Disable Web Results in Start Menu Search with Regedit

By default, the Windows Start menu includes Bing web search results alongside local files and applications. Disabling these online suggestions provides a faster, distraction-free search experience focused strictly on your local machine. You can easily turn off web search integration by modifying a specific entry in the Windows Registry Editor on both Windows 10 and Windows 11.

Step 1: Open the Registry Editor

  1. Press Windows Key + R to open the Run dialog box.
  2. Type regedit and press Enter.
  3. Click Yes when prompted by the User Account Control (UAC) prompt.

Step 2: Navigate to the Explorer Policies Key

In the Registry Editor address bar at the top, paste the following path and press Enter:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer

If the Explorer key does not exist under the Windows folder: 1. Right-click the Windows folder. 2. Select New > Key. 3. Name the new key Explorer.

Step 3: Create the Disable Value

  1. Right-click on an empty area inside the right pane of the Explorer folder.
  2. Select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.
  3. Name this new value DisableSearchBoxSuggestions.
  4. Double-click DisableSearchBoxSuggestions, set its Value data to 1, and click OK.

Step 4: Disable Bing Search (Windows 10/11 Search Key)

To ensure all cloud search integration is fully disabled across different Windows builds, check the main Search configuration:

  1. Navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Search
  2. Look for a DWORD named BingSearchEnabled. If it does not exist, right-click, select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value, and name it BingSearchEnabled.
  3. Double-click BingSearchEnabled and ensure its Value data is set to 0.

Step 5: Apply the Changes

For the changes to take effect immediately, restart Windows Explorer:

  1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open the Task Manager.
  2. Locate Windows Explorer in the list of processes.
  3. Right-click it and select Restart.

Once restarted, typing a query into the Start menu search bar will only display local files, installed applications, and system settings.