Windows 11 Search Can Finally Drop Bing - How to Turn Off Web Results

Windows 11 can now keep Bing out of the Start menu search box, and the switch is reaching more PCs this week.

Turn it on and Search shows only your apps, files and settings - no web results, no Store adverts, no surprise Edge tab.

It takes about 30 seconds, and in early tests Search also got noticeably quicker.

Here is where the setting lives, what you give up, and what to do if you cannot see it yet.

How to Turn Off Bing in Windows 11 Search

• Open the Search settings. Go to Settings, then Privacy & security, then Search.
• Find "Show suggested search results". It sits below the indexing status and has two switches - turn off both web searches and Microsoft Store suggestions.
• Keep Search on this PC only, if you like. Under "Search my accounts", turn off Microsoft account and Work or School account too.
• Close Search and open it again. The changes apply straight away, no restart needed.

What Changes When Bing Is Gone

The good part first: results for your own apps and settings appear almost instantly, because Search no longer waits for an answer from Bing. Windows Latest's test found typos such as "Putlook" still found Outlook.

• Gone: web results that open Bing in Edge, quick maths answers, the weather card, and Bing's trending searches and daily quizzes.
• Also gone: the suggestion to download Edge when you search for "Chrome".
• Still there: a "Get quick help from web" link in the preview pane, and a small Edge component that keeps running in the background.

For web searches, use your browser instead - it was always the better tool for that. If you want one that keeps your search engine choice, Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome are both free.

The Switch Is Not There? Here Is Why

Microsoft is turning the feature on in stages. The code arrived with the optional August update (KB5120998) for Windows 11 24H2 and 25H2, but many PCs that have it are still waiting for Microsoft to flip the switch.

• Update first. Open Settings, then Windows Update, and install everything on offer - if your PC is behind, our guide to getting Windows 11 26H2 covers the common hold-ups.
• Ask for features early. On the same page, turn on "Get the latest updates as soon as they're available" - it may bring the switch sooner, but it is not a guarantee.
• Then give it time. The rollout started in August and is still spreading, so a PC that does not have it today may get it within weeks.

In Europe, Bing results have been missing from Windows Search since March 2024, when the EU's Digital Markets Act came into force. The new switch gives everyone else the same choice.

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