# How do you turn off Bing? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 9, 2009, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-turn-off-bing/509423 "2009-09-09T14:22:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![rainy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c2a13f/32.png) [@rainy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rainy)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2009, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-turn-off-bing/509423/1 "2009-09-09T14:22:56Z")
I don’t know the jargon for the feature I am trying to disable, so bear with me. In Internet Explorer 8 certain words in articles are treated as a hyperlink which causes a pop-up window to display if you move the cursor over them. The pop-up offers to search for the hyperlinked word using Bing. By the gods this is annoying. Can it be killed? Maimed? Exorcised? -rainy ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2009, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-turn-off-bing/509423/2 "2009-09-09T14:50:28Z")
[Disable Bing](http://www.google.com/search?q=disable+bing). If that fails, [try this instead](http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/). ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2009, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-turn-off-bing/509423/3 "2009-09-09T15:02:42Z")
I think that these things rainy is talking about are a function of the web page. For instance the first link in Duckster’s first link get me a page that has underlined words that bring up little info links. This happens in both IE and firefox. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2009, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-turn-off-bing/509423/4 "2009-09-09T15:44:01Z")
> [@gazpacho](#): > > I think that these things rainy is talking about are a function of the web page. For instance the first link in Duckster’s first link get me a page that has underlined words that bring up little info links. This happens in both IE and firefox. Sorry, but I don’t see that, in either Firefox or IE. I [see links created by the web page creator](http://www.nanochromicdisplays.com/how-to-disable-bing-search-engine.html), but no additional pseudo links created by the browser. ---
**Author:** ![wierdaaron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/eada6e/32.png) [@wierdaaron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wierdaaron)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2009, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-turn-off-bing/509423/5 "2009-09-09T16:21:46Z")
Not to be an a-hole, but for serious, if you don’t specifically need IE8 for some very specific reason, use Firefox. If for no other reason than because if you do have a problem with it, people will know how to fix it. ---
**Author:** ![Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brown_eyed_girl/32/3574_2.png) [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brown_Eyed_Girl)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2009, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-turn-off-bing/509423/6 "2009-09-09T16:27:43Z")
> [@gazpacho](#): > > I think that these things rainy is talking about are a function of the web page. For instance the first link in Duckster’s first link get me a page that has underlined words that bring up little info links. This happens in both IE and firefox. And Chrome. I see the same thing. ---
**Author:** ![IAmNotSpartacus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@IAmNotSpartacus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IAmNotSpartacus)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2009, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-turn-off-bing/509423/7 "2009-09-09T16:28:44Z")
Sounds like the website(s) OP is visiting employ [contextual advertising](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contextual_advertising) ETA: Specifically, in-text advertising ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2009, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-turn-off-bing/509423/8 "2009-09-09T16:36:08Z")
> [@Duckster](#): > > Sorry, but I don’t see that, in either Firefox or IE. I [see links created by the web page creator](http://www.nanochromicdisplays.com/how-to-disable-bing-search-engine.html), but no additional pseudo links created by the browser. That is my point exactly. The infowords things are done by the web page creator. ---
**Author:** ![Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brown_eyed_girl/32/3574_2.png) [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brown_Eyed_Girl)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2009, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-turn-off-bing/509423/9 "2009-09-09T17:21:40Z")
> [@IAmNotSpartacus](#): > > Sounds like the website(s) OP is visiting employ [contextual advertising](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contextual_advertising) > > ETA: Specifically, in-text advertising So… the only way to be rid of that is to turn on javascript? Could be why **Duckster** is not seeing it. OT: I actually typed (and deleted) \*the \*before your username, **Duckster**. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2009, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-turn-off-bing/509423/10 "2009-09-09T18:37:19Z")
I ran a test with Firefox and IE8. Now that I know what to look for, IE8 shows the contextual advertising, but Firefox does not. Why, you ask? Because Firefox has AdBlocker Plus installed. So my original post was accurate. Use Firefox with [Adblocker Plus](https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1865) installed. I have Chrome but I don’t use it. Google is the new evil Microsoft. I don’t like it that Chrome phones home whether I like it or not. ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2009, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-turn-off-bing/509423/11 "2009-09-10T07:13:10Z")
(aside) Whistle _“Dixie”_? Give Sinatra the best role? ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-turn-off-bing/509423/12 "2009-09-16T12:26:25Z")
> [@Duckster](#): > > I ran a test with Firefox and IE8. Now that I know what to look for, IE8 shows the contextual advertising, but Firefox does not. Why, you ask? Because Firefox has AdBlocker Plus installed. > > So my original post was accurate. Use Firefox with [Adblocker Plus](https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1865) installed. > > I have Chrome but I don’t use it. Google is the new evil Microsoft. I don’t like it that Chrome phones home whether I like it or not. That last part seems a little weird. Google Update still “phones home” with Chrome installed, even if you don’t use it. If you are talking about the part where it sends anonymous usage statistics for the team so they can “improve” it, the software at least says you can disable it. In fact, since it’s asked in the installer, I never even enabled it in the first place. But, even if I did, there’s no reason I have to even let it through the Windows default Firewall (I’ve got a hardware one, too.) The only reason I stopped using Chrome is that they don’t have Live Bookmarks (or any of the promised extensions [other than a neat adblocking software that tricks the site into thinking you already saw the ad, thus still generating them revenue.]) I still don’t get why no one else wants to implement those. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-turn-off-bing/509423/13 "2009-09-16T14:25:18Z")
Use his middle name, “Muriel.” Tell him how much you enjoyed his dad’s Vegas show. Come to think of it, Janice’s voice alone oughta do the trick. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-turn-off-bing/509423/14 "2009-09-16T23:12:58Z")
Remind him what a horrible father he was. ---
**Author:** ![matthias1949](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecccb3/32.png) [@matthias1949](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matthias1949)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-turn-off-bing/509423/15 "2009-10-03T12:42:44Z")
They’re called Vibrant Text links or some such nonsense and they are annoying. Click the magnifying glass at the end of one of them and go to the Vibrant Link home page. There is an option to disable them. After disabling clear your browser cache and that should be the last you see of them. ---
**Author:** ![DWMarch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwmarch/32/1010_2.png) [@DWMarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DWMarch)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-turn-off-bing/509423/16 "2009-10-04T15:27:09Z")
IE8 has a new feature called “Accelerators”. This sounds like what you’re running afoul of. Microsoft page here describes how to manage them: > **[Experience the Power of Windows 11 OS, Computers, & Apps](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/)** > > Explore the versatility of Microsoft’s Windows 11 operating system. Find out how our latest Windows OS gives you more ways to work, play, and create.