How to Disable Bing Search in Windows 11

Bing Search is deeply integrated into the Windows 11 Search menu, often displaying web results alongside local files and applications. For users who prefer a streamlined search experience without web integration, disabling Bing Search can declutter the Search menu. Although Windows 11 doesn’t provide a straightforward setting to turn off Bing Search, it can be achieved by modifying the Registry Editor. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you disable Bing Search in Windows 11.

Disable Bing Search using the Registry Editor

Before proceeding, it’s important to note that editing the Registry requires caution. Incorrect changes can lead to system instability. It is advisable to follow these instructions carefully and consider backing up the Registry before making any modifications.

Open the Search menu on your Windows 11 system and type Registry Editor in the search bar. Click on the first result to launch the Registry Editor. If a User Account Control (UAC) prompt appears, click Yes to continue.

To create a backup of the Registry, go to the File menu in the Registry Editor and select Export.

Choose a location to save the backup file, enter a file name, and click Save.

In the Registry Editor’s address bar, navigate to the following path by copying and pasting it:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer

If the Explorer key does not exist, you will need to create it.

Navigate to the Windows key in the left pane. Right-click on Windows, hover over New, and select Key from the submenu.

Name the new key as Explorer and press Enter.

Right-click on the Explorer key, go to New, and select DWORD (32-bit) Value from the submenu.

Name the new DWORD value as DisableSearchBoxSuggestions and press Enter.

Double-click on DisableSearchBoxSuggestions to open the value editor. In the Value data field, enter 1 and click OK.

To apply the changes, restart Windows Explorer. You can do this by opening the Task Manager, selecting Windows Explorer under the Processes tab, and clicking on Restart. Alternatively, you can restart your computer.

Once your system restarts, Bing Search will be disabled in the Windows 11 Search menu. You will now see search results only from your local files and applications, providing a cleaner and more focused search experience.

If you wish to re-enable Bing Search in the future, repeat the steps above and change the DisableSearchBoxSuggestions value data back to 0 or delete the DWORD entirely.

Disable Bing Search using the Registry Editor

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