, they are useless to me since I can’t open them in any other browser than Edge, hence the need to disable them. This .reg file will definitely be a keeper!
This is a lifesaver, thank you for this guide.
The Group Policies (gpedit.msc) is not enabled in Windows 10 Home, only in Pro version.
Although the registry edit worked! You have to go to
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows
and create a new key called “Explorer”. Inside it you create the DWORD (32 bits) entry called DisableSearchBoxSuggestions and change its value to 1.
Restart your computer and voilà!