Use the SearchColumnIndex property to change the searching column. The control changes the searching column when the user clicks on a column or when the user presses the TAB key ( in this case the UseTabKey property should be True ). If the user starts typing characters in the searching column,  the control selects the item that matches the typed characters. If you want to disable the auto search feature, you have to set the SearchColumnIndex property to -1. Use the MarkSearchColumn property to hide the marker of the searching column. If the searching column is moved, the focused column is moved too.