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This tutorial will show you how to Enable and Disable Search Highlights in Windows 11/10. Microsoft recently added a new feature to Windows called “search highlights” that shows important events and popular searches. Even though the feature is helpful because it lets us know about important events we might miss, some users think it slows down the already slow Windows search even more. When you use your PC’s Search function, you’ll see the search highlights in the right-hand pane.
Some users might find this content useful, but others might want to turn it off to make more room. Some famous people’s birthdays, anniversaries, popular searches, Microsoft Rewards, and more are shown in this pane. In your search bar, you’ll often see icons that match the topic. If you don’t want to see these things, you can turn off the feature and you won’t. In this article, we showed you how to Enable and Disable Search Highlights in Windows 11/10.
What are Search Highlights?
Search Highlights is a feature in Windows 11 and Windows 10 that shows interesting and useful information about the current day in the search bar. This content can be about holidays, anniversaries, and other educational events that are happening around the world and in your area. Microsoft’s artificial intelligence and machine learning are used to power the Search Highlights feature. These technologies are used to find and choose relevant content from the web, the news, and social media, among other places. If you want to know more information about this so you can visit Microsoft Official Website.
How do Search Highlights work?
Search Highlights is a feature in Windows 11 and Windows 10 that shows interesting and useful information about the day, such as holidays, anniversaries, and other important events. It also shows news stories, Wikipedia entries, and pictures that are related. Search Highlights uses data from Microsoft, Bing search results, and Wikipedia, among other places, to do its job. It also uses AI to find and rank the content that is most important.
How to Enable and Disable Search Highlights in Windows 11/10
Via Taskbar
- Taskbar Enable search highlight on/off in Windows 11.
- Right-click Taskbar.
- Click Search.
- Check/uncheck Show search highlights.
Via Settings
- Open the Settings app: hold down the Windows and I keys.
- Click Privacy & security on the left side of the window and then Search permissions on the right.
- Go to the section called “More settings.”
- To turn search highlight on or off in Windows 11, click the switch next to Show search highlights.
Via Registry Editor
- Start menu Right-click on the Windows icon.
- In the menu, select Run.
- Type regedit in the Run window.
- Press Enter to open the Registry Editor.
Why you might want to disable Search Highlights
- Reduced Distraction: Highlighting search results can sometimes be visually distracting, especially when you’re trying to focus on the content itself. Disabling highlights can lead to a cleaner and less cluttered reading or viewing experience.
- Improved Aesthetics: Search highlights might not always fit well with the overall design of a platform or interface. Turning them off can contribute to a more cohesive and aesthetically pleasing appearance.
- Faster Scanning: With highlights disabled, you can swiftly scan through the content without interruptions caused by highlighted terms. This is particularly useful when you are looking for specific information and want to navigate quickly.
- Enhanced Comprehension: Highlighted search terms can inadvertently break the flow of reading, making it harder to grasp the context or main points. By removing highlights, you can understand the content in a more holistic manner.
- Privacy and Confidentiality: In cases where you’re viewing sensitive information, having search terms highlighted could pose a privacy risk, especially if someone else is viewing your screen. Disabling highlights ensures that your search queries remain private.
- Customization: Disabling search highlights might be part of a broader customization strategy, allowing users to tailor their experience based on personal preferences.
Comparing Windows 11 and Windows 10 Search Features
| Feature | Windows 11 | Windows 10 |
|---|---|---|
| Search Interface | Centered Start Menu, Integrated with Taskbar | Start Menu with separate Search Box |
| Search Integration | Integrated Web Results, Microsoft 365 Integration | Web Results (Cortana) |
| Search Box Enhancements | More Visual, Supports Voice Typing | Classic Search Box |
| Search Preview | Enhanced Previews for Files and Documents | Basic File Previews |
| Search Suggestions | Contextual and Visual Suggestions | Text-based Suggestions |
| Search Speed | Optimized Performance and Speed | Generally Reliable |
| Search Shortcuts | Built-in Quick Searches | Basic File and App Searches |
| Search Scope Customization | Limited Customization | Limited Customization |
| Search Accessibility | Enhanced Accessibility Features | Standard Accessibility |
Questions and Answers
In a recent update to Windows 11, Microsoft changed the search button on the taskbar so that it now looks like a full search box. Even if you had the search icon on your taskbar, it was changed to the full search box.
The “Search Highlights” feature, which was made available by Microsoft in the past, shows pictures or drawings in the search bar. If you move your mouse over the picture or click on it, you can see related information and images. Most of the time, this information is about the pictures on your search bar.
Only if you search your directories and files do you need the Windows Search Indexer. In other words, you can turn off Windows search if you don’t use it to find specific files or media. Also, turning off the Windows Search Indexer will make a noticeable difference in performance.
If you don’t use Windows Search Service at all, like if you’re using a different search program, turning off Windows Search Service may be a small help. If you do this, Windows won’t stop working, but searches will take longer in the future because it won’t be able to make an idex.