How to Remove Bing Search from the Windows Start Menu

Stop Bing web searches from cluttering your Start Menu results. A simple registry tweak disables web search and keeps your Start Menu local.

Published 2026-02-04 by TechNet New England

If you've ever typed something into the Windows Start Menu and been bombarded with Bing web results instead of finding the app or file you were looking for, you're not alone. By default, Windows 10 and 11 send your Start Menu searches to Bing, which slows things down and clutters your results with web links you didn't ask for.

The good news is that you can disable this behavior with a single registry change. Here's how.

Why Does the Start Menu Search the Web?

Microsoft integrated Bing into Windows Search to surface web results alongside local files and apps. The idea was to make the Start Menu a one-stop search tool. In practice, it means typing "Notepad" might show you a Bing search for "Notepad" before showing you the actual program sitting on your computer.

This also means every search you type in the Start Menu gets sent to Microsoft's servers, which raises privacy concerns for many users.

How to Disable Bing Search in the Start Menu

This method works on Windows 10 and Windows 11. You'll need to make a small change in the Windows Registry.

Method 1: Using the Registry Editor

  1. Press Windows + R to open the Run dialog
  2. Type regedit and press Enter
  3. If prompted by User Account Control, click Yes
  4. Navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer
  5. If the "Explorer" key doesn't exist, right-click on "Windows," select New > Key, and name it Explorer
  6. Right-click in the right pane, select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value
  7. Name the new value DisableSearchBoxSuggestions
  8. Double-click it and set the value data to 1
  9. Click OK and close the Registry Editor
  10. Restart your computer or sign out and back in for the change to take effect

Method 2: Using a Command (Faster)

If you'd rather skip the manual clicking, open Command Prompt as Administrator and run:

reg add "HKCU\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer" /v DisableSearchBoxSuggestions /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f

Then restart your computer.

Legacy Method (Older Windows 10 Builds)

On some older Windows 10 versions, the registry value is different:

  1. Navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Search
  2. Create a new DWORD (32-bit) Value named BingSearchEnabled
  3. Set the value to 0
  4. In the same location, also set CortanaConsent to 0

How to Undo This Change

If you ever want Bing search results back in the Start Menu, simply return to the same registry location and either delete the value you created or change it to 0 (for DisableSearchBoxSuggestions) or 1 (for BingSearchEnabled).

What to Expect After the Change

Once you restart, your Start Menu search will only show local results: apps, settings, files, and folders on your computer. Searches will feel noticeably faster because they no longer wait for a response from Bing's servers.

If these steps don't resolve the issue, or if you'd like professional help, our team is here. Contact TechNet New England for IT support.