Windows Search
The latest Windows Search coverage — news, analysis, and updates from the WindowsNews.AI desk.
Google Search Can Now Fill Your Instacart Cart, Build Canva Designs, and Curate YouTube Playlists
On July 16, 2026, Google began rolling out a feature called Connected Apps for AI Mode in its search engine, allowing users in the United States to link their accounts from Instacart, Canva, and...
Windows 11 Search: The Settings That Make It Find Your Files—No Registry Hacks Needed
A comprehensive new guide from MakeUseOf, published July 15, promises to end the frustration of Windows 11’s unreliable file search. The advice is mostly sound—switch to Enhanced indexing, train...
Windows 11’s Search Gets a Sleek New Shutdown Box, but Alt+F4 Remains Stuck in the Past
{ "title": "Windows 11’s Search Gets a Sleek New Shutdown Box, but Alt+F4 Remains Stuck in the Past", "content": "Microsoft has begun testing a completely redesigned shutdown dialog in Windows...
Microsoft Experiments with Ad-Free Windows Search and a Kill Switch for Web Results
Microsoft has started testing a dramatically cleaner Windows Search experience, stripping out promotional content from web results and—for the first time—giving users a straightforward toggle to...
Windows 11 Insiders Get a Kill Switch for Web Results in Search — Here’s How It Works
Microsoft has given Windows Insiders a rare and long-awaited gift: the ability to completely strip web and Microsoft Store suggestions from the operating system’s search experience. Starting July...
Windows 11 Search Box Grows by 4 Pixels in Latest Preview Build – A Tiny Change with Big Implications
{ "title": "Windows 11 Search Box Grows by 4 Pixels in Latest Preview Build – A Tiny Change with Big Implications", "content": "Microsoft has quietly slipped a minute interface change into a...
Microsoft Draws a Line on Windows Search: Classic for Fleets, Enhanced for AI PCs
Microsoft has delivered a clear directive to IT administrators managing Windows devices: keep the search experience locked to Classic mode on standardized, managed fleets. The guidance, circulated in...
Windows Performance Myths: The Truth About Disabling Print Spooler, Smart Card, and Search Services
Two identical Windows laptops sit side by side. One has had its Print Spooler, Smart Card, and Windows Search services disabled by an owner chasing every last drop of performance. The other runs a...
Windows 11 26H2 Finally Lets You Kill Web Results in Search — Here’s How the Local-First Toggle Works
Microsoft has officially acknowledged one of the longest-standing annoyances in Windows 11: web search suggestions polluting local file results. With the confirmation of Windows 11 version 26H2 on...
Windows 11 26H2 Hits the Experimental Channel as Microsoft Arms IT With Governance Tools
Microsoft officially dropped Windows 11 version 26H2 into the Windows Insider Experimental channel on June 19, 2026, alongside fresh Beta and Experimental builds. The release arrives not as a full...
Windows 11's Long-Awaited Bing Web Results Toggle Is Finally Being Tested
Microsoft is at last testing a native Settings toggle that lets Windows 11 users disable Bing-powered web results in the Start menu and taskbar search—no registry hacks or Group Policy tweaks...
Windows 11 Insiders Can Finally Banish Bing from Start Menu Search Results
Microsoft has started testing a long-requested change to Windows 11 search: the option to completely disable Bing-powered web results and return to a local-first experience. In a June 2026 preview...