Microsoft has previewed a Windows 11 update that will allow users to disable Bing web integration in the Start menu and Windows Search. The change was demonstrated during a recent meeting with Windows Insiders.
The Settings app will include a new option to remove web (Bing) integration from search results, and there will be a separate setting in the Privacy & Security section to exclude Microsoft Store apps from appearing in search results.
Microsoft has not yet announced any specific timelines or which Insider build the update will arrive in.
What’s changing in Windows 11 Search?
The new options address a long-standing concern with Windows 11. Currently, the search experience combines local files with Bing web results and Microsoft Store listings, even when searching for content stored on the device.
Planned updates include a toggle to disable Bing web integration in Windows Search and a separate toggle in Privacy & Security to exclude Microsoft Store app listings from search results.
Users have often resorted to editing the Windows Registry to disable Bing integration, but the new toggle offers a supported option to achieve the same results without manual registry adjustments.
Other search and file explorer improvements
Microsoft announced at the same meeting that local search would become significantly faster, along with performance improvements to File Explorer. The company also mentioned that internal Windows builds have already seen a 30% increase in the speed of bulk delete operations.
Hopefully these search enhancements will complement other recent Windows 11 updates. These include the Low Latency Profile CPU-boosting feature introduced in May, the movable taskbar available in the Experimental channel, and the latest Windows Update pause extension added to the Beta channel this week.
Microsoft’s new focus on Windows K2, user feedback, and control
These changes reflect Microsoft’s new focus on responding to feedback from Windows 11 users, as part of the broader Windows K2 initiative.
CEO Satya Nadella has acknowledged that Windows 11 has lost its way in some areas, with company executives expressing a desire to rebuild user trust after years of complaints about forced integration, telemetry and AI features.
The new search controls are expected to be included in future Windows 11 Insider Preview builds before they become generally available. No specific date has been announced.
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