How to enable hidden immersive search on Windows 10

Windows 10 has a hidden floating search experience, and you can try it out with these steps.

Avatar for Mauro Huculak
@Pureinfotech
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Windows 10 immersive search
Windows 10 immersive search

It’d appear that Microsoft hasn’t yet completely ruled out the idea of the immersive search experience, as you can still enable the feature in the latest version of Windows 10.

When the software giant was developing the April 2018 Update, in addition to all the features and improvements, Microsoft was also testing a new immersive search experience that wasn’t attached to the taskbar. Instead, it was a new search box floating on the desktop, similar to the macOS Spotlight feature, but it never made it to the final version.

However, even after breaking Cortana and Search into two separate features, you can still (via Windows latest) enable immersive search and with rounded corners using the Registry.

In this guide, you’ll learn the steps to enable the immersive search experience hidden on Windows 10.

Warning: It’s very important to note that modifying the Windows Registry can cause serious problems if not used properly. It’s assumed you know what you’re doing and that you have created a full backup of your system before proceeding.

How to enable immersive search on Windows 10

Use these steps to enable the immersive interface to search on Windows 10:

  1. Open Start.

  2. Search for regedit and click the top result to open the app.

  3. Browse the following path:

    HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Search

  4. Right-click the Search key, select New, and click on DWORD (32-bit) Value.

    Search regedit location on Windows 10
    Search regedit location on Windows 10

  5. Name the key ImmersiveSearch and press Enter.

  6. Double-click the newly created DWORD and change its value from 0 to 1.

    ImmersiveSearch regedit
    ImmersiveSearch regedit

  7. Click the OK button.

  8. Browse the following path:

    HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Search\Flighting

  9. Right-click the Flighting key, select New, and click on Key.

  10. Name the key Override and press Enter.

    Override key regedit
    Override key regedit

  11. Right-click the newly created key, select New, and click on DWORD (32-bit) Value.

  12. Name the key ImmersiveSearchFull and press Enter.

  13. Double-click the newly created DWORD and change its value from 0 to 1.

    ImmersiveSearchFull regedit
    ImmersiveSearchFull regedit

  14. Click the OK button.

  15. Right-click the Override key again, select New, and click on DWORD (32-bit) Value.

  16. Name the key CenterScreenRoundedCornerRadius and press Enter.

  17. Double-click the newly created DWORD and change its value from 0 to 3. (The value simply indicates the radius size for the corners.)

    CenterScreenRoundedCornerRadius regedit
    CenterScreenRoundedCornerRadius regedit

  18. Click the OK button.

Once you complete the steps, opening Search should launch a floating interface with rounded corners on the desktop.

At any time, you can revert the changes using the same instructions, but on step No. 4, make sure to right-click the ImmersiveSearch key and select the Delete option. Also, on step No. 9, right-click the Override key and select the Delete option.

About the author
Avatar for Mauro Huculak

Mauro Huculak is a Windows expert and the Editor-in-Chief who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He is also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 12 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows, software, and related technologies, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 20 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me.