Windows 7: Search the web directly from your taskbar

Windows Vista offers you the option to “Search the Internet”, directly above the search box in your start menu. The new Windows 7 does not contain this shortcut anymore, Microsoft has removed it from the start menu. If you like to, you can re-integrate it.

To re-add the fast web search into your start menu, do the following steps:

1. Press the keyboard shortcut [Windows key] + [R] to open the Run dialog box.
2. Enter the regedit command, and confirm with OK.
3. In the Windows registry editor, navigate to the following folder:

   HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Policies/Microsoft

4. Then, right-click the sub-folder Windows and choose the option New > Key. Overwrite the default name New key #1 with the label Explorer.
5. Then, right-click the new sub-folder Explorer and choose the option New > DWORD value. Replace the text New value #1 with the following name:

   AddSearchInternetLinkInStartMenu

6. Confirm your entry with OK.
7. Now, double-click AddSearchInternetLinkInStartMenu, enter the value 1, then confirm with OK.

You’re done. After your next reboot, the new command “Search the Internet” will appear when you enter a search term into your start menu search box.