To disable File Explorer search box suggestions on Windows 10 and 11, open Registry Editor, navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer, create a DWORD (32-bit) value named DisableSearchBoxSuggestions, and set it to 1. Sign out and back in and File Explorer stops showing the recent-search and web-result dropdown when you type in the search box.
Applies to: Windows 10 (22H2) and Windows 11 (23H2, 24H2, 25H2) | Last updated: May 25, 2026
Key Takeaways
- The setting lives at
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Exploreras a DWORD (32-bit) value namedDisableSearchBoxSuggestions. - Setting the value to
1disables suggestions; deleting it or setting it to0restores the default behaviour. - The same key and value name works on Windows 10 22H2, Windows 11 23H2, 24H2, and 25H2.
- This only stops the dropdown while typing — File Explorer still searches the contents of the current folder normally.
- A one-line
reg addcommand applies the same change without opening Registry Editor, which is useful for scripting it across multiple machines.
Quick Steps
- Press Windows + R, type
regedit, and press Enter. - Paste
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Explorerinto the address bar (create the Explorer key if it does not exist). - Right-click the empty area on the right and choose New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.
- Name it
DisableSearchBoxSuggestions. - Double-click it, set Value data to
1, and click OK. - Sign out and back in (or restart) to apply the change.
Why Disable File Explorer Search Suggestions?
The File Explorer search box has shown an autocomplete dropdown since Windows 10. The dropdown is built from your recent search history and, in some Windows builds, web search hints — neither of which is helpful when you are trying to find a specific file in the current folder. It also leaks a list of every recent file name you searched for to anyone who clicks into the search box on your PC.
In my repair shop I disabled this on every Windows 10 build I handed back, mostly for two reasons. First, privacy: clients did not want the last fifty things they searched for staring back at the next person who used the machine. Second, focus: the suggestions appear over the first few results and pull attention away from what File Explorer actually finds. Disabling the dropdown puts the focus back on the real search results.
Method 1: Disable Search Suggestions in Registry Editor
Step 1: Open Registry Editor
Press Windows + R to open the Run dialog, type regedit, and press Enter. Click Yes on the User Account Control prompt to allow Registry Editor to make changes.
Tip: Before changing any registry key for the first time, click File > Export in Registry Editor and save a backup of the full registry. Restoring the export reverses anything you change in this guide.
Step 2: Navigate to the Explorer policy key
Click the address bar at the top of Registry Editor, paste the path below, and press Enter:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\ExplorerIf the Explorer key does not exist (it is missing on a lot of fresh installs), right-click the Windows key in the left pane, choose New > Key, and name it Explorer exactly as shown. The next step writes the value inside that new key.
Step 3: Create the DisableSearchBoxSuggestions value
With the Explorer key selected, right-click the empty white area on the right side of the window and choose New > DWORD (32-bit) Value. Name the new entry DisableSearchBoxSuggestions — the name is case sensitive and must match exactly. Double-click the entry, change Value data from 0 to 1, and click OK.
Step 4: Sign out to apply the change
Close Registry Editor and either sign out and back in or restart the PC. On the next sign-in, click into the File Explorer search box — the dropdown of past searches no longer appears, and File Explorer goes straight to searching the current folder when you press Enter.
Method 2: Apply the Same Change with One Command
If you would rather skip Registry Editor entirely, the reg add command writes the same value from an elevated Command Prompt or PowerShell window. It also creates the Explorer key automatically if it does not already exist, so this is the fastest option on a brand-new install.
Open Start, type cmd, right-click Command Prompt and choose Run as administrator, then paste:
reg add "HKCU\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer" /v DisableSearchBoxSuggestions /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /fThe command prints The operation completed successfully. when it works. Sign out and back in to apply.
To re-enable suggestions later, run the same command with /d 0, or delete the value entirely:
reg delete "HKCU\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer" /v DisableSearchBoxSuggestions /fApply It Without Editing the Registry Yourself
If you would rather not touch the registry at all, my own Winhance utility groups dozens of Windows tweaks like this one — telemetry, advertising ID, news and interests, search behaviour — into toggles you can flip on and off. Every toggle is reversible and the underlying registry key is documented in the app, so you can see exactly what each switch does before you apply it.
If you are setting up a new Windows install from scratch and want all of these privacy tweaks applied during install, UnattendedWinstall bakes them into the autounattend.xml so the PC arrives configured the way you want without any post-install work.
Common Issues and Solutions
The Explorer key does not exist under the Windows policy folder.
This is the default state on a fresh install. Right-click the Windows key under HKCU\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows, choose New > Key, and name it Explorer exactly. Then create the DWORD inside it.
The change does not take effect after a restart.
Double-check the value name — DisableSearchBoxSuggestions must be spelled exactly, with no leading or trailing spaces, and the Value data must be 1 (not 0). Confirm the value is a DWORD (32-bit), not a QWORD or a String.
You would rather avoid the registry entirely.
The Winhance toggle for File Explorer search suggestions applies the exact same key without you having to open Registry Editor. Like disabling mouse acceleration via the registry, this is a low-risk reversible change — but a GUI is still a GUI.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will this stop File Explorer from searching for files?
No. The change only suppresses the autocomplete dropdown that appears while you are typing in the search box. Pressing Enter still searches the current folder and its subfolders exactly as before, and the results pane behaves identically.
Does this work on both Windows 10 and Windows 11?
Yes. The registry path and value name are the same on Windows 10 22H2 and Windows 11 23H2, 24H2, and 25H2. The setting also persists across feature updates because it lives under the per-user HKEY_CURRENT_USER hive.
Is there a Settings app toggle for this?
No. Microsoft has never exposed this in the Settings app or in Folder Options. Registry Editor, a reg add command, Group Policy on Pro and Enterprise editions, or a tool like Winhance are the only ways to apply it.
Will this disable web search results from the taskbar too?
No. This key only affects File Explorer’s search box. The web results that appear in the Windows search panel (the one that opens when you click the taskbar search icon) are controlled by separate keys — see my taskbar search bar guide for the related taskbar search behaviour.
Can I deploy this across multiple PCs at once?
Yes. The easiest way is to export the Explorer key from Registry Editor (right-click > Export) and double-click the resulting .reg file on each PC. For domain or fleet deployments, the reg add command from Method 2 drops cleanly into a logon script, a Group Policy preference, or an Intune configuration profile.
