Windows 11 is expanding user control over what appears in the taskbar Search experience. The Next Web reported on August 31, 2026 that an optional update is gradually exposing controls for Bing web results and Microsoft Store suggestions beyond the European Economic Area.
Local search can stand on its own
When the web and Store options are disabled, Search can focus on apps, settings and files stored on or connected to the device. That is a meaningful distinction for people who use the search box as a launcher rather than as a web portal. It also makes the source of a result easier to understand before it is opened.
Microsoft described the underlying redesign in a July 13 Windows Insider post. The company said the Search home screen would be less cluttered, promotional content would be removed from web results, local items would rank higher when they were the stronger match, and result labels would distinguish files, apps, settings, web pages and Store suggestions.
The rollout is staged
Not every Windows 11 PC will receive the controls at the same time. Microsoft initially released the redesign to the Experimental channel using a controlled feature rollout. The later optional update includes the code more broadly, according to The Next Web, but activation is still gradual. Installing an update therefore does not guarantee that the switches will immediately appear.
The exact Settings labels can also vary by region and build. Microsoft's official description places the control under Settings > Privacy & security > Search. Users should rely on the options shown by their installed build rather than registry workarounds or unsupported policy changes.
Privacy and performance are separate questions
Disabling web suggestions limits what the Search interface asks Bing to retrieve for routine queries. Microsoft's support documentation explains that Windows Search uses Bing when web search or online suggestions are enabled. That makes the new control useful for people who prefer local-only behavior.
It should not be described as a complete Windows privacy switch. Cloud content search, account history, advertising settings and other connected experiences have their own controls. Nor does removing online results prove a fixed performance gain on every machine; network conditions, indexing and device hardware still affect response time.
What users should check
After installing current updates, users can look under Privacy & security > Search for controls governing web results and Microsoft Store suggestions. They should confirm the behavior with a simple query for a local app or file and note whether any web-labelled result remains. Managed devices may apply organization policies that change the available options.
What to watch next
The main question is when Microsoft completes the controlled rollout across supported builds and regions. Updated support documentation should eventually provide a stable list of version requirements and administrator policies. Until then, this is a real user-facing change delivered in stages, not a simultaneous global switch.