This post shows students and new users steps to turn on or off the desktop search box in Windows 11. In addition, devices enrolled in the Microsoft Insider Preview program may begin to see a search box displayed on their desktop that enables them to search the web.
Microsoft had noted previously that they would begin improving Windows 11 with conceptual features to explore exposing lightweight interactive content on the Windows desktop. In the previous version of Windows, these were called widgets.
As mentioned, this feature is only available on devices enrolled in the Microsoft Insider Preview program. New features are tested with Insider Preview devices before they’re generally available to all.
The desktop search box uses Bing to query the web, documents, and other content directly from your desktop. For example, when you begin typing a search term in the search box, it will query Bing for possible suggestions and display similar to what is shown in Bing and Microsoft Edge’s new tab.
How to enable or disable the desktop search box in Windows 11
As mentioned above, some users enrolled in Microsoft Insider Preview may begin to see a search box displayed on their desktop that enables them to search the web.
Below is how to show or hide it from the desktop.
When enabled, your desktop looks similar to the one below.
To remove this search box, right-click anywhere on the desktop and choose “Show more options.”
Then toggle the “Show search” option.
That should do it!
Conclusion:
- Windows 11’s desktop search box provides convenient access to web and local content.
- Users can enable or disable the search box by right-clicking on the desktop and selecting “Show more options” and then toggling the “Show search” option.
- This feature is currently only available to devices enrolled in the Microsoft Insider Preview program.
- Microsoft continues to enhance Windows 11 with new features and improvements to provide a better user experience.
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