How to Make Windows Start and Search Work Better in Windows 11

How to Turn On Start and Search Personalization

The whole change happens in the Settings app. The steps below are written for current Windows 11 releases. Menu labels can differ slightly on older builds, and I point those out where it matters.

One note on timing. Microsoft is building a new Windows Search experience that lets you act on results, change settings and arrange windows from the results. It is rolling out to Windows Insiders and from the taskbar first, while search from the Start menu still uses the existing experience. The steps in this tutorial therefore apply as written, and more on this appears further down.

Step 1Open Windows Settings

First, open the Settings app. Use either of these methods:

1. Press Win+I on your keyboard. This shortcut opens Settings no matter what you are doing.
2. Or click the Start button (the Windows logo) on the taskbar🖥️, then click the Settings gear icon. If you don’t see the gear, click All apps and choose Settings from the list.

That’s it for this part. The Settings window should now be open, with a list of categories down the left side.

Step 2Go to Privacy & Security

Next, find the privacy settings. This section controls how Windows and its apps handle your personal information. That includes what gets collected, what apps are allowed to see, and what shapes your search results and suggestions.

1. In the list on the left side of Settings, click Privacy & security.

You should now see the privacy settings in the right-hand pane. They are grouped into Windows permissions and App permissions.

Step 3Find Recommendations & Offers Settings

2. In the Privacy & security pane, scroll down to the Windows permissions group.
3. Click Recommendations & offers. Many of the basic personalization and privacy switches are on this page.

You should now be on the page that holds the switches for personalization. The option for app tracking is on this page.

On some Windows 11 builds this same page is labeled General instead. The switches inside it are the same. If you see one name and not the other, you are on the right page either way.

Step 4Locate the Start and Search Setting

To recap the path: open Settings, click Privacy & security, then open Recommendations & offers (or General on older builds). The option that lets Windows track the apps you open sits on this page. Switching it off stops Windows from logging your app habits.

Here is what the setting does. When app tracking is on, Windows records which applications you open and builds a list of your most frequently used programs. That list feeds the Most used section of the Start menu. It also moves common applications to the top of search results, so you find them faster.

The switch is usually worded something like Let Windows improve Start and search results by tracking app launches. Look for the toggle with that wording.

Microsoft described its search plans in a Windows Insider post dated October 7, 2026, titled “From searching to doing: Building a faster, more streamlined Windows Search.” According to the post, work is underway to bring the new Windows Search experience to the Start menu next year. In the initial previews, searching from the Start menu still uses the existing search experience.

That means the change is not part of a public Windows 11 update yet. The post does not name a specific update that brings it to Start, and it does not describe any change to the setting covered here. Microsoft is rolling out the new search experience gradually, so some PCs will get it later than others.

If your search looks different from what this tutorial describes, your PC may be in a different stage of that rollout. This is most likely if you are in the Windows Insider program, or if the new search appears when you search from the taskbar.

Step 5Turn the Setting On or Off

1. Find the toggle for tracking app launches on the page.
2. Click the switch next to it to turn it Off or On.

That’s it. The switch changes right away and shows its new state. There is no Save button, and no restart is needed. To undo the change, come back to this page and click the same switch again.

Newer Windows 11 builds also offer point-in-time restore, which can return the PC to an earlier state if a change goes wrong. Check whether your build includes it before you rely on it.

Reference:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/privacy-settings-for-recommendations-offers-in-windows-11-807608ee-3de2-4498-8e7c-eb10d655567f

Summary

Managing Start and search tracking helps you control your privacy and keep the Start menu behaving the way you want. You can turn app tracking on or off at any time from the Settings app.

While you are tuning Start, look at the other personalization options. Newer Windows 11 builds add an option to place the taskbar at the bottom, top, left or right, along with extra Start customizations. You find them under Settings › Personalization › Taskbar. Because the rollout is gradual, these options may not be on your PC yet.

These features are meant to make everyday use smoother, so try each setting and see what fits your workflow. Changing it later takes a few seconds if your needs change. Because Start menu search is due to change next year, check back on this setting when the new experience reaches your PC.