Can we disable the charms bar in Windows 8?

Anonymous
2013-01-22T14:37:05+00:00

Old Title: when I move the mouse around the right hand side bar keeps appearing, when I don't want it to.

I recently bought a new computer with Windows 8 and have managed to work with it OK.  The thing is that when I move the mouse around, the right hand sidebar with the Search, Share, Start, Devices and Settings buttons (and the date and time, bottom left),  keeps appearing.  It is so frustrating as I keep having to click to get rid of it. Ironically, when I am ready to close the computer down, I have to fiddle around with the mouse trying to get the damn bar to appear so that I can get the settings button to shut it down. Are there any solutions for this?

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Anonymous
2013-06-05T09:31:15+00:00

"I am sorry to inform you that we do not have any option to disable the Charms Bar in Windows 8."

OMG, when I pay hundreds of my hard-earned dollars, especially in this economy, I expect to customize my product after purchasing. Did Microsoft have regular people try Win 8 for awhile before releasing it?

Got it!!! Its simple, go to control panel, synaptics touchpad and disable side swipe function, simples. it was really beginning to annoy me.

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Anonymous
2013-01-23T10:24:36+00:00

Hi Deborah,

Thank you for choosing Windows 8 and posting your query on Microsoft Community Forums.

It seems that you are not happy with the “Charms Bar” in Windows 8 as it always appears when you move the mouse pointer to the right hand side of your computer screen and would like to know if we can disable it.

I am sorry to inform you that we do not have any option to disable the Charms Bar in Windows 8. I can definitely forward your suggestions to the concerned department.

Microsoft has designed it for making things faster and easier. The charms bar help you do the things you do most often, like search, share links and photos, connect devices, and change settings without any difficulties.

For more information, please check this link:

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-8/charms#1TC=t1

Hope this information is helpful.

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Anonymous
2013-07-31T18:02:19+00:00

"I am sorry to inform you that we do not have any option to disable the Charms Bar in Windows 8."

OMG, when I pay hundreds of my hard-earned dollars, especially in this economy, I expect to customize my product after purchasing. Did Microsoft have regular people try Win 8 for awhile before releasing it?

Got it!!! Its simple, go to control panel, synaptics touchpad and disable side swipe function, simples. it was really beginning to annoy me.

This issue was driving me crazy with my new week old inspiron 7720 windows 8.  I even spent time on the phone with tech support who suggested using an external mouse. I followed your suggestion to disable side swipe function and it worked perfectly.  Thank you.

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  1. Anonymous
    2014-07-09T00:14:35+00:00

    Yes, Shenan, thankfully win 8.1 has finally addressed this with the power button on the start screen. Probably due to the uproar from new users unable to shut down their computers. I look forward to even more improvements with win 8.2, making it more friendly for desktop users.

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  2. Anonymous
    2014-07-08T23:56:54+00:00

    lejaz,

    Let me again direct you to my older discussion - since you mentioned the power off situation.

    http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows8_1-desktop/modifying-windows-81-for-those-who-want-to-ease/47425a3a-a652-4d0a-9537-68d36fa36947

    There are MANY ways to shutdown Windows 8.1.  People seem to have trouble with this one, so...

    1. Pressing CTRL+ALT+DEL and clicking on the power button at the bottom right. [VIDEO LINK]
    2. Right-click on the Windows Logo in the bottom left of the screen and choosing a "shut down or sign out" option. [VIDEO LINK]
    3. Launch the Charms bar, click on the Settings charm, and then select the Power icon. [VIDEO LINK]
    4. I've used this method, but it's a little long; at the Start screen, click on your account photo in the upper right corner and then select the Sign out option. Click your mouse or tap any key to get past the Lock screen. At the log-in screen, click on the Shut down button in the lower right corner. [VIDEO LINK]
    5. Just press the actual physical power button (not holding it down, just pressing it once and letting go to start the shutdown process.)
    6. For those that have a touchscreen (I don't usually) - perhaps this: open File Explorer and navigate to the Windows\System32 folder. Scroll down the folder's contents until you see a file called "SlideToShutDown.exe". Double-click that file, and the lock screen appears at the top half of the screen promoting you to slide your finger down to exit Windows. Just slide your finger to power down.  To make this option more handy, right-click on the "SlideToShutDown.exe" file and select the option to Pin to Start. Now you have a Start screen tile that you can click on or tap whenever you want to shut down Windows. [VIDEO LINK]
    7. There is a power button at the top-right area of Windows 8.1 Update 1, the start screen menu, now.  Click it, see your choices there.  (You still click the username to the left of it for logoff type options.)

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