How to disable recent searches on Windows 11

The Windows 11 search menu displays all the recent searches you've performed. Hovering over the search icon on the Taskbar also displays previous searches. But not everyone likes to display recent searches on Windows 11 because it's unnecessary. Here's how to turn off recent searches on Windows 11

How to turn off recent searches on Windows 11

1. Press the Windows + I key combination to open Settings, then click Privacy & Security in the displayed list.

2. Look at the content next to it, scroll down and click Search permissions.

3. In this new interface, you see the History section with the Search history on this device setting. Turn off History to turn off recent searches on Windows 11.

How to turn off the search history icon on the Windows 11 Taskbar

1. Go back to the Settings interface and click Personalization in the left menu.

2. Look at the content next to it, click Taskbar behaviors to adjust the taskbar.

3. Scroll down and uncheck Show recent searches when I hover over the search icon.

Once you complete the steps, when hovering over the search button in the Taskbar, you will no longer see a list of your recent searches.

If you only want to remove the current listing of past searches, you can always recheck the option in the Taskbar behaviors settings.

If you don’t see the option, you don’t have the version of Windows 11 that includes this option. The ability to stop showing recent searches is available on version 22H2 and higher releases.