Office

How to Hide the Search Bar in Office 365 Apps

Learn to declutter your Office 365 interface by minimizing the search bar, freeing up valuable screen space while keeping search functionality just a click away.

By Shivamm 1 min read
How to Hide the Search Bar in Office 365 Apps

Microsoft Office 365 introduced a prominent search bar in its title bar, offering quick access to various features and commands. While useful, some users find it takes up too much space. Here’s how you can hide the search bar without losing its functionality.

Step 1: Open any Office 365 application like Word, Excel, or PowerPoint. For this guide, we’ll use Microsoft Word as an example.

Step 2: Click on the “File” tab in the top-left corner of the application window. This will open the backstage view.

Step 3: In the backstage view, click on “Options” near the bottom of the left sidebar. This will open the Word Options dialog box.

Step 4: In the Word Options dialog box, select “General” from the left sidebar if it’s not already selected.

Step 5: Scroll down to the “User Interface options” section. Look for the option labeled “Collapse the Microsoft Search box by default” and check the box next to it.

Step 6: Click “OK” at the bottom of the dialog box to save your changes and close the Options window.

Step 7: Return to your document. You’ll notice that the search bar has been replaced by a small magnifying glass icon in the title bar.

After following these steps, the search bar will be hidden, giving you more space in the title bar. However, the search functionality remains easily accessible. To use the search feature:

  • Click on the magnifying glass icon in the title bar to expand the search box.
  • Use the keyboard shortcut Alt+Q to quickly access the search box without using your mouse.

This method doesn’t completely remove the search feature but collapses it into a more compact form. It’s a great compromise between saving space and maintaining quick access to the powerful search capabilities of Office 365.

Remember, you’ll need to repeat this process for each Office 365 application where you want to hide the search bar. The setting doesn’t automatically apply across all Office apps.

With these simple steps, you’ve reclaimed some valuable screen real estate while keeping Office 365’s search power at your fingertips. Happy decluttering!