If you prefer a clean, local-only search experience on Windows 11, you can remove the Bing-powered web results that appear in the Taskbar Search and Start menu — but Microsoft doesn’t expose a single Settings toggle to do it for all editions. You can disable web suggestions using Group Policy...
Google has quietly pushed a Spotlight‑style search experience onto the Windows desktop: an experimental, keyboard‑first Google Search app that summons a floating search bar with Alt + Space and can return results from local files, installed apps, Google Drive, and the web — and it bundles Google...
ai mode
alt space launcher
alt-space
desktop
drive integration
enterprise
google app for windows
google drive
lens integration
local search
multimodal search
privacy
productivity
searchsearch labs
shortcuts
spotlight like search
telemetry
windows 10
windows 11
Windows 11’s built‑in Search is useful — until it isn’t: slow responses for non‑indexed folders, a cluttered home panel, and inconsistent results have driven many users to lightweight launchers and desktop search tools that return answers in milliseconds. This piece examines six of the fastest...
Google has quietly moved search from the browser to the desktop with an experimental new app for Windows that brings a Spotlight‑style search bar, Google Lens integration, and an “AI Mode” for conversational answers — and it’s already available to a small group of U.S. users via Google’s Search...
ai mode
alt-space
desktop search
drive integration
enterprise
google
google lens
local search
privacy
productivity
searchsearch labs
spotlight
unified search
windows
Google’s new Windows app is the kind of small, focused product that puts a bright, uncomfortable spotlight on what Microsoft hasn’t delivered: a fast, reliable, keyboard-first search experience that just finds what you need on a PC. The app — an experimental, summonable overlay you open with Alt...
ai mode
alt-space
cloud search
command palette
desktop search
enterprise readiness
google app for windows
google lens
local indexing
overlay-search
powertoys
privacy telemetry
productivity
search
spotlight
unified results
windows
Google is quietly rolling a new Windows-native search experience into its Labs program that brings the company’s web search, Google Lens, and its AI-powered AI Mode onto the desktop — reachable instantly with an Alt + Space hotkey and designed to search your local files, installed apps, Google...
ai mode
alt-space
desktop search
drive
enterprise
google
google drive
google lens
labs
lens
local files
local search
multimodal ai
multimodal search
privacy
productivity
searchsearch labs
security
shortcuts
spotlight
unified search
windows
Google has quietly placed a Spotlight‑style search overlay on the Windows desktop, and this experimental app — available through Google’s Search Labs — promises to bring unified local, Drive, and web search plus Google Lens and AI Mode to a single, summonable interface reached with the Alt +...
accessibility
ai mode
alt-space
drive
enterprise
google
google lens
labs
local search
multimodal ai
privacy
productivity
searchsearch labs
spotlight
telemetry
windows
Google has quietly begun testing a new desktop search experience for Windows that looks and feels like macOS Spotlight but with Google’s distinctive multimodal and generative-AI capabilities layered on top, bringing web search, Google Drive, local files, installed apps, and Google Lens into a...
ai
ai mode
alt-space
cross-platform
desktop search
enterprise
google
google drive
google lens
installed apps
local files
multimodal ai
privacy
productivity
searchsearch labs
security
spotlight
ux design
windows
Google has quietly brought a Spotlight‑style search overlay to Windows, launching an experimental Google app that lets you summon a floating search bar with Alt + Space to query the web, local files, installed apps and Google Drive — and it combines that with built‑in Google Lens and Google’s...
ai mode
alt key
alt-space
desktop
drive
enterprise
google
google app for windows
integration
labs
lens
local search
multimodal ai
privacy
productivity
search
spotlight
spotlight like search
telemetry
windows
Google’s experimental Google app for Windows lands as a compact, Spotlight‑style overlay that promises to unify web search, local file search, Google Drive access, Google Lens visual queries and a conversational AI Mode — all summoned from anywhere on the desktop with the Alt + Space hotkey...
ai mode
alt space shortcut
alt-space
desktop search
enterprise
google
google app for windows
google drive integration
google gemini
google lens
lab-testing
lens
local and web search
multimodal ai
privacy
productivity
search
spotlight
windows
windows spotlight
Google’s new Windows app drops a Spotlight‑style search bar onto the desktop — press Alt + Space and a floating search capsule can find files on your PC, Drive documents, and web results, and it even includes Google Lens and the company’s AI Mode for multimodal, follow‑up capable answers. What...
ai mode
alt key
alt-space
desktop search
drive integration
google
google app for windows
google drive
google gemini
lens
lens integration
local search
privacy
searchsearch labs
spotlight like search
telemetry
unified search
Raycast’s Windows beta already improves two of the most frequently used — and often frustrating — pieces of Windows input: the emoji picker and the clipboard history, delivering smoother search, persistent storage, and a more keyboard-centric workflow that will matter to power users and...
