How to Remove Windows 10's Annoying Search Highlights Icons

Tom's Hardware | July 3, 2022, 2:35 p.m. | Original
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Considering that Microsoft would like to charge you at least $129 for a Windows license, it's pretty nervy of the company to keep pushing all kinds of promotions into prominent places in the UI. One of the most recent and annoying additions is what the company calls "Search Highlights," frequently-changing cartoonish icons that live on the right side of your Windows 10 search box.

(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

When you click the cutesy icon, you get Bing search results shown to you, regarding some timely topic. The day I wrote this, it was a cartoon car that gave me info about the British Grand Prix, but it could have been anything Microsoft's Bing team deems important.

Fortunately, it's easy to make the Windows 10 Search Highlights disappear.

1. Right click on the search box or anywhere on the taskbar.

2. Select Search from the context menu.

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3. Click on Search Highlights to toggle it to off.

(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

The Search Highlights icon should now be gone. And, by the way, you do not have to pay $129 for a Windows license when you build a PC . See our story on how to get Windows 10 or 11 for free or cheap for details.

Avram Piltch is Tom's Hardware's editor-in-chief. When he's not playing with the latest gadgets at work or putting on VR helmets at trade shows, you'll find him rooting his phone, taking apart his PC or coding plugins. With his technical knowledge and passion for testing, Avram developed many real-world benchmarks, including our laptop battery test.
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