By default, Windows 11 dedicates a massive portion of the taskbar to a wide, pill-shaped Search box. While Microsoft intends for this to be a quick way to search your PC or browse the web via Bing, it takes up an enormous amount of space that could be used for pinning your favourite applications.
If you already know that simply opening the Start Menu and typing instantly initiates a search anyway, the dedicated taskbar Search box is entirely redundant. If you want a cleaner, minimalist desktop, you can completely remove the Search bar or shrink it down to a tiny icon.
How to Remove the Taskbar Search Box
You can hide the Search box directly from the Taskbar settings menu.
- Find an empty spot on your Windows 11 taskbar (where there are no app icons).
- Right-click the empty space.
- Click on Taskbar settings from the small pop-up menu.
- The Settings app will open directly to the Personalisation > Taskbar page.
- Look under the very top section labelled “Taskbar items.”
- Locate the setting named Search. Next to it is a drop-down menu.
- Click the drop-down menu and select Hide.
The large Search box will immediately disappear from your taskbar, giving you significantly more room for your active application windows. (Note: If you still want a visual reminder that you can search, but do not want the massive box, you can select “Search icon only” from that same drop-down menu to shrink it down to a simple magnifying glass).
Remember, hiding this box does not disable Windows Search. Whenever you need to find a file or an app, just press the Windows Key on your keyboard and start typing immediately.