Windows Search has been a mess for years, and I do not use that word lightly. Open it to find a file, and you get trending Bing topics, Microsoft Store promotions, and an AI tools tile that just opens a browser.
That is changing, but not immediately for all users. Microsoft is rolling out a batch of Windows Search improvements to Insiders in the Experimental channel, and for once, this isn’t just a fresh coat of paint.
What do the Windows Search improvements include?
The search home screen has been decluttered. It ditches the trending topics and “games for you” carousel in favor of a simple, less infuriating list of recent searches. It’s less flashy, I’d say, but it’s also less like opening a mini-homepage every time you press the Windows key when you didn’t even need one.
The bigger win, I’d say, is in the results themselves. Search now labels where each result actually comes from, whether that’s an app, a setting, a file, or a web suggestion. So, you won’t be guessing what you’re about to click into.
Promotional content and sponsored product carousels have also been stripped from web results, which was long overdue, in my opinion. Nobody typing “running plan” into their taskbar wanted a “Shop now” button shoved into the answer.
What else is new?
A new toggle in Settings > Privacy & Security > Search lets you turn off web and Microsoft Store suggestions entirely if you’d rather stick to results from your own PC, something that I’d personally enable from day one. Typo tolerance has improved too, so “utlook” will still surface Outlook instead of shrugging at you.
Local files and settings are also getting prioritized more aggressively when they’re the better match. Furthermore, two-character file searches are now supported. Microsoft says reliability fixes are baked in as well, targeting the crashes and loading hiccups longtime Insiders have flagged for months.
None of this reinvents Search. It just makes it behave as it should have all along. While all the changes are live for Insiders (in the Experimental channel), they should be rolled out as part of a stable Windows update in a few months.