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
    2013-11-10T03:45:14+00:00

    Thank you Microsoft for deciding that every time my finger uses a portion of my mouse pad that you decide I want the charms bar to pop up. I am sorry to inform you that I will be looking into a Mac because I cannot afford to spend hours on the web looking for a solution to what is the biggest productivity killer being this stupid charms menu to pop up all the time when I DO NOT WANT THE stupid thing to pop up. Follow that with so many bugs in Windows 8 that it is clearly apparent that microsoft released a sandbox to the public! I recommend business users stay with older OS such as XP Pro or Windows 7 Pro. Stay away from sandbox projects like Vista and Windows 8 where they decide what is good for us and how we should use a computer. Well guess what... Not everybody buys a computer to just browse the web and listen to music. Some people run a myriad of programs that no longer work even with compatibility mode. I used to love MS but since I spend half my time rebooting and fixing issues it has made me realize they are moving backwards through time. Just keep reinventing the wheel every 2 years and I will watch this Titanic sink while having moved strictly to Linux and Macs that actually work.

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  2. Anonymous
    2013-11-08T20:11:50+00:00

    Right. That's what I was saying in reply to Donovan, above me. 

    I have used a laptop as long as they have existed and always made fun of people with external mice, but between the charms bar and the touchpad on this new Toshiba, I'm going to have to go that route also. If I only used it at my desk, it wouldn't be a bother, but at home, I actually use it in my lap.

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