How to Remove Microsoft Edge Search Box Placeholder Text?

In Microsoft Edge, the Address bar (Search box) always shows the placeholder text “Search or enter web address”. If you find this distracting, here is a way to remove the default placeholder text and make it appear blank.

edge search box default placeholder text

Note: Information in this article does not apply to the new Microsoft Edge (Chromium). It’s applicable to the old Microsoft Edge browser only.

Remove Edge Search box placeholder text

1. Open the Registry Editor (regedit.exe)

2. Go to the following branch:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\AppContainer\Storage\microsoft.microsoftedge_8wekyb3d8bbwe\MicrosoftEdge\ServiceUI

3. Create the following REG_DWORD values:

  • HideAddressBoxPlaceholderTextOnStartPage
  • HideAddressBoxPlaceholderTextOnNewTabPage

4. Set the value data for the above values to 1



edge search box default placeholder text

5. Exit the Registry Editor, and open Microsoft Edge web browser.

edge search box empty placeholder

You’ll see that the search box placeholder text is not gone!


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Ramesh Srinivasan is passionate about Microsoft technologies and he has been a consecutive ten-time recipient of the Microsoft Most Valuable Professional award in the Windows Shell/Desktop Experience category, from 2003 to 2012. He loves to troubleshoot and write about Windows. Ramesh founded Winhelponline.com in 2005.

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