How to get rid of all the tips and cortana garbage on search toolbar?

QwerkyPengwen

Splendid
Ambassador
while it trying to provide you with default generic things to search for in an attempt to get you to use it to do searches is annoying, I've never heard of any method to completely remove it since the search bar/cortana are pretty much one and the same and by removing that stuff you would render the search bar useless.

I am assuming your gripe is just that you don't like seeing everytime you click on the search bar to search for something.

So question:
Are you using the search bar to search for stuff online or just for searching for a program name or file on your PC?
If using it for online, I suggest you just use google, since clicking on something in the search bar that shows up will open a browser anyways, can just open the browser first and then do a search.

If using it to look up files on your PC that you lost track of or to pull up a program to open since you perhaps don't like pinning things to the task bar, start menu, or shortcuts on desktop, you can always just open the start menu and start typing and it will automatically start searching skipping past looking at that cortana stuff and looking at the start menu is nicer than that.
 

Colif

Win 11 Master
Moderator
I think he just wants to remove all the extra choices

If you use a local account instead of an account linked to your Microsoft login, cortana doesn't exist.... sure, it wants you to click the button marked sign in to cortana but you don't have to

This is my search screen -
XxS4e11.jpg
- size is based on fact I am running Version 1809

how to create local user - https://support.microsoft.com/en-au/help/4026923/windows-10-create-a-local-user-or-administrator-account

if you do set one up, make it admin and copy contents of old users folder (C:\users\username) over top of new user. then it has same access without cortana wanting to "help" all the time. Also don't need to install anything again, just maybe login to a few things.

Another choice is just remove cortana since you have Pro - https://www.pcgamer.com/how-to-disable-cortana/