How to disable web search results on Windows 11

• To disable web search on Windows 11 from the Start menu and Windows Search, open Group Policy (gpedit.msc) > User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > File Explorer, open and enable the “Turn off display of recent search entries in the File Explorer search box” policy.
• Alternatively, open the “HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer” path in the Registry, create the “DisableSearchBoxSuggestions” key, and set it to “1.”
• This process removes the Copilot button from the Start menu and Windows Search interfaces.

On Windows 11, you can disable web results when searching in the Start menu or the Search box on the Taskbar. You can also remove the Copilot button from the Windows Search home interface. In this guide, I will outline the steps to complete this process.

Whenever you search for anything in the Windows Search box or Start menu, if the system can’t find a match for a document, picture, video, setting, or app, you will see a list of Bing web results suggestions. If you click a link, the page will open in Microsoft Edge. Also, if you click the Copilot button, the query will open in the browser with Copilot.

Although this may be a helpful feature, it’s not for everyone, and the problem is that the system doesn’t provide an option to disable web results or the Copilot button in the interface. However, you can turn off these web suggestions, search highlights, and remove the Copilot button using the Group Policy Editor or Registry.

If the device is running Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, or Education, the easiest way to turn off search suggestions is to use the Group Policy Editor to enable the policy that disables the feature. Otherwise, if you use Windows 11 Home, the Group Policy Editor won’t be available. You can still use the Registry Editor.

In this guide, I will show you how to disable web results in the Search box and the Start menu on Windows 11.

• Disable web search results on Windows 11 from Registry
• Disable web search results on Windows 11 from Group Policy

Disable web search results on Windows 11 from Registry

To disable web search results (and remove the Copilot button) in the Windows Search home from the Registry on Windows 11 (Home or Pro), follow these steps:

1. Open Start on Windows 11.

2. Search for regedit and click the top result to open the Registry Editor.

3. Browse to the following path:

   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows

4. Right-click the Windows key, select the New menu, and choose the Key option.

   

5. Name the key Explorer and press Enter (if applicable).

6. Right-click the newly created key, select the New menu, and choose the “DWORD (32-bit) Value” option.

   

7. Name the DWORD DisableSearchBoxSuggestions and press Enter.

8. Double-click the newly created key and change its value from 0 to 1.

   

9. Click the OK button.

10. Restart the computer.

After you complete the steps, Windows Search will no longer offer web results, and the Copilot button will be removed from the interface. However, the search experience will continue to offer results for files, apps, and settings.

If you want to revert the changes, open the Registry, and in the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer path, right-click the “DisableSearchBoxSuggestions” DWORD, and select the “Delete” option.

It’s important to note that you can also disable search highlights in the Windows Search home interface in the Settings app. However, this option doesn’t disable web results in the operating system, and for that reason, I’m now including it as an option.

Disable web search results on Windows 11 from Group Policy 

To disable web search results (and the Copilot button) on Windows 11 (Pro) from Group Policy, use these steps:

1. Open Start.

2. Search for gpedit and click the top result to open the Group Policy Editor.

3. Browse to the following path:

   User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > File Explorer

4. Double-click the “Turn off display of recent search entries in the File Explorer search box” policy.

   

5. Select the Enabled option.

   

6. Click the Apply button.

7. Click the OK button.

8. Restart the computer.

Once you complete the steps, you will no longer see web results in Windows Search on the Taskbar or Start menu. In addition, this method will also remove the Copilot button from the interface.

If you want to revert the changes, you can use the same instructions outlined above, but in step 5, select the “Not Configured” option.

FAQs about disabling web results on Windows 11

Here’s a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) and answers about turning off web results on Windows 11.

Can I disable Bing web results in Windows 11 Search?

Yes. You can disable Bing web results in the Windows 11 Search box or Start menu using the Registry Editor or Group Policy Editor. Once disabled, Search will only show local results for apps, files, and settings.

How do I remove the Copilot button from Windows Search?

To remove the Copilot button, you can modify the Registry by creating a DisableSearchBoxSuggestions DWORD under HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer and setting its value to 1. This also disables Bing web suggestions.

Can I disable web results on Windows 11 Home edition?

Yes. Even though Windows 11 Home doesn’t include the Group Policy Editor, you can still disable web results through the Registry Editor method.

What happens after disabling web results on Windows 11?

After disabling web results, the Search box and Start menu will no longer show suggestions from the web or the Copilot button. You’ll only see results for local apps, files, and settings on your device.

Can I disable search highlights without turning off web results?

Yes. You can disable search highlights from Settings > Privacy & security > Search permissions, but this only hides trending content. It doesn’t disable web or Bing search integration.