Windows Search may soon give users a direct setting for managing Bing-powered web results.
Microsoft is testing a Windows 11 setting that would let users turn off Bing web results and Microsoft Store suggestions inside Search, according to Windows Latest. Microsoft has not announced the control in a public Windows Insider build or confirmed whether it will ship broadly, but it could give Windows Home users a simpler way to limit Search results to files, apps, and settings.
What would change in Windows Search
In a June 7 report, Windows Latest said Microsoft is testing controls to disable web searches and Microsoft Store results in Windows Search. The publication said the changes could begin rolling out to testers within weeks, but Microsoft has not confirmed the feature or published a roadmap entry.
If the reported control ships as shown, disabling web results would stop Windows Search from returning Bing-powered web results in the Start menu and taskbar search experience. A separate Microsoft Store control would remove app-store suggestions, including listings for apps that are not installed on the device.
The toggle would affect Windows Search, not Bing as a browser search engine, Microsoft Edge, or other Microsoft search surfaces. It should not be treated as a broader change to Microsoft’s search ecosystem.
Windows Search is one of the most visible parts of Windows 11. Many users open it to launch apps, find files, or reach settings quickly. Web results and store suggestions can add extra results when users are trying to search their own device, especially as more tools market themselves around user choice, privacy, and AI-free search defaults.
Microsoft is also testing broader changes to how users move through Windows and enterprise workflows, including agent-first computing experiments shown at Build 2026. The Search setting is narrower but more practical for everyday users: a standard Settings option for limiting Search to local files, apps, and settings.
What admins and home users can do now
Until Microsoft ships a Settings toggle, users who want to remove web results must rely on existing workarounds. Windows Home users generally use Registry edits, while supported managed Windows editions can use Microsoft policy settings.
Microsoft already documents a Search policy setting called DoNotUseWebResults, which can prevent Windows Search from performing web queries or displaying web results on Enterprise, Education, and IoT Enterprise editions. The same documentation says users can choose whether Search performs web queries when the policy is not configured.
Intune’s Windows device restriction settings include a Search control that blocks Windows Search from searching the internet or showing web results.
For IT administrators, the main question is whether the new UI will be hidden, locked, or still visible on managed devices once it reaches Insider builds. Admins should also confirm that existing policy settings override the user-facing control before making assumptions for BYOD or hybrid fleets, where Microsoft service changes can quickly become operational support issues.
The feature is still a reported test, not a public Windows setting. For now, policy controls remain the reliable path for Enterprise, Education, and IoT Enterprise fleets, while Windows Home users still need Registry workarounds to remove web results from Windows Search.
Also read: Microsoft’s Android app token exposure shows why small app-level flaws can become wider endpoint security problems.