Ask Dave Taylor
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Home
  • YouTube Videos
  • Top Categories
  • Subscribe via Email
  • Ask A Question
  • Meet Dave
  • Home
  • Windows PC Help
  • Get Rid of The Pictures in my Windows Taskbar Search Box?

Get Rid of The Pictures in my Windows Taskbar Search Box?

February 7, 2023 / Dave Taylor / Windows PC Help / No Comments

I don’t know what the heck happened overnight, but suddenly there are tiny little pictures in the search box on my Taskbar. Running Windows 11, and I don’t recall changing anything, but they just showed up. Is it malware of some sort? How do I get rid of them??

There’s no doubt that the engineers at Microsoft seek to constantly surprise and delight us Windows fans. Have an update applied and, hopefully, there’s something new and cool to check out that will make your experience better, more efficient, or at least more aesthetic. Sometimes, however, there’s a bit of a misfire and people panic because something’s changed without any logic behind it or any value to the update. That’s the case with this, what Windows calls “Search Highlights” and the rest of us call the invasion of our searchbox!

What’s happening is that the tiny pictures or icons denote that your system has Search Highlights enabled. Just like having suggestions as you enter a search in Bing or Google, this feature offers suggestions as you type into the tiny searchbox on your Taskbar. The graphics? I think it’s just a touch of visual whimsy, but it’s sure caused a lot of angst for users who aren’t aware of what it means!

Once you know that it’s benign and not malware, however, you might consider leaving it enabled just to add a smidge of color to your Taskbar icon parade. No? Okay. Here’s how to disable it and clear out that Taskbar search…

TASKBAR SEARCH WITH SEARCH HIGHLIGHTS PICTURE

Let’s start with a baseline. Here’s what showed up in my Taskbar search box. Do the icons mean anything? Are they tied to what you’re doing? Dunno. Can you click on them to find out what they mean? No. Probably a mistake on Microsoft‘s part (imagine how less stressful it would be if they had a tip pop-up say “Search highlights enabled”. Anyway, here’s what I saw:

windows 11 taskbar search box highlights - pictures icons images in search box

I’m not even sure what those images represent, and since they’re on a shelf, it’s not just two emoji, it’s a cohesive image. But of what? And what does it do? It’s all rather mysterious…

HOW TO DISABLE SEARCH HIGHLIGHTS

I searched for tutorials on how to disable the little pictures (emoji?) in my Taskbar search box and found they were all outdated based on the current labels of everything in the Settings window. The easiest path to get to the correct spot in Settings with the latest Windows release is to use that now crowded search box to search for “search”:

windows 11 taskbar search box highlights - search for privacy

The Windows Search settings are where we want to jump, so simply click on it in the search results.

That’ll take you to this spot (you might have to scroll down a bit to find these options):

windows 11 taskbar search box highlights - privacy and security

There’s a separate search settings area, but Privacy & Security is a shorter path to what we seek. Under “Windows permissions” you can see that one of the entries is “Search permissions“. It’s not necessarily a logical place to search for “get rid of silly little pictures in my darn search box”, but, surprise, that’s exactly where the setting is found.

Click on it and, again, scroll down just a bit to find this:

windows 11 taskbar search box highlights - privacy security search permissions highlights on off

Even here, there’s no indication that disabling Search Highlights will get rid of that picture in the search box, but click on the on/off slider to disable it and instantly the search box will go back to its original, empty state. Done.

WINDOWS 11 TASKBAR SEARCH BOX: NO PICTURES

And, finally, we’re back to the default state that you seek:

windows 11 taskbar search box highlights - no pictures emoji icons buttons in search box

As I said earlier, I think there’s the possibility for some fun with the images that are associated with Search Highlights, but this feels like a partial implementation. Clicking should do something, and the icons should have some meaning for the user, not just be random decoration. But maybe they do and I just haven’t figured it out. If you have, please do leave a comment with your interpretation!