Google’s experimental Windows app aims to remove the friction of switching windows to look something up — a floating, Spotlight‑like search bar you summon with Alt + Space that can search local files, installed apps, Google Drive, and the web, and that folds in Google Lens and the company’s AI...
accessibility
admin controls
ai assistant
ai mode
ai-powered launcher
alt key
alt space launcher
alt-space
app
app-experiment
beta
closed source
cloud ai
cloud search
command palette
cross surface search
cross-platform
dark mode
dataflow
desktop
desktop apps
desktop search
drive
drive integration
end users
enterprise
enterprise it
enterprise privacy
enterprise readiness
everything vs google
experiment
file search
generative ai
google
google app for windows
google apps
google drive
google drive integration
google gemini
google lens
governance
installed apps
integration
it admin
keyboard
keyboard launcher
lab-testing
labs
launcher
launcher overlay
lens
lens integration
lens ocr
lens-capture
local and cloud search
local and web search
local files
local indexing
local search
local-and-web
microsoft copilot
multimodal ai
multimodal search
ocr
open source
opt-in
os integration
os search ux
overlay
overlay launcher
performance
permissions
power users
powertoys
privacy
productivity
productivity tools
screen capture lens
searchsearch ecosystem
search labs
security
shell
shortcuts
spotlight
spotlight like search
spotlight-like launcher
start menu
telemetry
translation
unified results
unified search
user interface
ux design
visual search
web results
web search integration
windows
windows 10
windows 10+
windows 11
windows apps
windows search
windows ux
windows-labs
workflow
workspace
Microsoft’s September Patch Tuesday brings a substantial, feature‑heavy cumulative update to Windows 11—KB5065426—delivering a mix of visible UI polish, staged Copilot+ AI capabilities, privacy controls for on‑device generative features, and a set of bug and security fixes that administrators...
A federal judge has stopped short of the dramatic corporate breakup many in Washington and Silicon Valley predicted, ruling that Google will not be forced to sell its Chrome browser or divest Android as part of remedies in the government’s landmark search antitrust case—but the decision still...
Google’s search ecosystem feels less like a quietly humming engine this month and more like a living, shifting organism: ranking volatility persists, product experiments are multiplying, and the balance between AI-driven answers and the traditional web referral economy is under renewed scrutiny...
ai advertising
ai overviews
content strategy
conversion tracking
crawlers
digital marketing
googlebot
invalid traffic
news publishing
pmax updates
preferred sources
ranking volatility
search
seo best practices
serp experiments
top stories
traffic diversification
web security
windows publishers
windows seo
Windows 11’s latest 25H2 preview builds polish many of the small, everyday interactions that shape how people work on Windows — from tidier context menus and smoother taskbar animations to Start menu reorganizations and File Explorer refinements — all delivered as part of an incremental...
25h2
ai features
arm64
context menu
copilot
enablement package
enterprise it
file explorer
preview
productivity
search
semantic indexing
staged rollout
start menu
taskbar
ui polish
windows 11
Today Microsoft pushed a new Release Preview build for Windows 11, version 24H2: Build 26100.5061 (KB5064081). At first glance this looks like another cumulative preview, but the blog post and supporting documentation show it carries a broad mix of items — from the continued staged rollout of...
24h2
ai actions
build 26100.5061
click to do
copilot
entra id
file explorer ai
intune
it administration
lock screen widgets
mdm
powershell 2.0 removal
recall feature
refs
release preview
search
taskbar
windows 11
windows backup
windows hello
Microsoft has quietly moved to rationalize Windows Search by consolidating multiple search-related settings pages into a single, clearer settings hub in Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27919, the latest Canary-channel release — a small but meaningful step toward taming an increasingly scattered...
ai
bug fixes
canary channel
canary stability
copilot
enterprise it
group policy
microsoft
on-device ai
privacy
remote desktop
search
security
semantic indexing
settings
ui/ux
windows 11
windows hello
windows insider
Microsoft's Copilot Vision has evolved from a browser-bound tool to a comprehensive desktop assistant, now integrated directly into Windows 11. This advancement allows users to engage with Copilot across various applications and windows, enhancing productivity and user experience.
Evolution of...
ai assistant
ai evolution
ai features
ai integration
copilot vision
desktop enhancement
digital productivity
guidance
microsoft
privacy
productivity tools
real-time assistance
search
software innovation
tech updates
user experience
visual cues
window management
windows 11
windows update