Don’t like the new wide search bar on Windows 11? Here’s how to get the original one back
Two ways to get rid of Windows 11 wide search bar and bring back the original one on the taskbar.
Windows 11 update
Windows 11 update is controversial since it came into existence. As many of them distaste the new search bar, the reason behind people’s aversion is its wideness.
Microsoft brings you a new task menu, widgets window, search field, and UI options with recently launched Windows 11 OS. Along with changes, the taskbar is centrally placed at the bottom, unlike the old version.
The new taskbar is a blench when compared to the old version Windows 10. However, Microsoft is assiduous to go in line with old features as well as introducing new features.
Windows 11 KB5019980 released last month changed the search icon on the taskbar to a search bar, and that hasn’t gone down well with some users. A newer preview build addressed the puzzle by giving users the option to change between three search bar styles, but that hasn’t made up to the mark. Thankfully, there’s a workaround for that.
Limitations of new search bar
The position of the taskbar can not be altered. Apart from that, the taskbar has only three resizing options like small, default, and large.
How to get the search icon back on Windows 11 taskbar (the unofficial way)
The Band-Aid solution involves ViVeTool, which you can download from its GitHub page. Once downloaded, you’ll have to extract the zip file into the System32 folder.
Note, that the System32 folder contains important operating system files that Windows needs to function properly, so proceed with caution. To access the folder, navigate to “C:\WINDOWS\System32.”
Likewise, launch an admin-level terminal window by right-clicking on the start menu and then clicking on “Terminal (Admin).” Next, enter the following command into the terminal window: vivetool /disable /id:39263329
After executing the command, you are likely to see the successfully set feature configurations. However, you may not see the change at the same moment. For that you need to restart your PC.
How to get the search icon back on Windows 11 taskbar (the official way)
The Windows 11 preview build states, “we are continuing to try out different treatments for how search looks on the taskbar. We are excited to learn from your feedback on this, so please let us know what you think via Feedback Hub if you see the different treatments on your PC. Insiders who get this experience will have the ability to change the treatment of search on taskbar in settings under Settings > Personalization > Taskbar > Taskbar Items.”
However, who don’t like the experience may change their taste by heading to settings>Personalization>Taskbar>Taskbar items. Here you will observe four options available to select from: No icon, Search icon, Search box, and Search button.
Select any one as per your requirement and you will see the change immediately.
