Microsoft Edge is quickly becoming one of the most popular web browsers, and a new feature called “Discover” is helping to make it even more appealing. This convenient button gives users quick access to topics such as news, recipes, sports, and more. Unfortunately, this useful tool may take up too much of your screen space if you don't use it regularly.
If you want to reclaim some of your browser window's real estate, this article will show you how to remove the Bing “Discover” button in Microsoft Edge.
What is the Discover Button in Microsoft Edge?
In the upper-right corner of Microsoft Edge, you'll find a Bing button that provides direct access to the AI-powered Bing search engine. This feature, named the Discover button, was announced by Microsoft in February and is powered by ChatGPT. The Discover button is designed to make Microsoft's search service more competitive against Google.
While the Bing Discover button in Microsoft Edge can be helpful for some users, others may find it distracting and detrimental to their productivity. The good news is that removing this feature from Microsoft Edge is a quick and easy process. Starting with version 113, Microsoft Edge includes a simple graphical user interface that allows users to remove the button in just a few clicks.
For earlier versions of the browser, users can still remove the feature, but it requires a bit more work. Let's take a look at how to remove the Bing “Discover” button in Microsoft Edge.
How To Remove Bing “Discover” Button in Microsoft Edge
Depending on your Microsoft Edge version, as well as your operating system, the steps for removing the button may be slightly different. Only the latest versions of Edge (version 113 and later) include a convenient button for turning the Discover feature off. If you're using an older version, you need to get hands-on with the inner workings of Microsoft Edge.
Here's what you need to do to remove the Bing "Discover" button from Microsoft Edge:
- Remove the Bing Button From the Edge Toolbar
- Change the Registry (Windows)
- Use a Terminal Command (macOS)
1. Remove the Bing Button From the Edge Toolbar
If you're using Microsoft Edge version 113 or later, you can easily remove the button from your toolbar using a few steps. Unfortunately, this solution is not available for earlier versions of the browser.
- Launch Microsoft Edge.
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Click on the menu button (shown by 3 dots) in the top-right corner to expand it, and then click on "Settings."
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Switch to the “Sidebar” tab using the menu on the left side of the screen. Next, scroll down to "App specific settings," and click on "Discover" from the list.
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Toggle off the "Show Discover" setting to hide the Bing Discover button in the latest versions of Microsoft Edge. Your changes will be applied automatically.
Of course, if you wish to turn the Bing Discover button back on, navigate to the same location and toggle it back on.
2. Change the Registry (Windows)
Older versions of Microsoft Edge, like version 111 or 112, don't have a way to turn off the Bing Discover button. Windows users can get rid of it by changing the Registry. To do that, open the Registry Editor and follow the steps in our guide!
We highly recommend creating a Registry backup before making any changes. It's also worth noting that you need a local administrator account, or password, to make changes to the Registry.
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Press the Windows + R keys on your keyboard at the same time to open the Run utility. Here, type in "regedit" and press OK. This is going to open the Registry Editor.
- Press Yes if prompted to grant permissions to the app. If you're using a local account that doesn't have administrator permissions, click here to learn how to grant admin access.
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Navigate to the following key in the Registry: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft
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Right-click on the “Microsoft” folder, and then select New > Key from the context menu. Name the key “Edge” without the quotes.
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Right-click on the newly created “Edge” folder, and select New > DWORD (32-bit) value. Name this value “HubsSidebarEnabled” without the quotes.
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Right-click on the “HubsSidebarEnabled” value from the right side of the window, and then select “Modify” from the context menu.
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Make sure that the “Value data” field is set to “0” in the editor. Also, double-check that “Hexadecimal” is selected as the base. When done, click the OK button to close the window, and exit the Registry Editor.
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Launch Microsoft Edge, and type “edge://policy” into the address bar. Hit Enter to navigate to the correct page.
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Click on the “Reload Policies” button. This should remove the sidebar in Microsoft Edge, along with the Bing Discover button.
3. Use a Terminal Command (macOS)
If you're using an older version of Microsoft Edge on a macOS system, you can remove the Bing Discover button with a Terminal command. This requires a local administrator account, or password, to make changes to the system.
- Open the macOS Terminal by navigating to Go > Utilities > Terminal in your menu bar, found at the top of the screen.
- Enter the following command, and then press the Enter key to execute it: open -n -a "Microsoft Edge" --args --disable-features=msEdgeSidebarV2
- After executing this command, the Bing Discover button won’t show up in your Microsoft Edge for Mac sidebar.
Should I Remove the Bing Discover Button From Microsoft Edge?
If you're unsure whether or not you need the Bing button in Edge, the best way to find out is to use it for a while. If you find that you're not using it very often, it may be a good idea to remove it from your browser toolbar. This could free up some screen space, and even reduce resource usage.
However, just because you're not finding it useful right now, doesn't mean that it won't be useful in the future. The Bing Discover feature is still in early development, and we're expecting to see much more from Microsoft in the coming months. So, you may want to leave it enabled for now and reevaluate later.
It's worth staying updated on new features and updates to the Bing experience, which Microsoft frequently announces. So, even if you decide to remove the Bing button from Edge for now, you can always add it back later if you find that it's become a valuable tool for your browsing needs.
Conclusion
Microsoft Edge’s Bing Discover button can be a valuable tool for quickly finding news, recipes, sports information, and more. However, it may take up too much of your screen real estate if you don't use it regularly. Fortunately, removing this feature from Microsoft Edge is an easy process that takes just a few clicks or commands on Windows and macOS systems respectively. With the extra space, you can enjoy a clutter-free browsing experience!
We hope this guide has helped teach you how to remove the Bing “Discover” button from Microsoft Edge. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them in the comment section below. Thank you for reading!
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