Power Tip: I’ve been writing about Windows for many, many years and have an extensive Windows 11 help library here. Please check it out while you’re visiting. Thanks!

About the Author: Dave Taylor has been involved with the online world since the early days of the Internet. Author of over 20 technical books, he runs the popular AskDaveTaylor.com tech help site. You can also find his gadget reviews on YouTube and chat with him on Twitter as @DaveTaylor.

Let’s Stay In Touch!

Never miss a single article, review or tutorial here on AskDaveTaylor, sign up for my fun weekly newsletter!
Name: 
Your email address:*
Please enter all required fields
Correct invalid entries
No spam, ever. Promise. Powered by FeedBlitz
Please choose a color:
Starbucks coffee cup I do have a lot to say, and questions of my own for that matter, but first I'd like to say thank you, Dave, for all your helpful information by buying you a cup of coffee!
search box icons, search box pictures, taskbar icons

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Search

Recent Posts

  • Handy Advanced Search Techniques for Microsoft Outlook.com
  • How Can I Rearrange Shortcuts on Android 13?
  • Comparison of the THREE Performance Monitors in Windows 11
  • How Can I Create Desktop Wallpaper with DALL-E AI Software?
  • How to Enlarge Font Size in Apple’s Books App on the iPad

On Our YouTube Channel

FOSI Audio Waterproof Bluetooth Speaker B2 -- DEMO & REVIEW

Google Pixel 7 Pro Android Smartphone -- DEMO & REVIEW

Categories

  • AdSense, AdWords, and PPC Help (106)
  • Amazon, eBay, and Online Shopping Help (164)
  • Android Help (229)
  • Apple iPad Help (148)
  • Apple Watch Help (53)
  • Articles, Tutorials, and Reviews (346)
  • Auto Tech Help (17)
  • Business Advice (200)
  • ChromeOS Help (34)
  • Computer & Internet Basics (783)
  • d) None of the Above (166)
  • Facebook Help (384)
  • Google, Chrome & Gmail Help (188)
  • HTML & Web Page Design (247)
  • Instagram Help (49)
  • iPhone & iOS Help (625)
  • iPod & MP3 Player Help (173)
  • Kindle & Nook Help (99)
  • LinkedIn Help (88)
  • Linux Help (174)
  • Linux Shell Script Programming (90)
  • Mac & MacOS Help (914)
  • Most Popular (16)
  • Outlook & Office 365 Help (34)
  • PayPal Help (68)
  • Pinterest Help (54)
  • Reddit Help (19)
  • SEO & Marketing (82)
  • Spam, Scams & Security (96)
  • Trade Show News & Updates (23)
  • Twitter Help (222)
  • Video Game Tips (66)
  • Web Site Traffic Tips (62)
  • Windows PC Help (952)
  • Wordpress Help (206)
  • Writing and Publishing (72)
  • YouTube Help (47)
  • YouTube Video Reviews (159)
  • Zoom, Skype & Video Chat Help (62)

Archives

Social Connections:

Ask Dave Taylor


Follow Me on Pinterest
Follow me on Twitter
Follow me on LinkedIn
Follow me on Instagram


AskDaveTaylor on Facebook



microsoft insider mvp


This web site is for the purpose of disseminating information for educational purposes, free of charge, for the benefit of all visitors. We take great care to provide quality information. However, we do not guarantee, and accept no legal liability whatsoever arising from or connected to, the accuracy, reliability, currency or completeness of any material contained on this site or on any linked site. Further, please note that by submitting a question or comment you're agreeing to our terms of service, which are: you relinquish any subsequent rights of ownership to your material by submitting it on this site. Our lawyer says "Thanks for your cooperation."
© 2023 by Dave Taylor. "Ask Dave Taylor®" is a registered trademark of Intuitive Systems, LLC.
Privacy Policy - Terms and Conditions - Accessibility Policy