This tutorial will show you how to enable or disable the Visual Search feature in Microsoft Edge for your account or all users in Windows 10 and Windows 11.
Visual Search is a feature in Microsoft Edge that lets you search for images on Bing.
Visual Search lets you quickly explore more related content about entities in an image.
Visual Search is available by default via image hover menu, context menu, and Alt+Shift+S keyboard shortcut.
Contents
- Option One: Turn On or Off Visual Search in Microsoft Edge for Current User in Settings
- Option Two: Enable or Disable Visual Search in Microsoft Edge for All Users using REG file
EXAMPLE: Visual Search on context menu and hover menu in Microsoft Edge
This option is currently only available in the Canary and Dev builds of Microsoft Edge.
1 Open Microsoft Edge.
2 Click/tap on the Setting and more (Alt+F) 3 dots button, and click/tap on Settings. (see screenshot below)
3 Click/tap on Appearance in the left pane, and click/tap on Browser behavior and features under "Other appearance settings". (see screenshot below)
If you do not see a left pane, then either click/tap on the 3 bars menu button towards the top left OR widen the horizontal borders of the Microsoft Edge window until you do.
4 Under Visual Search, turn On (default) or Off Enable Visual Search for what you want. (see screenshot below)
You must be signed in as an administrator to use this option.
This option uses the VisualSearchEnabled policy for Microsoft Edge.
1 Do step 2 (always enable), step 3 (disable), or step 4 (default) below for what you want.
2 Always Enable Visual Search in Microsoft Edge for All Users
This will override and gray out Option One.
A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the REG file below, and go to step 5 below.
Always_enable_Visual_Search_in_Microsoft_Edge_for_all_users.reg
Download
(Contents of REG file for reference)
Code:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge]
"VisualSearchEnabled"=dword:000000013 Disable Visual Search in Microsoft Edge for All Users
This will override and gray out Option One.
A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the REG file below, and go to step 5 below.
Disable_Visual_Search_in_Microsoft_Edge_for_all_users.reg
Download
(Contents of REG file for reference)
Code:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge]
"VisualSearchEnabled"=dword:000000004 Default User Choice Visual Search in Microsoft Edge
This is the default setting to allow using Option One.
A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the REG file below, and go to step 5 below.
Default_user_choice_Visual_Search_in_Microsoft_Edge.reg
Download
(Contents of REG file for reference)
Code:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge]
"VisualSearchEnabled"=-5 Save the .reg file to your desktop.
6 Double click/tap on the downloaded .reg file to merge it.
7 When prompted, click/tap on Run, Yes (UAC), Yes, and OK to approve the merge.
8 If Microsoft Edge is currently open, then close and reopen Microsoft Edge to apply.
9 You can now delete the downloaded .reg file if you like.
That's it,
Shawn Brink
Last edited:
