How to disable Taskbar Web Search in Windows 10 via GPO and Windows Registry

The Registry Editor is an advanced tool for viewing and modifying settings in the registry. This information contains information about how your computer runs etc. Windows stores its configuration information in a database called the registry and this is organized in a tree format. See the following hyperlinks for some Windows Registry contents I have written: How to display Windows system information via the Windows registry, and how to search through the Windows registry. 

Although Registry Editor enables you to inspect and modify the registry, normally you do not need to do so, and making incorrect changes can break your system. An advanced user who is prepared to both edit and restore the registry can safely use Registry Editor for such tasks as eliminating duplicate entries or deleting entries for programs that have been uninstalled or deleted.

Windows 10 has a search box at the taskbar that can be used to launch Cortana and also perform a search by “keyboard or by voice”. Web search in the taskbar makes it easier for you to find things on the web and on your PC.

It makes sense to emphasize that Windows 10 by default sends all your search queries from the Taskbar search and Cortona to their servers (Bing search). Ensure, you are not entering private stuff in order not to have your privacy eluded.

You may have various other reasons never to use Bing as the default search engine due to Organisation concerns as well.
– If you wish to permit the Taskbar web search and you do not want Microsoft Edge or Bing to be your default web search, kindly see how to make Cortana Use Your Default Browser Google Chrome and how to make Cortana search with a different web browser instead of Bing and Edge. Alternatively, If you are not sure what information gets sent to Bing, you may want to disable this search function and this is the goal of this article.

We will be using the Windows registry and Group Policy Object to make this possible. because of this, in order for you to have a thorough knowledge of what they are, see what is Registry Editor and how to access the registry hives. Also to learn more about Group Policy, see what is Group Policy Object and how does it work, and also all about GPUpdate Switches: GPUpdate vs GPUpdate /force. Also for articles on GPO, see the following link.

Via Group Policy Object

Here are the steps to have this resolved
– Computer Configuration
– Administrative Templates
– Windows Components
– Search
Now, set “Allow Cortana” to Disable

Set “Do not allow web search” to Enabled
– Press okay when done

Lastly, set “Don’t search the web or display web results in Search” to Enabled

Now we have all the needed settings configured as shown below

Finally, you will need to restart your device. After the reboot, the search box in the taskbar will be limited to local results only

Via the Windows Registry: Here are are the steps to have these fixed.

– Launch the Windows registry as shown below

Navigate through the following Hives, see the following article for how to search through the Windows registry

The following applies to Windows 10 Version 1803 – 1909.
Navigate through the following Hives

- HKEY_CURRENT_USER(HKCU) 
- Software 
- Microsoft 
- CurrentVersion 
- Search

Next, enter the DWORD value of “0” for the following below and if they are not present, please create them.
– BingEnabled
– CortanaConsent
– AllowSearchToUseLocation

To disable Taskbar Web Search in Windows, create the DWORD as discussed previously and set it to “0” for the following. – BingEnabled
– AllowSearchToUseLocation

For Version 2004 till date. The below applies to Enterprise and Education.
– Navigate through the following Hives, see the following article for how to search through the Windows registry

- HKLM
- Software
- Policies
- Microsoft
- Windows
- Windows Search

Next, enter the DWORD value of “0 for the following below and if they are not present, please create it.
– Connected SearchUseWeb

I hope you found this blog post about how to disable Taskbar Web Search in Windows helpful. If you have any questions, please let me know in the comment session.