How To Remove Bing From Windows 11
How to Remove Bing Search from Windows 11: A Comprehensive Guide
For users of Windows 11 who are not fond of the integrated Bing search feature, there are several methods to disable or completely remove it from the operating system. Here’s a detailed guide on how to achieve this.
Method 1: Disable Bing Search Through Settings
To start, you can disable Bing search by adjusting the settings in Windows 11.
- Open the Settings app by pressing
Win + Ior by right-clicking on the Start icon and selecting "Settings"[3][5]. - Navigate to
Privacy & security>Search permissions. - Under the "Cloud content search" section, turn off the toggles for both "Microsoft account" and "Work or School account".
- Scroll down and disable the option to "Show search highlights".
- Additionally, go to
Windows privacy optionsand turn off all the listed options to further restrict Bing's integration.
This method will stop Bing from personalizing your search results with online content and remove web search results from the Start menu and taskbar[3][5].
Method 2: Using the Registry Editor
For a more permanent solution, you can use the Registry Editor.
- Press the Windows key and search for "registry." Open the Registry Editor.
- Navigate to the path
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Search. - Right-click on an empty space, choose
New>DWORD (32-bit) Value, and name itBingSearchEnabledorDisableSearchBoxSuggestionsdepending on your preference[1][3]. - Double-click on the newly created value and set the "Value data" to 0 (for
BingSearchEnabled) or 1 (forDisableSearchBoxSuggestions). Click "OK". - Restart your computer to apply the changes.
This method will permanently disable Bing search functionality within Windows[1][3].
Method 3: Using Group Policy
If you have access to the Group Policy Editor, you can use it to disable Bing search.
- Press
Win + Rand typegpedit.msc. Click OK to open the Group Policy Editor. - Navigate to
User Configuration>Administrative Templates>Windows Components>Search. - Double-click on the settings "Do not allow web search" and "Don't search the web or display web results in Search". Set both to
Enabled. - Click
ApplyandOK, then restart your computer.
This method will remove Bing search from all search elements, including the Start menu, Taskbar, and File Explorer[1][3].
Method 4: Hiding the Search Bar from the Taskbar
If you only want to hide the search bar from the taskbar, you can do so through the Settings.
- Open the Settings app and navigate to
Personalization>Taskbar. - Scroll down to the "Search" section and select the "Hide" option.
This will remove the search bar from the taskbar but does not disable Bing search entirely[4].
Removing Bing from Microsoft Edge
To remove Bing as the default search engine from Microsoft Edge, follow these steps:
- Open Microsoft Edge and click the three dots in the top right corner. Select
Settings. - Navigate to
Privacy, search, and services. - Scroll down to the "Address and search bar" section.
- Under "Search engine used in the address bar", select your desired search engine (e.g., Google, DuckDuckGo)[2][3][5].
Additionally, to remove the Bing icon from Microsoft Edge, you may need to use a registry hack, as Microsoft has made it difficult to remove it through standard settings:
- Open the Registry Editor and navigate to the relevant path (e.g.,
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge). - Create a new key named
Edgeif it does not exist, and then make the necessary adjustments to remove the Bing icon[2][5].
By following these detailed steps, you can effectively remove or disable Bing search from various aspects of Windows 11, enhancing your search experience and customizing your system to your preferences.