How to disable the display of recent searches in Windows 10's Search Box

[Karlston]

How to disable the display of recent searches in Windows 10's Search Box

 

When you run a search on Windows 10, you can do so using the Start Menu or the dedicated search box if it is displayed. Both search options use the same Windows Search component to display search results to the user, but the front page of the services differ.

 

The Start Menu displays installed programs and tiles by default, the search box a list of quick searches and recent searches that the user ran previously.

 

 

Some users may find the list of recent searches useful, as it makes it very easy to repeat a search as it takes just a click or tap on the search term to do so. Others may prefer that the information is not displayed, e.g. when they want to make sure that their searches are not revealed accidentally to others.

 

You can remove individual search records by hovering the mouse over an entry and selecting the x-icon that is then displayed to remove it.

 

Windows 10 comes with an option to disable the recording of search terms locally on the device. Users may disable the functionality to remove the recent searches listing in the Search box and stop the storing of the data on the device.

 

 

Here is how that is done:

1. Select Start > Settings, or use the keyboard shortcut Windows-I to open the Settings application.
2. Go to Search. You should be in the Permissions & History section.
3. Scroll down to History.
4. Toggle the option "Search history on this device". Doing so disables the display of search history and the recording of searches on the local device.
5. Select "clear device search history" if you want the existing records to be removed as well. If you don't activate the button, saved searches remain on the device. If you activate the feature again at a later time, you will see your past searches again if you don't clear them.

When you open the search box afterwards, you won't see recent searches listed there anymore.

 

Tip: for a better search experience, try Everything Search and EverythingToolbar; both are free.

 

 

How to disable the display of recent searches in Windows 10's Search Box