How to disable Bing search in the Windows 10 Start menu

How do I limit Start menu searches to only my files?

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Editor’s note on February 5, 2020:Unfortunately, you can no longer disable Bing using the steps below. However, if you are trying to resolve the current issue with Windows task bar search,we put together a separate guide with the fix.

When you search in the Windows 10 Start menu, it’s actually picking up results from both your computer and Bing. While this can be handy, there are several upsides to disabling Bing in Windows 10’s Start menu: you’ll be able to wade through search results much easier (as they are restricted to items on your machine), and will reduce the work-load when you open the Start menu, if your computer is on the slow side. Ready to disable Bing? We’ll help you through the process.

How to disable Bing search in the Windows 10 Start menu

Note:Proceeding through these steps will also disable Cortana, Microsoft’s helpful AI assistant.

If you want to turn Bing searches back on, follow steps 1-4, but click the top switch (beneath “Cortana can give you…") so that it turns on.

Your Start menu

Do you have Bing searches disabled in your Start menu? Why? Why not? Let us know in the comments section below how you have things set up!

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Cale Hunt brings to Windows Central more than eight years of experience writing about laptops, PCs, accessories, games, and beyond. If it runs Windows or in some way complements the hardware, there’s a good chance he knows about it, has written about it, or is already busy testing it.

How to disable Bing search in the Windows 10 Start menu#