In Windows 11, the Search box on the taskbar (or the search window that appears when you open the Start Menu) often displays a rotating graphic on the right-hand side. These are called “Search Highlights.” Microsoft uses this feature to showcase the Bing Image of the Day, historical facts, trending news stories, or seasonal graphics.
If you use your computer for serious professional work, these distracting graphics are a massive annoyance. They clutter the search interface and occasionally load slowly, causing the entire Start Menu to stutter. You can completely disable these Search Highlights, forcing Windows to display a clean, empty search interface.
How to Remove Search Highlights in Windows 11
You can turn off this feature directly from the Windows 11 Privacy & Security settings menu.
- Click the Start button and select the Settings gear icon (or press Windows Key + I on your keyboard).
- In the left-hand navigation pane, click on Privacy & security.
- Scroll down to the “Windows permissions” section and click on Search permissions.
- Scroll all the way down to the bottom of the Search permissions page until you find the section labelled More settings.
- Look for the toggle switch named Show search highlights. The description will state: “See content suggestions in the search box and in search home.”
- Click the toggle switch to turn it Off.
The change applies immediately. The next time you click the Search bar or open your Start Menu to look for a file, the colourful graphics, trending news articles, and “Word of the Day” trivia will be entirely gone, leaving you with a fast, minimalist search window.