Microsoft turns Windows 11 Search into an AI tool that can actually do things for you

• Windows Search can now perform actions such as switching to Dark mode, enabling Bluetooth, turning on Night light, muting the PC, and arranging windows.
• Microsoft is rebuilding Search with WinUI 3, promising better performance, lower memory usage, improved typo and synonym matching, and a simpler results interface.
• Richer results are coming later this year, including inline file previews, more file details, web answers, and category filters.
• The new Search is rolling out to Windows Insiders, with plans to bring the experience to the Start menu next year.

Microsoft is turning Windows Search into more than a way to find apps, files, and settings. The company is testing a new experience for Windows 11 that can understand what you want to do and perform the action directly from the Taskbar Search box.

Instead of searching for a setting, opening the Settings app, and then changing it yourself, you can now ask Search to do it for you. For example, you can type “switch to dark mode,” “turn on Bluetooth,” or “turn on night light,” and Windows Search can provide an inline action to complete the task without taking you to another screen.

You can also use Search to adjust the volume, mute the computer, minimize your windows, or arrange windows on the screen.

Microsoft announced the new experience on October 7 and is beginning to roll it out to Windows Insiders in the Experimental channel.

Windows Search is becoming a command center

The biggest change isn’t that Windows Search is getting AI. It’s that Microsoft is changing what Search can actually do.

For years, Search has primarily been a way to find something. You search for an application, file, setting, or web result and then open it to continue what you were trying to accomplish.

Microsoft is now making that process shorter. The new experience introduces inline actions that let you complete common tasks directly from the Search interface. The company says it’s starting with actions people use most often and will expand the range of things Search can do over time.

This means the Search box on the Taskbar is becoming more like a command interface for Windows. For example, if you want to enable dark mode, you don’t necessarily need to remember where the setting lives. You can simply tell Search what you want to do.

Microsoft demonstrated the same approach for arranging windows, including snapping apps side by side.

You can control more than Windows settings

The actions aren’t limited to settings. The software giant is also working on actions that can help manage your workspace. You can ask Search to minimize all your windows or arrange them on the screen.

Microsoft also demonstrated inline volume control, letting you adjust the volume without leaving Search. 

Phone actions are coming as well. If you have a phone connected through Phone Link, the company says Search will eventually let you perform quick tasks from the Search box, including sending a text message.

This is where the new experience starts to feel different from traditional Windows Search. The goal isn’t simply to find the right application anymore. Microsoft wants Search to understand the task and help you finish it.

Microsoft is also rebuilding Search from the ground up

The new capabilities aren’t the only change. Microsoft says the new Windows Search experience is built on WinUI 3, which is part of the company’s broader effort to modernize core Windows 11 experiences.

The company says early testing shows substantial improvements in performance and memory usage.

The interface has also been simplified. The current Search experience can display results alongside a large preview pane. Microsoft says data shows that nearly all clicks happen in the results list rather than the large preview area.

The new design therefore puts results into a single list that should be easier to scan.

Microsoft is also improving how Search understands queries, including better matching for typos and synonyms.

Search is getting richer results as well

Microsoft isn’t abandoning traditional search in favor of actions. The company is also improving the way Search presents information.

Later this year, the company plans to add inline previews and richer file details. This will make it easier to distinguish between similar documents, presentations, and photos before opening them.

Search will also get richer inline web previews. Microsoft showed examples such as searching for “weather in San Diego” or “How tall is the Eiffel Tower?” and receiving useful information directly in Search.

Users will also be able to filter results when searching categories such as files. These changes build on Microsoft’s earlier effort to make Search less cluttered. The company recently introduced a calmer Search home screen, removed promotional content from web results, and gave users more control over web and Microsoft Store suggestions.

Copilot is still part of the plan

Microsoft isn’t completely separating Windows Search from Copilot. The company also showed how users can ask Copilot questions directly from Search, with the answer appearing inline. Selecting the response can then take you into the Copilot app.

Microsoft says it’s working toward more thoughtful integrations with experiences such as Copilot as the new Search experience evolves.

The new Windows Search is rolling out now

Microsoft is beginning to roll out the new Windows Search experience to Insiders on October 7, 2026, in the Experimental channel.

The initial preview supports English and is available on Windows 11 build 26340.9616 in the Experimental channel for version 26H2 and on build 28120.3181 in the Experimental channel for version 26H1.

The company says Insiders can also enable the feature through Settings > Windows Update > Windows Insider Program > Feature flags.

Search is coming to Start next year

Microsoft is already working on the next stage. The company says it plans to bring the new Search experience to the Start menu next year. It’s also working on making the interface adapt to different Taskbar positions and configurations.

For now, searching from Start will continue to use the existing Search experience while Microsoft gathers feedback on the new version.

The bigger change is already clear, though. Microsoft is no longer treating Windows Search as simply a way to find something on your computer. It wants Search to become the place where you tell the operating system what you want to accomplish.

If the new experience delivers on Microsoft’s promise of faster performance while reliably completing those requests, the Taskbar Search box could become one of the quickest ways to control Windows 11 without opening another app.