Windows Search lets you search from your taskbar to find what you’re looking for, whether it’s on your device, in the cloud, or on the web.
The Search button on the taskbar allows you to quickly use Windows Search (Win+S) to search for apps, documents, email, files, folders, music, people, photos, settings, and videos on your device, and to search the web.
You can search the web with Bing from Windows Search or Start menu.
See also:
Search for anything, anywhere - Microsoft Support
Search Windows and the web on the taskbar, and search for answers, apps, files, and settings from the web and your PC.

This tutorial will show you how to enable or disable search the web with Bing in Windows Search for your account in Windows 11.
Contents
- Option One: Enable or Disable Search the Web with Bing in Windows Search with "BingSearchEnabled"
- Option Two: Enable or Disable Search the Web with Bing in Windows Search with "DisableSearchBoxSuggestions"
EXAMPLE: Search the web with Bing in Windows Search
This option will currently only work in the latest Windows 11 Insiders Dev channel.
1 Do step 2 (enable) or step 3 (disable) below for what you want to do.
2 Enable Search the Web with Bing in Windows Search
This is the default setting.
A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the .bat file below, and go to step 4.
Enable_Search_the_web_with_Bing_in_Windows_Search.bat
(contents of .bat file)
Code:
@echo off
REG ADD "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Search" /V BingSearchEnabled /T REG_DWORD /D 1 /F
taskkill /f /im explorer.exe
start explorer.exe
3 Disable Search the Web with Bing in Windows Search
A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the .bat file below, and go to step 4.
Disable_Search_the_web_with_Bing_in_Windows_Search.bat
(contents of .bat file)
Code:
@echo off
REG ADD "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Search" /V BingSearchEnabled /T REG_DWORD /D 0 /F
taskkill /f /im explorer.exe
start explorer.exe
4 Save the .bat file to your desktop.
5 Unblock the .bat file.
6 Run the downloaded .bat file.
7 You will now see a command prompt quickly open and close, and your screen flicker as the explorer process is restarted to apply the registry changes.
8 You can now delete the .bat file if you like.
Enable or Disable Search the Web with Bing in Windows Search with "DisableSearchBoxSuggestions"
You must be signed in as an administrator to use this option.
If you disable search the web with Bing in Windows Search using this option, it will also disable search box suggestions (aka: recent searches) in File Explorer.
1 Do step 2 (enable) or step 3 (disable) below for what you want to do.
2. Enable Search the Web with Bing in Windows Search
This is the default setting.
A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the .bat file below, and go to step 4.
Enable_Search_the_web_with_Bing_in_Windows_Search-option2.bat
(contents of .bat file)
Code:
@echo off
powershell -windowstyle hidden -command "Start-Process cmd -ArgumentList '/s,/c,REG Delete "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer" /V DisableSearchBoxSuggestions /F' -Verb runAs"
taskkill /f /im explorer.exe
start explorer.exe
3. Disable Search the Web with Bing in Windows Search
A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the .bat file below, and go to step 4.
Disable_Search_the_web_with_Bing_in_Windows_Search-option2.bat
(contents of .bat file)
Code:
@echo off
powershell -windowstyle hidden -command "Start-Process cmd -ArgumentList '/s,/c,REG Add "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer" /V DisableSearchBoxSuggestions /T REG_DWORD /D 1 /F' -Verb runAs"
taskkill /f /im explorer.exe
start explorer.exe
4 Save the .bat file to your desktop.
5 Unblock the .bat file.
6 Run the downloaded .bat file.
7 If prompted by UAC, click/tap on Yes to approve.
8 You will now see a command prompt quickly open and close, and your screen flicker as the explorer process is restarted to apply the registry changes.
9 You can now delete the .bat file if you like.
That's it,
Shawn Brink
Attachments
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Web_Search.png18.8 KB · Views: 44
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Disable_Search_the_web_with_Bing_in_Windows_Search.bat340 bytes · Views: 152
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Enable_Search_the_web_with_Bing_in_Windows_Search.bat338 bytes · Views: 130
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Disable_Search_the_web_with_Bing_in_Windows_Search-option2.bat451 bytes · Views: 141
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Enable_Search_the_web_with_Bing_in_Windows_Search-option2.bat436 bytes · Views: 126
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