Disable Windows Search Web Results via Regedit

This article explains how to turn off cloud-based web search results in Windows using the Registry Editor (Regedit). By applying this simple registry modification, you can stop the Windows Start menu from querying Bing for web results, limiting your search strictly to local files, settings, and installed applications for a faster and more private experience.

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 if prompted by User Account Control (UAC).

Step 2: Navigate to the Explorer Policies Key

Use the left sidebar in the Registry Editor to navigate to the following path:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer

Note: If the Explorer key does not exist under Windows, right-click the Windows folder, select New > Key, and name it Explorer.

Step 3: Create the DisableSearchBoxSuggestions Value

  1. Right-click on an empty space in the right pane under the Explorer folder.
  2. Select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.
  3. Name the new value DisableSearchBoxSuggestions and press Enter.
  4. Double-click DisableSearchBoxSuggestions, change the Value data from 0 to 1, and click OK.

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

To ensure older or fallback search mechanisms are also disabled, navigate to:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Search

  1. In the right pane, look for a DWORD named BingSearchEnabled.
  2. If it does not exist, right-click, select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value, and name it BingSearchEnabled.
  3. Double-click BingSearchEnabled, ensure the Value data is set to 0, and click OK.

Step 5: Restart Windows Explorer

To apply the changes without restarting your computer: 1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open the Task Manager. 2. Under the Processes tab, scroll down and find Windows Explorer. 3. Right-click Windows Explorer and select Restart.

Once restarted, search queries from the Start Menu will only display local system results, and cloud-based web suggestions will be disabled.