How do I remove Windows Live Search box?
I had recently installed Windows Live Messenger on my pc at work. Along with it came a pesky toolbar addon called Windows Live Search. This gets attached after the URL box and is irritating to say the least. I prefer to use Google and I don’t need a toolbar!
I thought it should be pretty easy to remove Windows Live Search. It turned out that there is no direct option to remove Live Search! What you can do is to change the search provider. But hey! I don’t want a freaking toolbar!
After a bit of google research, I came to know that there is a registry hack to prevent the Windows live search textbar. Open up the regedit and look for the key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\InfoDelivery\Restrictions. Sometimes you may see path only up to Microsoft. In that case add the path Internet Explorer\InfoDelivery\Restrictions. Then add a DWORD under Restrictions named NoSearchBox and set its value to 1.
how do i add the path Internet Explorer\InfoDelivery\Restrictions. and how do i ondo an accental change, i dont know the original value. path is HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\DefaultREG_SZ (value not set) New Value #1 REG-EXPAND-SZ name was changed New Value #1 will this affect anything and what is the origional name thanks pat
I have tried the above. My search bar says default is google. I still get the Live.com/seachlive box show up each time. I put in a website and it bounces back to livesearch. It is not showng in my add/remove programs at all and I de-activated my messenger. I bought a brand new computer and can’t get to any sites. I go google page problem but if I put a site in there it goes to live search. This is annoying as hell. I did the above step and its still there. HELP ME PLEASE
Thank you, this is the most annoying thing ever!!
You can switch the built-in search box from live search to google. Click the little down arrow and select “Find More Providers…” Then pick “Google” from the next page that pops up. All Done.
THANK YOU SO MUCH for these directions on removing Live Search! I was so frustrated and annoyed and now I’m happy
none of the above solutions works as Microsoft has made it impossible to remove or change live search as the default search engine. this is because they know it sucks and like to make sure users of their software can make no real choices about how it works. use opera and ditch IE. Less ecurity issues and faster.
Ok, so I was dumb and installed IE 8 and with it came Live Search that is IMPOSSIBLE TO UNINSTALL! I uninstalled it immediately and got the toolbar out but every time I log on to the internet and a page opens, I also get another page that opens that is LIVE SEARCH! It is totally ruining my computer! Please, does anyone know how to remove it…………..REALLY? I’ve tried tons of people’s ’so called fixes’ but none of them work.
PLEASE HELP ME!!!! My computer has become trash because of it! Thanks!
Your remark that the search box came with Windows Live Messenger and that it is “Windows Live Search box” is completely bogus. It is the normal browser search box that comes with IE7 and IE8 and you can tell it to use any search engine you want to use. You can even use more than one search engine. Other browsers have the same kind of searchbox at the same location.
I hate when people reply with totally false information. Here is what you do as I hate live search as well.
1. click the down arrow next to the magnifying glass.
2. click manage search providers
3. right click on the google under the word “name”
4. select “set a default”
live search deceivingly puts ads in your searches…i hate that.
1. Make sure IE 8 is closed then navigate to registry key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders
2. Add a new “Expandable String value” inside the above mentioned key with a value name of “AppData” and a value data of “%USERPROFILE%\Application Data”.
3. Reopen IE 8 and see if you still get the error message.
4. Go to Tools/Manage Add Ons/Search Providers
5. Change your default search engine to whichever you want other than Live Search (I chose Google) and removed the Live Search altogether.
I hate the Live Search box too and I don’t agree with others saying that we should just choose a different search engine. I didn’t ask for it so I don’t want it. So please if you don’t have an answer how to remove it then don’t leave a comment because that’s just not helpful.
I followed the instructions and changed the registry. It worked! I don’t have to pretend that it’s not there because it’s not there!
Thanks for the help with the “Live Search” bar. Is there a way to remove “Favorites Star”? Also is it possible to move “Refresh” and “Stop” buttons to a different line?
it came with ie8 and changing the default search doesn’t do anything because it opens in a new tab everytime you use the internet. my regedit doesn’t have restrictions and infodelivery so i’m stuck with this sh**??
I am also very annoyed Cannot get rid of that live search bar Did not find the path to change the registry.
I appreciate any help
Thank you very much
Thank you! It’s so much nicer not to have the clutter of a search box (that I’ll never use). I’m disappointed Microsoft chose not to offer an option to remove that box in the UI.
Beautiful! And Poof….it was gone.
Awesome info, quick little reg edits and done.
Huge Thanks!
Anyone who doesn’t know how to create “the path”, it is nothing more than creating key and subkey entries to create the full path.
Select the last folder you have such as …software/policies/microsoft.
From the TOOLBAR, select [Edit] -> [New] -> [Key]
and name it “Internet Explorer” (cut and paste works fast wonders)
Do the same until you are finished making restriction. Then with you last created key “restrictions” go [Edit] ->[New] ->[DWORD Value]. Doubleclick it to change 0 to 1. All done.
all you have to do is click on the magnifying glass drop menu- click on manage search providers- you would probably have windows live search as your default seach engine, so rick click on google line and set as default. now click on the windows live search line and the “remove” should now be enabled. click remove and your done. keep in kind you will not be able to remove the windows live seach, unless you first select google as your default search provider.
1. Make sure IE 8 is closed before doing all changes.
2. Click START menu and then click to registry. Write “regedit.exe” to the blank occured.
3. Then by clicking in these row : ” HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders” find “User Shell Folders” folder.
4. Enter that folder. By clicking a space place in that folder with mouses’s right button, a window opens. Click “New” in that window then go to ‘Expandable String value’ and click it. A new key will apeear under the lowermost key in that folder. Key is a file something like a word file or note file. After making a new key double click on that new key, a new window which contains informations about that new key will appear. There will be two blanks in this window. A “Value name” and “Value data”. You will write ‘AppData’ to the Value name blank; and will write ‘%USERPROFILE%\Application Data’ to the value data blank.
3. Reopen IE 8 and see if you still get the error message.
4. Open an internet explorer page. Go to “Tools” which is at the upper part of internet explorer page. Click “Manage Add Ons” and choose “Search Providers”
5. Change your default search engine to whichever you want other than Live Search (for example Google) and removed the “Live Search” altogether or deactivate or remove it.