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
    2014-05-04T18:49:08+00:00

    Why are you suggesting people search the Internet for the answers when this very conversation contains links and methods to do exactly what you are having them search for?  ;-)

    For those who want to change a few options in Windows 8.1 to make it more familiar while they decide what to do from there (learn the new methodologies or not) - I suggest this discussion:

    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

    ... It may get you where you want to be without having to know much more than how to follow step-by-step instructions and making personal choices - just like putting together furniture.

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  2. Anonymous
    2014-05-04T01:57:44+00:00

    Hi. I, too, was tearing my hair out over this incredibly useless function which acted like an annoying and juvenile older brother covering up your work (and disabling keystrokes) with his hand over and over and over and over and over, ad nauseam. Despair not! There is a fix. If you're using a laptop with a touchpad, try going to Control Panel > Mouse and looking around carefully in the various tabs for "Settings" and then something that will say "enable edge swipes." Uncheck that function/disable it, and the charms bar should stop popping up whenever you move your mouse from right to left, or in the scroll bar area. You will probably also want to disable hot corners (the corners that also activate the charms bar)--there are programs and registry edits out there to assist you with this if you do a search online. You can then access the Charms Bar when YOU want by hitting the Windows key + the C key. (My life is so stress-free since I discovered this. Seriously, I was at, like, DEFCON 1, and now I feel quite serene and ready to actually enjoy my new computer. :-))

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