How do I restore the search box after the Anniversary Update?

A You’re referring to the answer we gave to George Barnacle in Issue 477. However, those instructions are now useless to you or anyone else who’s applied the Anniversary Update, because Microsoft’s most recent changes means that it’s Cortana all the way — and there’s no easy way to disable it.

Let’s start with the simple stuff: if all you want to do is put a search box back on your taskbar then that’s possible, although the method has changed and it’s still Cortana — just in different clothes. First, right-click a blank part of the taskbar and choose Settings. Now slide the ‘Use small taskbar buttons’ to its Off position (see screenshot above), then click the cross at the top right to close the Settings window. Now once again right-click a blank part of the taskbar and this time point to Cortana and then click ‘Show search box’. You’ll notice here that there’s also a Hide option, but that doesn’t actually disable Cortana. It just removes the icon from the taskbar.

One or other of these methods might be enough for you but it is possible to disable Cortana fully with a bit more work. If you have Windows 10 Pro or Enterprise, press Windows key+r, type gpedit.msc in the box and press Enter. Use the left-hand pane of the Group Policy Editor to navigate to Computer Configuration\administrative Templates\windows Components\ Search. In the right-hand pane, double-click Allow Cortana. Choose the Disabled button and click OK.

If you use Windows 10 Home then a Registry hack is required, so back up before proceeding. Press Windows+r, type regedit and press Enter. In the left-hand pane of the Registry Editor window, navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_ MACHINE\SOFTWARE\POLICIES\ Microsoft\windows\windows Search. Look in the right-hand page for a key named Windows Search. If it’s not there right-click the Windows folder in the left-hand pane, point to New then click Key. Call it ‘Windows Search’, then click OK. Now right-click Windows Search in the right-hand pane, point to New, then ‘DWORD (32-bit) Value’. Call this value ‘Allowcortana’ and click OK. Double-click Allowcortana, set the Value to 0 (to restore Cortana later, change this value back to 1). Finally, click the cross to close the Registry Editor, then restart your PC. Q A while ago you explained how to disable Cortana and restore the simple search box in Windows 10. I followed your instructions and was very happy with the results. However, after applying the Anniversary Update, the search box disappeared from my taskbar, and was replaced by the Cortana icon. I can’t remember what issue your original instructions were in, and I can’t find any way myself to get the search box back, or even just disable Cortana. Could you remind me which issue your guide was in? Joel Dean