How to get rid of ads when doing search

mwidunn · May 18, 2026

As I'm sure most of you know, Microsoft shows ads whenever you do a search using the Search Bar. For example:

Friends, . . . is there any way to disable/block this activity in Search? A REG hack or third-party?

F.Y.I. Yes, I have already searched the internet, and can't find anything specific. All the info I've been able to find points to Settings -- which I already went through and unchecked everything "ad related" when I started using Win11. This seems to be something different, that seems like it can't (easily) be gotten rid of.

Thanks!

Shambles Bank · May 18, 2026

Use a different browser, Brave browser for example, and use Startpage as your search engine for zero ads. I'd personally never ever go back to using Edge or Bing or Google, but that's me. I just prefer a zero ad browsing experience with minimal effort.

dacrone · May 18, 2026

You can disable all of them manually, or just use winaero tweaker as portable and check all of the boxes in the remove ads category

How to Disable Ads in Windows 11

You can quickly disable all ads in Windows 11, such as advertisements in File Explorer and on the Lock Screen, suggestions in Settings and on the

winaero.com

mwidunn · May 18, 2026

I appreciate the reply.
But, I am not asking about Edge or Bing or any kind of browser.
As per my comments and the uploaded image, I am asking about the Search Bar in Win11.
Could you, please, address that?
Thanks.

mwidunn · May 18, 2026

dacrone said:
You can disable all of them manually, or just use winaero tweaker as portable and check all of the boxes in the remove ads category

How to Disable Ads in Windows 11

You can quickly disable all ads in Windows 11, such as advertisements in File Explorer and on the Lock Screen, suggestions in Settings and on the

winaero.com

Thanks, but . . . I don't know what "disable all of them manually" means. Do you mean all the stuff in the Settings? If so, then please read my original post.
I'll try Winaero, and see what happens.
Thanks.

mwidunn · May 18, 2026

Nope. Using Winaero does not work. The ads still apear when I search for something in the search bar.

FrancoDT · May 18, 2026

mwidunn said:
I appreciate the reply.
But, I am not asking about Edge or Bing or any kind of browser.
As per my comments and the uploaded image, I am asking about the Search Bar in Win11.
Could you, please, address that?
Thanks.

Pretty sure this is what you are looking for :

How to Disable Windows Web Search and Speed Up Your PC:

Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows

Go to or create a new key (aka folder) called Explorer and navigate to it.

Create a new DWORD (32-bit) registry key and name it DisableSearchBoxSuggestions

Double-click on DisableSearchBoxSuggestions to edit it and set the Value data field to 1 and click OK then reboot.

Jacee · May 18, 2026

If you are using Chrome, you might try this: Remove unwanted ads, pop-ups & malware - Computer - Google Chrome Help

dacrone · May 18, 2026

FrancoDT said:
Create a new DWORD (32-bit) registry key and name it DisableSearchBoxSuggestions

yeah thats in winaero too. suppose i should take the blame for that one

FrancoDT · May 18, 2026

dacrone said:
yeah thats in winaero too. suppose i should take the blame for that one

Well shoot, I did the reg hack cause I never even saw that before in Winareo

glasskuter · May 18, 2026

If you want a cleaner, more manageable Windows Start Menu & Search Search, I suggest you make these tweaks. No 3rd party tool is necessary.

Disable Search Highlights Enable or Disable Search Highlights in Windows 11

Disable ads in Windows 11. Use Option 11 here.

Disable Ads in Windows 11

This tutorial will show you different ways to disable ads showing for your account in Windows 11. Windows 11 includes ads by default in the form of Microsoft promoting its own services and apps. These ads can include fun facts, tips, tricks, recommendations, and suggestions within the UI of...

www.elevenforum.com

Remove Recommended on Start Screen Clear Start Menu Recommended Section in Windows 11

Enable/Disable Suggested content Enable or Disable Suggested Content in Settings in Windows 11

Enable or Disable showing notification badging for Microsoft accounts on the Start menu and Settings Enable or Disable Notification Badging for Microsoft Accounts on Start menu in Windows 11

I, too, disable Web Search in Windows Search as mentioned above.

NormanF · May 18, 2026

Spend a miserly sum to upgrade to Education and say good bye to ads in Pro!

FrancoDT · May 18, 2026

NormanF said:
Spend a miserly sum to upgrade to Education and say good bye to ads in Pro!

Actually MS has been pulling ads like OneDrive and MS365 from the settings and Start menu due to high demand from it's customers. It's actually much cleaner now and looks a lot better.

FrancoDT · May 20, 2026

Looks like MS heard you Lol.

Microsoft is fixing one of the most baffling things about Windows 11 — 'spam' in search results

https://www.techradar.com/computing/windows/microsoft-is-fixing-one-of-the-most-baffling-things-about-windows-11-spam-in-search-results

How to get rid of ads when doing search

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Microsoft is fixing one of the most baffling things about Windows 11 — 'spam' in search results