How to remove Bing toolbar?

roncerr · 01 Oct 2011

It sounds like you may have confused the "toolbar" with the "search provider". IE comes with several Microsoft websites as default (like search, maps, webmail). None of these are programs that would appear in Programs and Features. But a "toolbar" is an add-in program that does appear in P&F. Toolbars are not part of Windows at all and must be manually downloaded and installed by someone. So the procedure to get rid of Bing would be to uninstall the toolbar and also to go to Tools/Manage Addons in IE to remove any addons that may have come with IE by default or may have been added by someone else.

KouldB · 05 Oct 2011

I didn't call it a "toolbar", and nor did I refer to it as one, I think the thread itself was titled as that. I was referring to the specific name IE gives to Bing or Ask as a "search provider". It's located on the top right hand side of the browser (on my machine anyhow) and it's called a "serach provider". I believe that is what people were trying to disable/delete :)

KouldB · 05 Oct 2011

Bing was a seperate app that was in add/remove programs. It must have been installed with HP O/S as it had to be installed three times due to some other hardware issue. That was how I was able to uninstall it. I didn't even think of looking there until I saw others mentioning that on their PC it was an 'uninstalable' program. As I said I suspect my version of Win 7 from HP may have it as a bundle.

But can you please do me a favour, now that I have your attention? Can you point me in the right direction regarding the Google Instant feature in Explorer 8?? It is driving me insane and it seems like everyone is trying to get rid of it but most cant? Have I read that right? I know I can't. It's so annoying. Do you know of some other little trick that you may want to share with me/us/the world?? We'd love you for it

BrightBlessings · 05 Oct 2011

Have a look here. About halfway down the page for the IE8 answer, hope this may be of help.

How do I turn off google instant permanently WITHOUT logging in or using cookies? With like a switch or something - Web Search Help

roncerr · 05 Oct 2011

KouldB said:

...Google Instant feature in Explorer 8?? It is driving me insane and it seems like everyone is trying to get rid of it but most cant...

I've never heard it described as a "feature in IE8". I hate it also since it prevents me from using a default number of results per page greater than 10. It seems to be a default "feature" of Google. The way I get rid of it is to customize the Google search page using the gear icon in the upper right of the page. Choose "Search Settings". One of the settings lets you select or deselect Google Instant and another is the default number of results per page. Google should save the settings as a cookie on your computer. You should be able to use the search settings page whether or not you also "sign in". I've noticed that I have to go back to the gear icon to reset my settings on occasion. I'm pretty sure that if you delete your cookies you'll have to set them up again.

I generally use the "Advanced Search" page Google Advanced Search which lets me do a more targeted search and also immediately shows the "results per page" that I've customized. If it ever goes back to "10" I know it's time to go back to the gear and resetup the settings.

tarun208 · 11 Dec 2011

open this url in the browser(Chrome/FF/IE/..) u want to kick-out bing:
Make Google your Default Search Engine
click "start now"
It will solve all your problems :) enjoy
Note: everytime you get "Bing" after any microsoft product installation, just do this simple step to keep loving google...

This is only for google lovers :)
thanks

tarun208 · 11 Dec 2011

open this url in the browser(Chrome/FF/IE/..) u want to kick-out bing:
"www.google.com/homepage/search/"
click "start now"
It will solve all your problems :) enjoy
Note: everytime you get "Bing" after any microsoft product installation, just do this simple step to keep loving google...

This is only for google lovers :)
thanks

themaverick · 28 Jan 2012

leeh said:

Forget all the advice trying to remove the toolbar from the desktop, IE8 browser/toolbars settings, control panel etc. The only definitive and permanent way of removing this intrusive tool(Bing) bar is through the registry editor :

1. Run Registry Editor (RegEdit.exe)
2. Navigate to following registry key -

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\InternetExplorer\InfoDelivery\Restrictions

Right click on the NoSearchBox data and modify the value from 0 to 1

Finished, this will permanently remove the annoying Bing toolbar from IE8, without even the need to restart and you can be guaranteed the damn thing won't reappear unless the value is switched back!

Trying to remove this but in regedit theres no Internet Exploer under Microsoft at the point you suggest.

roncerr · 28 Jan 2012

Yes, it's not there. Perhaps it could be added to the registry. But I'd suggest reading my post at the top of the page. It can't be so hard to remove Bing that you need to use the registry.

endeavor · 14 Feb 2012

roncerr said:

Yes, it's not there. Perhaps it could be added to the registry. [....]

Yes it can be added to the registry ..similar to what 'themaverick' said but he left out information; also it needs to be in HKCU

Here's a Screenshot of the Bing Search Box that is included in a stock Windows 7 w/IE8 installed and is the specific one being referred to in this post; the screenshot shows it turned either On or Off.

To stop the Bing Search Box from displaying in the IE8 can be done by using the Local Group Policy Editor

From Start> Run> type in: gpedit.msc
..then hit Enter.
(Does Policy Editor open? I only ask because Not All Versions of Windows 7 include the Policy Editor = the Home version does not!)

When the Policy Editor opens, go down to
~User Configuration> Administrative Templates> Windows Components> Internet Explorer
~In the right pane go down through the list, find and right-click this listing:

* Prevent Internet Explorer Search box from displaying

..right-click to: Edit> ..and here change it from 'Not Configured' to 'Enabled'

And that will do exactly what it says, it "Prevents Internet Explorer Search box from displaying"
..which means that Bing Search box (or any other search provider within there) will not show up on that IE8 bar anymore.
~To put the Search box back - just reverse the process in the Policy Editor.

~~~~~~~~~

Now, for those of you who only have Windows 7 Home and don't have gpedit.msc (Local Group Policy Editor) to run, or you just want a quick way to do it no matter what version of Win7 you have!
..well you're still in luck since this policy editor is just a fancy registry editor among other things, nevertheless it makes its changes in the registry anyway, and so just doing the above procedure and then software registry tracking all the changes it made, exporting just the specific differences applied, and this below is what it did - it's actually very very simple I was surprised, and works, tested and confirmed!

You can manually add this to your registry if you want, or best just to just copy/paste this info below into notepad and save it as something like noBing.txt, and then of course rename its .txt extension to a .reg extension, and then merge it ..and the next time you open IE8 to a website that Bing Search bar will be gone.

To reverse it just create yourself another copy of your noBing.reg and re-name it something like restoreBing.reg, but inside Be Sure to edit the value 1 back to a 0, i.e. "NoSearchBox"=dword:00000000

Code:

 
REGEDIT4
 
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Infodelivery\Restrictions]
"NoSearchBox"=dword:00000001

..or here, attached, it's done already, I've made the reg files for you to download.

How to remove Bing toolbar?

Uninstall of Bing