Remove IE7 Instant Search Box
Internet Explorer 7 (IE7) comes with an instant search box on the top left corner of the IE window, where users can search the web and Internet directly from search box which can be populated with multiple search providers, which default to Live Search (related: how to export search providers). If you never use the search box, or simply don’t like and don’t want another search box to occupy the screen estate when you already installed and used third party toolbar such as Google Toolbar, Yahoo! Toolbar or My Digital Life Alexa Toolbar, you can remove and hide the IE 7 search box for good.
Thanks to tip by Helcron, the following trick on registry hack will remove the search box from IE7 forever, making IE7 a cleaner web browser.
- Open Registry Editor (RegEdit.exe).
- Navigate to the following registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft
- Right click on Microsoft, then select New and choose Key.
- Type in Internet Explorer as the name for the new key.
- Repeat above two steps to create another two sub-keys - InfoDelivery under Internet Explorer, and Restrictions under InfoDelivery, so that the full registry branch looks like this:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\InfoDelivery\Restrictions
Refer to last figure below for actual look in Registry Editor.
- In the right pane, right click on blank/empty space, then select New and click on DWORD (32-bit) Value.
- Assign NoSearchBox as the value name.
- Double click on NoSearchBox, and change the DWORD value data to 1.
- Restart all Internet Explorer 7 windows.
Well, if you think the steps in the hack above is too troublesome, here’s an easier way. Simply download NoSearchBox.reg (or copy and paste text below to text editor and save as NoSearchBox.reg), and the double click on NoSearchBox.reg to merge the new registry keys to system registry. Close and reopen all IE7 windows, and viola, no more search box.
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\InfoDelivery\Restrictions]
“NoSearchBox”=dword:00000001
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Entries (RSS)
March 27th, 2008 21:50
i have never seen so much bad advice on how to do things, there seems to be millions of semi-computer literate idiots giving advice that doesn’t work at all, I give up. I mean, the advice they give is so bad, that’s not even what the registry looks like, I don’t think these people giving advice know much of anything, please stfu if you don’t know what you are talking about, quit wasting everyone’s time.
March 27th, 2008 22:05
I just can’t understand why anyone would take the time to write out several pages of detailed instructions, who’ve obviously never even tried them to see if they actually work.
Why would you waste your fucking time and everyone elses time? You can’t click the .reg file and import it to the registry.
Dude, you dont’ even mention WHAT OPERATING system you’re using, what are you doing giving advice on this?
I am sooooo sick of DUMBASSES like you on the internet, OH …MY …..GODDDDD
March 27th, 2008 22:09
God I am so sick of retard geeks who don’t really know anything writing pages and pages of bullshit advice, there’s so many things wrong with this piece of shit article, you should be banned from the internet for giving bogus advice and wasting everyone’s time who tried this ridiculous procedure. There is not one thing about any of this that works or could possibly work.
June 15th, 2008 21:50
This tip works perfectly on win xp’s ie7. Thanks!
July 13th, 2008 11:32
I used this and it works but IE7 still seems to be looking for a Microsofts website on startup even though the homepage is set to an entirely different site.