While the Start menu has received a major overhaul in Windows 11, the search functionality remains the same. You can press the Windows key, search for files, folders, and even browse web results. The problem is that Microsoft powers the Bing search results and there is no way to change the search provider to Google. You have the option to completely disable web search results from the Start menu. Here’s how.
There are two ways to disable web search results in the Start menu in Windows. Lets start.
Use Registry Editor
Using the Registry Editor in Windows 11, you can create a new registry that disables the web search functionality in the Start menu. Here’s what you need to do.
Stage 1: Press the Windows key and search for Registry Editor.
Step 2: Press enter and open the application.
Stage 3: Copy and paste the following path to quickly open the Windows menu.
Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows
Step 4: From the left sidebar, right-click Windows and select New.
Step 5: Click the key, name it Travelerand press Enter.
Step 6: Right click on Explorer, select New and select ‘DWORD (32-bit) Value’.
Step 7: Rename the new registry key to: Disable Search BoxSuggestions and press Enter.
Double click on the created registry and type one In the Value data box. Hit OK and Windows will disable web search from the Start menu.
Close the application, click the Windows key and select the Power button to restart the computer.
Use Group Policy Editor
You can disable Web search results from the Start menu using the Group Policy Editor. This solution will not work for Windows 11 Home edition users. Follow the steps below.
Stage 1: Right-click the Windows button and select Run. You can also use Windows + R keys to access it.
Step 2: Medicine gpedit.msc and hit OK at the bottom.
Stage 3: The system will open the Local Group Policy Editor applet.
In the application, navigate to – User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > File Explorer.
You need to double click on Windows Components from the left sidebar to expand the menu.
Step 4: Once in the File Explorer menu, find ‘Turn off display of recent search entries in File Explorer’..’
Step 5: Double click on it. This will open the drop down menu to make changes.
Step 6: Click on Enabled and hit the Apply button in the lower right corner of the window.
Restart your computer and try using the search from the Start menu. You won’t see irrelevant web searches.
Enable SafeSearch in Start Menu
When you disable web search in the Windows 11 Start menu, you will also lose features such as translating words and converting currency.
Many disable web search in the Start menu to prevent their children from being accidentally exposed to adult search results on the web. Windows provides an option to enable a filter that removes adult results. Here’s how.
Stage 1: Open the Windows Settings app (Windows + I keys).
Step 2: Go to the privacy and security menu.
Stage 3: Select Search permissions.
Step 4: From the SafeSearch menu, click Strict.
After enabling this option, Windows will not automatically load web results if they contain adult content. This is the best of both worlds. You can continue to benefit from Bing Translate, currency converter, etc, and don’t worry about adult content appearing in search results.
Delete Start Menu Search History
To improve your search suggestions, Windows Search stores your search history locally on the computer. You can clear this search history from computer easily. Here’s how.
Stage 1: Launch Windows Settings and go to Privacy and security.
Step 2: Select the search permissions and click the ‘Clear device search history’ button.
Main Search in Start Menu
General web search results in the start menu applet could be better. While Microsoft has significantly improved Bing in the US, it’s not the same experience in other regions. Also, these web suggestions in the Start menu tend to clutter the search experience with offline files and folders in the results. Web results make it harder for users to find what they’re looking for rather than helping them.
Disabling web search results from the Windows 11 Start menu also speeds up the search process on your computer. The Start menu no longer needs to filter through the web to present results.
