Windows 11 has improved dramatically since it was first released, mostly because Microsoft has slowly implemented changes based on user feedback. Despite those gains, there are still some glaring issues I have with the Windows 11. Luckily, they can be fixed with a few easy registry tweaks.

These particular registry tweaks are unlikely to cause problems even if they go horribly amiss, but in general, fiddling with the Windows Registry can break things. I’d recommendmaking a backup of the Registrybefore tinkering with anything.

Searching for Registry Editor in the Windows Start Menu.

Disable Bing Search in the Start Menu

Bing search is fully integrated into the Windows 11 Start menu search by default. If you type exactly what you’re looking for, then you won’t have a problem—you’ll probably only get the desired result.

However, I don’t type perfectly. That means occasionally mistyping a search results in the Start Menu displaying Bing results, which I’m quite literally never interested in. If I wanted to search the internet, I’d launch a browser.

The path to the registry key in the Registry Editor address bar.

Unfortunately, Windows doesn’t provide a convenient way to disable Bing search from within the Settings Menu (or any legacy menus, for that matter). However, you may disable it by tweaking the Registry.

First, open the Start Menu and search for Registry Editor, then launch the program. Your main display is basically a registry browser that works very similarly to File Explorer.

Creating a new registry key.

In that case, navigate to Computer > HKEY_CURRENT_USER > SOFTWARE > Policies > Microsoft > Windows. Alternatively, just paste the following g path in the address bar at the top:

If you have a key named Explorer, just open it. Otherwise, you’ll need to create it. Right-click “Windows,” then select New > Key, and name the new key Explorer.

Creating a new DWORD (32-bit) Value.

Within the Explorer key, right-click and select New > DWORD (32-bit), and type DisableSearchBoxSuggestions in the field.

Once that is done, double-click “DisableSearchBoxSuggestions” and set the value to 1, which corresponds to True or Enabled.

Open to the CLSID key in Registry Editor.

With that done, Bing should be gone from your Start Menu as soon as you restart your PC. To re-enable Bing search, just change that value back to 0.

Restore the Old Right-Click Context Menu

The right-click context menu has been a staple of Windows since the beginning, and it received a significant redesign in Windows 11. Despite improvements since Windows 11’s release, like bigger copy and paste buttons, decades of habit still leave me partial to the “old-fashioned” right-click context menu.

Once again, there is no built-in way to disable the new menu, but you can do it through the Windows Registry.

Create a new registry key called Personalization.

Tap the Windows key, then search for Windows Registry. Navigate to Computer > HKEY_CURRENT_USER > SOFTWARE > CLASSES > CLSID or enter the following path in the address bar:

Once there, right-click empty space and select New > Key, then paste the following in the name field:

Open that up so that your full path at the top reads Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\CLASSES\CLSID{86ca1aa0-34aa-4e8b-a509-50c905bae2a2}, then right-click empty space and go to New > Key, and name the new key InprocServer32.

Open up the InprocServer32 key, and note that Default shows (value not set). Double-click the entry, put nothing in the value data field, then click “OK.” When you’re done, the Data column should show nothing rather than (value not set).

Once that is done, all you need to do is restart File Explorer, and you’ll be back to the old-fashioned right-click context menu. Alternatively, you can just restart your PC. It’ll accomplish the same thing.

To restore the modern Windows 11 right-click menu, right-click and delete “InprocServer32,” then restart File Explorer again. It’ll come back.

Disable the Lock Screen

Though Ilockmy computer frequently, I don’t actuallyuse the lock screen. It is just another thing in the way when I need to log back in, so I disable it entirely immediately whenever I set up a fresh install of Windows 11.

Once the Registry Editor is open, navigate to:

Next, create another registry key within the Windows key. Right-click the “Windows” key, then go to New > Key, and create a new keyPersonalization.

Select the “Personalization” key, then right-click empty space and go to New > DWORD (32-Bit). Set the name of the DWORD toNoLockScreen, then double-click it and set “Data Value” to1.

Now any time you log in, you may just enter your password.

While registry tweaks are a decent way to customize how your PC operates, they aren’tthe best way to customize its appearance. For that, you’ll have a much easier time using third-party utilities instead.