How to Turn Bing Web Suggested Search Results on or off in Windows 11

Option 1Using Settings

Bing Web Suggested Search Results provide search suggestions from the web inside Windows 11 search. You control them from the Settings app. Leave the feature on if you want web results mixed in with local results. Turn it off for a more private search that stays on your PC.

No restart is needed for this method. To reverse the change, repeat the steps and set the switch back.

1. Open Settings by pressing Win+I. The Settings⚙️ window opens with a list of categories on the left.
2. Click Privacy & security on the left. The privacy options appear on the right.
3. Click Search on the right. On some builds this page has a slightly different label, such as Search permissions. It is still the page for search settings.
4. Find the section called Show suggested search results🔍.
5. Find the Web Searches option. Set the switch to On to get web suggestions, or to Off to stop them. It is On by default. The switch moves right away, and there is no Save button.
6. Close the Settings⚙️ window. Open the taskbar🖥️ search box🔍 and type a few letters to check the result. With the switch Off, you should see only items from your own PC.

That’s it. Web suggestions in Windows 11 search are now on or off, depending on where you left the switch, and you can change it again at any time.

One more thing you may notice when you test: Microsoft has changed how search results are laid out. In its post “From searching to doing: Building a faster, more streamlined Windows Search” (October 7, 2026), Microsoft describes a single-list layout. Results now appear in one list, instead of a results list on the left with a large preview pane on the right. Microsoft says this reduces visual clutter.

Microsoft is rolling this layout out gradually, so some PCs will get it later than others. If your search still shows the preview pane, your PC has not received the change yet. The Web Searches switch works the same either way.

Option 2Using Command Prompt (Advanced)

This method uses Command Prompt to change a setting in the registry, the database where Windows stores its settings. Administrator rights are not required, because the command only changes the current user’s HKCU hive. A standard Command Prompt is enough.

The command writes to the current user’s registry hive (HKCU). That means it changes the setting for the account you are signed in with. If you open the prompt with a different administrator account, you change that account’s setting instead.

Be aware that on newer Windows 11 builds, the BingSearchEnabled value may not be honored on its own. Search can also need a sign-out, or a restart of Windows Explorer, before the change applies. If nothing changes after the command, use the Settings method above or follow the restart advice in the last step.

Create a restore point before you run the command: search for “Create a restore point” in the Start menu and click Create on the System Protection tab. Alternatively, open Registry Editor, right-click the Search key under the path used in the commands below, and choose Export to save a copy.

1. Search for ‘cmd’ in the Start menu⊞, right-click Command Prompt, and select Run as administrator. Opening it normally also works, as noted above.
2. Click Yes if User Account Control asks for permission. A Command Prompt window opens with a blinking cursor.
3. To add Bing Web Suggested Search Results🔍 (the default setting), type the following command and press Enter.

   REG ADD “🗝️HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Searchcopy” /V BingSearchEnabled /T REG_DWORD /D 1 /F

   The prompt should reply with “The operation completed successfully.”
4. To remove Bing Web Suggested Search Results🔍, type the following command instead and press Enter.

   REG ADD “🗝️HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Searchcopy” /V BingSearchEnabled /T REG_DWORD /D 0 /F

   Again, look for the “The operation completed successfully.” message.
5. Close the Command Prompt window. If the change does not show up in search straight away, sign out and back in, or restart your🔄 PC.
6. If you would rather not sign out, press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to open Task Manager📊, select Windows Explorer📁 on the Processes tab, and click Restart. The taskbar🖥️ disappears for a moment and then returns.
7. Open the taskbar🖥️ search box🔍 and type a few letters. With the value set to 0, you should see results from your own PC only.

That’s it. The BingSearchEnabled value is now set to 1 or 0 for your account, which turns web suggestions on or off in search.

To undo either change, run the other command. The first sets the value to 1 (on) and the second sets it to 0 (off). If something else went wrong, double-click the exported .reg file or use your restore point to go back.

Reference:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-US/Office/foundations-experiences/find-what-you-need-with-microsoft-search

Summary

You can turn Windows 11 search suggestions on or off in the Settings app to control whether web results appear when you search. If the Settings option is missing on your build, the registry command offers a second route, though it may need a sign-out or an Explorer restart to take effect.

Your results may also appear in the newer single-list layout, depending on whether Microsoft’s gradual rollout has reached your PC. The on/off choice for web suggestions stays the same in both layouts.