Two warnings before you go looking. The switch may not have reached your PC yet. And according to the one network test published so far, it removes web results but does not make Search completely offline.
What changed in Windows Search
For years, typing a local filename into Windows Search could produce a web result as the top match, along with an offer to continue in Edge. XDA Developers writer Abhinav Raj calls this one of the most common reasons people switch to third-party search tools. That's his opinion, but plenty of people on Windows forums would agree with him. (The XDA headline says the problem lasted more than a decade. That's a rough figure, and none of the sources pin down an exact start date.)
Microsoft's own account comes from an October 7 Windows Insider blog post. It says that in July the company "introduced a calmer home screen, removed promotional content from web results, and gave you more choice over whether web and Microsoft Store suggestions appear." The feature showed up in public earlier than that. WindowsForum reported that Microsoft showed the change at a Windows Insider meetup in San Francisco on June 1, 2026, ahead of Microsoft Build.
The feature reached test builds before regular PCs:
- June (Insider): Windows Latest found the switches hidden inside Insider Experimental build 26300.8697, the first build to carry Windows 11 version 26H2.
- Late August (optional update): Windows Latest reported that the August optional update, KB5120998, included the Bing-free Search option. It also said features in that update were being turned on in stages.
- Build numbers: ElevenForum lists the switch as available starting with Windows 11 build 26100.9278 (24H2), build 26200.9278 (25H2), plus a matching 26H1 build. This is community documentation, not Microsoft release notes, so treat it as a guide.
- September 29 (26H2 release): Microsoft released Windows 11 version 26H2 as an enablement package for eligible PCs on 24H2 and 25H2. It is being delivered through a controlled feature rollout, with possible safeguard holds.
- Late October: Windows Latest reported that Bing-free Search is showing up on more PCs, and PCWorld reported the same, citing Windows Latest.
Summary: This is an official Microsoft setting. It started with Insiders in June, appeared in the August optional update, and is now reaching 24H2, 25H2 and 26H2 PCs in stages.
How to turn off web results in Windows Search
These steps match the XDA walkthrough and several independent guides:
- Open Settings. Win + I works.
- Go to Privacy & security.
- Click Search. The page shows your indexing status at the top.
- Right below the indexing status, you'll see the "Show suggested search results" section, with two toggles for web and Microsoft Store suggestions.
- Turn off Web Searches.
- Optional: turn off Microsoft Store too. The two switches work independently, so turning off web results does not hide Store suggestions.
- Close and reopen Windows Search so the change takes effect.
Shortcuts:
- Windows Latest says you can also reach this page from the Gear icon on the top right of Windows Search.
- Searching inside Settings for the obvious words doesn't work. Per PCWorld, citing Windows Latest, searching within the settings for terms such as "Web search" or "Disable Bing" did not lead directly to the relevant menu. However, the setting could be found by searching for "Search" and selecting the "Suggested search results" entry.
How to tell it worked
With web results off, you should see these changes:
- No web fallback. Windows Latest says that with both switches off, Search returns only what's on your PC. A query with no local match returns nothing instead of a web result.
- "No results found." In XDA's test, searches with no matching file showed that message. Raj says it was the first time he had ever seen it in Windows Search.
- No Web tab. XDA also saw the Web filter tab disappear from the top of the results.
Summary: If the Web tab is gone and a nonsense search gets you "No results found" instead of a Bing suggestion, the switch is working.
Does this stop Search from contacting Microsoft?
Not entirely. Raj tested this himself:
- Before turning it off: He watched Sysinternals TCPView while typing. He used a PowerShell script to link the WebView2 process that draws the results to SearchHost, the process behind Search. New connections appeared as he typed, almost all to Microsoft-owned addresses. One went to the server range that serves Bing's website on his network.
- After turning it off: One round of typing created no new connections under the Search process. A later run did show a few new connections.
His conclusion is that the switch keeps Bing out of your results but does not take Search fully offline. That's the right way to read it.
This was one person's test on one PC. Microsoft hasn't published anything about what network traffic Search still generates with web results off. So the switch makes for cleaner results and fewer web queries, but you shouldn't count on it as a privacy firewall. If you need guarantees, use managed policy or network controls.
Fixes if the switch is missing
- Install the latest updates. Check Windows Update. If you're on 24H2 or 25H2, check whether the 26H2 enablement package is offered.
- Opt in to early updates. Microsoft suggests turning on Get the latest updates as soon as they're available under Settings > Windows Update to get 26H2 sooner. PCWorld recommends the same option if the Search switch hasn't appeared.
- Wait for the staged rollout. Even XDA notes that a fully updated PC may not have the switch yet. A missing switch usually doesn't mean anything is broken.
- ViVeTool, at your own risk. Windows Latest published ViVeTool feature IDs for forcing the August optional update features on. ViVeTool is an unofficial tool, and Windows Latest notes that feature IDs can stop working in later builds. Only use it on a PC where you're comfortable experimenting.
Registry and Group Policy options for admins
Settings isn't the only way to control this:
- Registry value: Kapilarya describes a DWORD named IsWebSuggestionsEnabled. When it corresponds to Value data 1, this means web search results are enabled. You can just double click on it and set its Value data to 0 in order to disable web search results. Check the full registry path in a dedicated guide and back up the registry before you edit it.
- Older methods: ElevenForum still documents the older "BingSearchEnabled" registry value and the "DisableSearchBoxSuggestions" policy as alternatives to the Settings switch.
- Copilot button: According to Pureinfotech, turning off web results through the Registry also removes the Copilot button from Search. That's a difference from the Settings switch worth knowing about.
For managed fleets, a policy setting is still the more dependable choice. A user can turn a Settings switch back on, and the staged rollout means you can't assume every machine has the switch yet.
Microsoft isn't dropping web search
Don't read this as Microsoft giving up on web results in Search. The same October 7 Insider post announces a new Windows Search built on WinUI 3. Microsoft's plans for it include:
- Inline web previews that answer questions like weather or landmark heights directly in Search
- Inline actions such as switching to dark mode
- Integration with features like Copilot
That new design is a separate project from this switch. Insiders in the Experimental channel started getting it on the taskbar on October 7. Microsoft says it is ahead of bringing it to the Start menu next year. Searching from Start in the early previews still uses the current experience.
Digital Citizen also reports that Microsoft currently has no plans to disable web suggestions automatically for every Windows 11 device. Web results stay on by default, and you have to turn them off yourself.
Should you turn it off?
Turn it off if Search is how you open apps and find files. You'll get fewer misleading top results, a Search box that only shows what's on your PC, and no surprise trips to Edge. Leave it on if you actually like getting quick web answers from Search.
The main thing you lose is the shortcut to a web search, and opening a browser does the same job. If you switched to Everything or another third-party search tool because of Bing results, the built-in Search may be worth another try, though this switch doesn't fix every complaint people have about Windows Search.