Is it possible to completely remove the Search Box from the Start Menu on Windows 8.1?

I tried the following GPO settings but the search box still appears and I can search and find things.

User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Start Menu and Taskbar > Do not search for files 
User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Start Menu and Taskbar > Do not search Internet
User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Start Menu and Taskbar > Do not search
User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Start Menu and Taskbar > Remove Run menu from Start Menu

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Bezsor

See if the following helps:

How to enable or disable Windows Search in Windows 7 / 8

Hide / Remove Search Box and Up Button from Windows 8 and 8.1 Explorer

Hi

The fist link contains 2 options, one is to uninstall Windows Search in Add/Remove programs, this option isn't available in Win8.1. The other option is to add a registry Key which I added and didn't work, meaning I was able to see the search box.

The second link advises to install a freebie 3rd party software  and I don't want to do that. I believe there should be a native way to remove the search box or as a last resort configure it in a way that it does not find anything.

If anyone knows a way to remove the search box or prevent it from searching and finding please let me know.

Bezsor

Is it possible to completely remove the Search Box from the Start Menu on Windows 8.1?

Start Menu?  This sounds like a question in W10.  Even Start Screen in W8.1.2 doesn't have a Search box but does have a Search button which opens MUF Search (aka Win-q).  However, if I have my default Start Screen set to an Apps view (e.g. by most used) then there is a Search box.  But I think that is just there as "training wheels" for people who don't understand that we can start searching by typing, which is a kind of Start Screen navigation (e.g. with Ctrl-Tab if necessary).  Would you want to disable that too?

In Win8.1, when u click on the Start button, then next to the username (usually top right corner) you get a magnifying glass (search button), that's the button I want removed. Or on the charms bar you also get this magnifying glass (search button), I want that removed too. As a last resort configure the search button, ideally using group policies in a way that it does not find/search anything when u type in the search box. Can this be done?

Can this be done?

I don't know.  However, where I would start experimenting is with this command (in PowerShell)

Set-WindowsSearchSetting

E.g. find out what all you can do with it.  You could run ProcMon to try to find out its implementation.  E.g assuming a registry value to enable persistence, filter with Operation Is RegSetValue.  Doing that could show you a location where other more obscure options might be located or at least which would lead to related documentation that would be closer to be about what you are interested in.  For example, perhaps SearchExperience could have a hidden value that would do exactly what you want.  Etc.

FWIW one thing that I have imagined and hoped for ever since the final Search Experience became apparent is being able to make Search Settings a default instead of Search Everywhere.  This is the same kind of analysis I would try for beginning that project too.  I may actually try it yet myself.

Good luck

So much for optimism:

PS>Set-WindowsSearchSetting -SearchExperienceSetting "NotPersonalized"
SearchExperience: Can't choose this setting because EnWebResultsSetting is false.

 My initial thought about about your suggestion is that ideally I want to use Group policies to achieve this. since this is how we implement various policies. I don't understand why this has to be so complicated. In windows 2008 & Win 7, all I had to do was to modify few items in the group policy and then the search wouldn't search anything (became disabled). It seems in Win8 & 2012, those policies just don't wok despite being in the GPO and I don't know why? Why when a new product comes out, old features stop working? Could you think of another solution?

ideally I want to use Group policies to achieve this. since this is how we implement various policies.

ProcMon would help generate clues for that tack too.

Hi,

I have to admit that the process in Windows 7 is much easier than Windows 8 since Windows search was a removable feature of previous Windows version. Instead of disable that, if you dont want some files show up under search result, it has a variety of group policy for search result control. They are under Computer Configuration->Administrative Templates-Windows Components->search

Regards,

D. Wu