Disable Windows Search History for All Users via Regedit

This guide explains how to permanently disable Windows search history recording across all local user accounts using the Registry Editor (Regedit). By applying this policy under the Local Machine hive, Windows will stop logging search queries and displaying previous search entries for every user profile configured on the computer.

Step 1: Open the Registry Editor

  1. Press Windows Key + R to open the Run dialog box.
  2. Type regedit and press Enter.
  3. Select Yes when prompted by User Account Control (UAC).

Step 2: Navigate to the Windows Search Policy Key

In the Registry Editor’s left sidebar, navigate to the following path:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Windows Search

Note: If the Windows Search key does not exist under Windows, right-click on the Windows folder, select New > Key, and name it Windows Search.

Step 3: Create and Modify the Registry Value

  1. Right-click on the Windows Search key in the left pane or in the empty space in the right pane.
  2. Select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.
  3. Name the new value DisableSearchHistory.
  4. Double-click DisableSearchHistory, set the Value data to 1, and click OK.

Step 4: Apply the Changes

To make the changes take effect across all user accounts, restart your computer or restart the Windows Explorer process:

  1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
  2. Under the Processes tab, locate Windows Explorer.
  3. Right-click it and select Restart.

How to Re-enable Search History

If you need to restore search history logging for all users in the future:

  1. Navigate back to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Windows Search.
  2. Double-click DisableSearchHistory and change the Value data to 0, or right-click DisableSearchHistory and choose Delete.
  3. Restart your computer or Windows Explorer.