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Managing the Windows 10 and 11 Search Box with Group Policy

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The Search Box in Windows 10 and Windows 11 is often considered unnecessary or intrusive by many users. This guide explains how to hide it or replace it with a search icon using Group Policy (GPO) in an Active Directory environment.

Create a Group Policy Object

  • Open the Active Directory Users and Computers console by running dsa.msc from the Run dialog (Windows + R):
Windows Run dialog with 'dsa.msc' entered to open Active Directory Users and Computers.
  • Move the relevant users into an appropriate Organizational Unit (OU) where the Group Policy will be applied:
Active Directory Users and Computers with 'GPO USERS' OU selected and a user listed.
  • Open the Group Policy Management Console by running gpmc.msc from the Run dialog (Windows + R):
Windows Run dialog with 'gpmc.msc' entered to open Group Policy Management Console.
  • Create a new Group Policy Object (GPO) and link it to the appropriate Organizational Unit (OU):
Group Policy Management Console showing the option to create and link a new GPO to an OU.
  • Assign a meaningful name to the new GPO (e.g., Manage - Search Box):
New GPO dialog with 'Manage - Search Box' as the name and no starter GPO selected.
  • Edit the newly created GPO by right-clicking it and selecting Edit from the context menu:
Context menu in Group Policy Management with the 'Edit' option highlighted for the selected GPO.
  • In the GPO editor, navigate to User Configuration > Preferences > Windows Settings > Registry. Then right-click in the right pane and select New > Registry Item:
Group Policy Management Editor showing how to create a new Registry Item under User Configuration.

Setting up the Group Policy Object

  • Configure the New Registry Properties as follows:
    • Action: Replace
    • Hive: HKEY_CURRENT_USER
    • Key Path: SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Search
    • Value Name: SearchboxTaskbarMode
    • Value Type: REG_DWORD
    • Value Data:
      • 0 – Hide the search box
      • 1 – Show the search icon only
      • 2 – Show the full search box
New Registry Properties dialog in Group Policy with 'SearchboxTaskbarMode' set under HKEY_CURRENT_USER.

Result

Restart the user's computer and log in with their credentials to apply the policy.

  • Result on Windows 10:
Windows 10 taskbar showing the search icon next to the Start button.
  • Result on Windows 11:
Windows 11 taskbar with the search icon next to the Start button and pinned apps.