Can the "Search" be removed?

[kennysarmy]

Spent this week ditching our Windows 10 Edu test build and working on a LTSB 1607 alternative.

 

All working really well, but I've noticed even though I've redirected the start menu I'm seeing "Search" and "Settings" populated on my test pupils logon.

 

 

Nothing happens when they click on "Settings" but when they click on "Search" they get access to the search box, I have things well locked down but removing this box would just stop temptation for some...

 

 

Is it possible to remove it?

 

Cheers

[3s-gtech]

I've kept the search intact. It's very useful when you want to quickly launch an app. You're better off keeping it and locking down things they may find via it - they'd only find them another way. That's my recommendation, but it can be turned off with GP if you must.

[Blue_Cookeh]

I can't imagine anything more annoying than removing search from the start menu at this point. Don't forget you don't actually have to click search to get that box... you can just open the start menu and begin typing - if anything it's a much quicker way to open apps than using the desktop or scrolling through a start menu.

[ColonelPanic]

No, we've not found a way to disable it.

 

In previous W10 builds you used to be able to disable Cortana from running (Cortana is now the search function), but disabling Cortana now renders the entire start menu/taskbar non-functional (it greys out and you can't click on it)

 

If you type in UNC paths, they open up in Windows Explorer, so we wanted to disable it to stop our pupils from accessing it (some of our more enterprising pupils would also figure out how to run certain applications, mstsc, powershell etc.)

 

Blue_Cookeh is right though, you can just start typing in the start menu and the search box comes up, we've learned to cope with its existence, and started locking more programs down through Applocker.

[mavhc]

Search is the best thing about the start menu.

 

If you don't want folders opened, change the security, if you don't want programs run, block them with srp etc. Otherwise they'll just use Word Macros or python or ....