How to Enable or Disable Search Highlights in Windows 11
Search Highlights in Windows 11 adds fun facts, daily trivia, and trending topics directly into your taskbar search box . This built-in feature injects colorful icons and holiday reminders into your daily searches, but it also clutters a plain taskbar.
Turning Search Highlights on or off takes only a few clicks inside your Windows settings . You can hide these distractions at any time to get a clean, minimal search box back.
Open Settings , then go to Privacy & security, and click Search. Toggle the “Show search highlights” option to On or Off. This will enable or disable Search Highlights for your account.
What Are Search Highlights?
Windows 11 search highlights add fun images and interesting facts to your Windows search bar , offering a new way to discover content without changing how you normally search for apps or files.
Leaving the feature enabled does not interfere with finding your own apps, files, or settings.
Work or school accounts in Windows 11 use Search Highlights to display useful organization information. This information includes files and contacts found through Microsoft Search, helping users locate resources without wasting time.
Turn Search Highlights On or Off for Yourself (Using Settings)
Managing search highlights for your individual account takes place directly inside the Settings app.
- Press Windows key + I on your keyboard to open Settings.
- Click Privacy & security on the left side.
- On the right, click Search. (Click here to open Search settings directly)
- Find the option called Show search highlights.
- Toggle the switch to On to enable Search Highlights, or Off to disable it.
- Close Settings when you're done.
Turn Search Highlights On or Off for Everyone (Using Group Policy)
Administrators manage Windows 11 search highlights across all users on a computer by utilizing the Group Policy Editor.
Here is how to complete this process:
- Press Windows key + R, type
gpedit.msc, and press Enter to open the Local Group Policy Editor. - In the left panel, go to: Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Search
- In the right panel, double-click Allow search highlights.
- Choose one of these options:
- Not Configured – Use default settings.
- Enabled – Turn Search Highlights on for all users.
- Disabled – Turn Search Highlights off for all users.
- Click OK to save your choice.
- Close the Local Group Policy Editor.
What It Looks Like
Search Highlights appears in action through the following examples:
Disabling Search Highlights also occurs by turning off the Copilot and Web icons in Windows Search, which deactivates highlights simultaneously.
Summary
Windows 11 Search Highlights add colorful pictures and useful facts to your search bar, and controls exist within Settings or Group Policy.More Resources
Additional assistance regarding Windows 11 search highlights appears on the Microsoft Community Hub, alongside guides from Microsoft Support and technical documentation from Microsoft Docs.
Search for anything, anywhere – Microsoft Support
Windows 11 Search Highlights displays trending searches and recent activities, and toggling this feature on or off remains fully supported. Following this guide enables a more personalized search experience.
How do I enable search highlights in 🪟 Windows 11?
To manage search highlights with Group Policy on either Windows 10 or Windows 11, locate: Edit group policy > Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Search > Allow search highlights.
How to get search highlights?
Click the Start ⊞ button and select Settings ⚙. On the left sidebar find and go into Privacy & security. Click on Search permissions. Toggle Show search highlights to enable or disable search highlights.
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About the Author
Richard
Tech Writer, IT Professional
Richard, a writer for Geek Rewind, is a tech enthusiast who loves breaking down complex IT topics into simple, easy-to-understand ideas. With years of hands-on experience in system administration and enterprise IT operations, he’s developed a knack for offering practical tips and solutions. Richard aims to make technology more accessible and actionable. He's deeply committed to the Geek Rewind community, always ready to answer questions and engage in discussions.
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