Are you trying to figure out how to turn off the search highlight feature on Windows 10? If you’re looking to toggle the search highlights on or off, you’ve come to the right place.
If your system is current, you might have observed a search highlights icon on your taskbar.
Search highlights provide trending searches, daily content such as national days or the word of the day, and other relevant information.
It’s a handy tool for searching through your apps, documents, and the web. In this article, I’ll guide you through the steps to turn off search highlights on Windows 10.
What is “Search Highlight” on Windows 10?
It’s a feature on Windows 10 that highlights significant moments such as holidays, anniversaries, and educational events worldwide, tailored to your region and time zone.
This feature serves to remind us of upcoming events and keeps us informed about important dates like holidays and anniversaries.
How To Turn Off The Search Highlight on Windows 10
There are several ways you can turn off this feature on your Windows 10 device if you are not interested in keeping it on your taskbar. The methods below will show you how. They are as follows:
Method 1: Change the Settings
The easiest way to turn off search highlights is to make use of the Settings app. The steps listed below will show you how to remove search highlights using the settings app on your device.
- Hold the Windows and I keys so as to open the Settings app.
- Tap Privacy and Security in the left panel.
- Tap Search Permissions on the right side of the window.
- Go to the More Settings section.
Lastly, tap on the toggle under Show search highlights to turn search highlights off on Windows 10.
Method 2: Using Taskbar
The search highlights icon often comes in vibrant colors, which can disrupt the overall design of your display, especially if you’ve applied dark themes to your Windows computer.
However, you can easily customize your taskbar and remove search highlights. Simply right-click on any empty space on your taskbar, then navigate to the Search menu.
From there, uncheck the option that says ‘Show search highlights.
Method 3: Use The Group Policy Editor
As someone familiar with technology, you have the option to utilize the Group Policy Editor to adjust your system settings. The following steps outline how you can do this:
- Search for edit group policy in the Start menu search bar, and choose the Best Match.
- Move to Computer Configuration in the left pane.
- Click on the Administrative Templates.
- Click on the Windows components.
- Tap the Search button.
- Find and open Allow Search Highlights in the right pane.
- Choose Disabled and tap Apply or OK.
Lastly, restart your system and check if the search highlights icon has vanished from the search bar.
Method 4: Edit The Windows Registry
If any of the methods listed above do not work for you, then you should try editing the Registry Editor.
The steps below are how you can go about it; follow them carefully so you don’t end up unintentionally messing up the registry.
- Log in with the use of your administrator account.
- Tap Win + R so as to bring up a Run dialog.
- Type in regedit and tap Enter.
- Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE in the Registry Editor window.
- After that, click on SOFTWARE.
- Then, tap Policies.
- Press Microsoft.
- Hit Windows.
- Click on Windows Search.
- Open EnableDynamicContentInWSB.
- Change the value data to 0 and tap OK.
Do not forget that whenever you want to turn on your search highlights on your computer (windows 10), you can go through the steps listed above again and set value data to 1.
In conclusion, taking control of your Windows 10 experience includes managing features like search highlights to suit your preferences.
By following the simple steps outlined above, you can effortlessly turn off search highlights and tailor your system to align with your visual and functional preferences.
Now, enjoy a clutter-free taskbar and a personalized computing environment that suits your needs.
