After years of forcing Bing into Windows 11, Microsoft is finally backing down

Summary

• Microsoft will add an option to disable Bing in Windows 11 Search, prioritizing local files/apps.
• New option appears in Windows Insider previews; rollout timing and stable release unclear.
• This helps, but Windows 11 still has issues that Microsoft needs to address.

For years, Microsoft has been forcing Bing into Windows 11's local search functionality, making it nearly impossible to search for the apps and files you already have on your PC with trudging through lists of other nonsense. However, new reports suggest the company is actually backing down, and that could make Search on Windows 11 actually usable again.

Less reason to avoid Windows 11 Search

I don't need Bing to get lost in the sauce

I can't remember the last time I actually used Windows 11's built-in search functionality. To be honest, it used to be second nature for me. However, once Microsoft started adding Bing results to the search box, I basically threw it out. I had no desire to dig through lists of random internet search results while just trying to find a spreadsheet that I'd saved for my yearly budget. Bing actively made Windows 11's Search functionality worse. Thankfully, Microsoft's plans to "fix Windows 11" and its myriad of problems seem to have finally made the company notice just how much people hate Bing in Search.

Microsoft first shared plans to remove Bing from Search back in May of this year. However, we're just now starting to actually see reports about it changing and being available within the latest Windows 11 preview updates from the Windows Insider program. First, Microsoft started by making files and apps on the local system more prioritized. However, according to a new Windows Latest report, it is also adding an option to disable Bing searches altogether. The new option appears to be slotted into Windows 11's Privacy & Security settings, underneath a section for customizing search results. The exact wording of the name might change before an official release, but it does look like we'll be able to disable web searches completely, making Windows 11's Search function actually useable again.

This doesn't solve all the other problems with Windows 11

Microsoft has a long way to go to create the best performing OS it can

Of course, this is a nice first step, but Microsoft still has a lot of work to do to make Windows 11 the operating system that users actually want. And even then, there are still plenty of reasons left to ditch Windows for Linux. Plus, we don't even have a timeline on when we'll see this new option to disable Bing in Windows Search. Just because a feature has appeared in preview builds doesn't mean that it is anywhere near ready for prime-time release, and even the reports we've seen so far point to the functionality rolling out to testers within the next several weeks. That said, Microsoft's attempts to get you to swap to Microsoft Edge as your browser of choice are still ongoing, and the company's promises to make Windows 11 perform better are still very much a work-in-progress.

However, seeing that this particular feature is actually real, and getting reports that it has actually been seen in action is exciting and does give me some hope. Now all we have to do is wait and see if this is just one piece of the puzzle, or if Microsoft intends to back down on more of its pushy practices, like injecting advertisements into code requests on Github.