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Here’s how to get rid of search bar on Android when one has landed on your home screen and won’t budge. Hold it for a second, because what it does next tells you what you’re dealing with. If it lifts or offers Remove, it’s an ordinary widget and it’s about to be gone. If nothing happens, it’s built into your launcher (the app that draws your home screen), and the answer is a switch in settings. Or, on a Pixel, a new launcher.
The bar in your browser is a different animal, and that’s a toolbar job. Everything below is about the home screen, including locked layouts and why the thing came back after an update.
How to get rid of search bar on Android, by phone
| Phone | Start with |
|---|---|
| Samsung on One UI 9 | Method 1 |
| Samsung on older One UI | Methods 2 and 3 |
| Xiaomi, Redmi, POCO | Method 1, then 3 |
| Motorola | Method 3, then 5 |
| Pixel | Check method 1, then 5 |
1. Turn off built-in search in launcher settings
This is the fix for a bar that turned up with an update.
Samsung on One UI 9. The update adds a dedicated strip between your apps and the dock, and by default it holds a Google bar. Holding it won’t start edit mode. Pinch the home screen, tap Settings, then Show search on Home screen. Turn off both Search and Finder and a plain page indicator takes the strip’s place. On One UI 8.5, the Galaxy S26’s switch is Show Finder on Home screen.
Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO. Go to Settings > Home screen and look for the search bar entry. Users on the xiaomi.eu forum gave that route in 2024, and Xiaomi has since added a new bar through launcher updates, so your label may differ.
Pixel. Google’s help page says it flat out: the bar “cannot be removed or moved.” That was still the wording on November 4, 2026. A leaked build did show a Show search bar switch under Search bar settings, and Android 17 QPR1 reached Pixels on September 15, 2026. But the rollout coverage we read doesn’t list that switch, so don’t count on it. Checking costs nothing: hold an empty spot, tap Home settings and look for Search bar settings. No luck? Go to method 5.
2. Unlock the home screen layout
A Samsung widget that refuses to move may simply be locked. With Lock Home screen layout on, icons and widgets can’t be moved or removed at all.
Open Settings, tap Home screen and turn that switch off. Then do method 3, and turn the lock back on if you liked it.
3. Remove the search widget
Touch and hold the bar, drag it up to Remove and lift your finger. Motorola’s instructions match (hold until it vibrates, then drag). Older One UI versions pop up a small menu instead, so tap Remove there.
Read the word before you let go: Remove clears the bar, Uninstall deletes an app.
Won’t delete? Motorola’s own help says to use a different launcher, and Google admits its widget can’t be removed on some older devices. That’s method 5.
4. Move the widget to another home screen
Use the bar sometimes but hate it on your main page? Hold it and slide it right until you reach a blank home screen, then lift your finger.
It only works on a real widget.
5. Install a replacement launcher
No switch? Replace the launcher. On a Pixel, it’s the only sure route we can verify.
Lawnchair is the obvious pick: free, open source and modeled on the Pixel Launcher. Install it from the Play Store, then open Settings > Apps > Default apps > Home app and choose it. Menu names vary by brand. To lose its bar too, go to Home settings > Search bar, open the Dock tab, tap Search bar widget and select Disabled. Lawnchair warns its Play Store build can be restricted, so menus may differ.
Sick of grids? Niagara Launcher swaps them for an alphabetical list.
Your old launcher stays installed, so you can switch back from that same Home app menu. It’s the same trick that clears ads on a smart TV.
6. Restyle the search widget
Can’t remove it, won’t change launchers? Make it quieter. In the Google app, tap your profile picture, then Settings and Customize Search widget. Change the shortcuts, color and transparency there. On a Pixel, hold the bar and tap Widget settings.
It’s a poor second. But the Pixel bar sits below the dock, in space you couldn’t use for icons anyway, so you’re losing less than it feels.
7. Disable the Google app
Don’t, unless you’ve tried everything else. Open Settings > Apps > Google and tap Disable. In most cases the bar stops appearing, sometimes only after a restart.
The price is steep for one bar. Voice search goes, some widgets misbehave, and Tech Advisor warned the freed space may not be usable for app shortcuts. Regret it? Turn the app back on from the same screen.
Why the search bar came back after an update
The update added a new bar. That’s One UI 9: your old widget didn’t return, a new built-in strip arrived. Method 1 clears it.
The update reset your home screen. Teracube told users a 2023 upgrade “needed to fully reset” its launcher’s settings, and one owner lost every widget and shortcut. Redo method 3.
The update changed your launcher. A reply in that thread said the update replaced the owner’s custom launcher. Check Default apps > Home app and switch back.
We found no general rule from Google or any phone maker, so treat those as documented cases. Pop-ups and icons with no update behind them are a different problem: adware.
FAQ
How do I get my search bar back?
For a widget, hold an empty spot, tap Widgets, find Google and drag the search widget where you want it. For the built-in kind, turn the method 1 switch back on.
How do I disable the swipe-up search on my home screen?
On older Xiaomi software, go to Settings > Home screen and turn off Swipe up on the Home screen to open search. It only shows when the app drawer is off. Pixel help lists no off switch, only a choice of which apps appear in results, under Home settings > Search settings.
Will removing the bar stop Google working?
No. The Google app, Assistant and your search history all stay. Only method 7 changes that.
Can I swap it for DuckDuckGo?
Yes. Turn the Google bar off, then add your search app’s own widget from the widget picker.
What’s the other search bar on my phone?
On a Samsung, that’s Finder. It finds apps, contacts, settings and files on the phone, while the Google bar searches the web. Both live under the same setting.
