If the taskbar search box takes up too much space, follow these steps to completely hide or remove the taskbar search bar in Windows 10.
Microsoft did a major redesign for both the Start menu and the taskbar in Windows 10. One of the major things is the availability of the search bar on the taskbar. The idea behind the big search box is that it makes searching for things easy. Depending on the wallpaper and other settings, the search bar also looks nice.
As good as it is, the default search bar takes up too much space. If you have limited screen space, removing the search bar can give you more taskbar space to use without scroll bars. Also, most people use the Start menu to search for applications and files anyway. In that case, the search bar is just a useless space-hogging widget on the taskbar. Personally, I like to remove the search bar from the taskbar just to make some room for my pinned applications and taskbar widgets.
No matter the reason, if you don’t want to see the search bar on the taskbar, here the steps you should follow to remove the search bar in Windows 10.
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1. Remove Taskbar Search Bar in Windows 10
To hide or completely remove the search bar, follow the steps below.
- Right-click on the taskbar.
- Go to the “Search” option.
- Select the “Hidden” option.
That is all. As soon as you select the “Hidden” option, the search bar is removed from the taskbar in Windows 10. AKA, the search bar is hidden from plain sight.
You can still search for files and applications directly from the Start menu. Just press the Windows Key to open the Start menu and start typing to search for things.
2. Make Taskbar Search Bar Small
If you don’t want to remove the search box completely, you can make it small and show only the search icon. That way, you’ll have the best of both worlds.
- On the taskbar, right-click.
- Select “Search → Show search icon.”
- This will replace the search bar with a search icon.
That is all. As soon as you select the search icon option, Windows will show the search icon instead of the full search box. To search for something, click on the search icon and start typing. Of course, like always, you can also search directly from the Start menu.
3. Restore or Show Search Bar on Taskbar
If you like the search bar, follow the below steps to show the search bar on the taskbar in Windows 10.
- Right-click on the taskbar.
- Select “Search → Show search box.”
- This action will restore the search box on the taskbar.
From now on, you can see the full search bar on the taskbar. Like before, you can search directly by typing in it.
That is all. I hope that helps. If you are stuck or need some help, comment below, and I will try to help as much as possible.
THIS IS AWESOME!!! Thank you so much. Now I just have to figure out how to undo the rest of the cosmetic changes the update installed!
Thank you so much for this useful info. I have spent most of the afternoon trying to figure this out!