Windows 7 has a very smart search feature embedded right inside the Windows Explorer. You can open any folder and type inside the this search box shown at the top-right corner of Windows Explorer. It would immediately start searching your hard disk for those search terms and show the results inside the Windows Explorer window. But if you share your computer with others, then it may be a privacy problem because Windows retains your most recent search terms. Anybody you share your computer would be able to find easily what you were looking for. You can disable Windows to save and display your most recent searches using a group policy setting. Here is how :
- Click on the Start Menu button (the blue orb in the lower-left corner of your screen), type gpedit.msc and press Enter. This would open the Group Policy Editor.
- In the Group Policy Editor navigate to User Configuration → Administrative Templates → Windows Components → Windows Explorer as shown. You would find a setting named Turn off display of recent search entries in the Windows Explorer in the right pane of Group Policy Editor.
- Double-click on this setting and choose Enabled in the window that shows up. Click on the OK button to save the setting.
- That’s it. From now on, you can search for any files or folders in Windows Explorer without worrying about anyone finding about it. Now Windows Explorer will not save or display your recent searches in it.