You type “calculator” into the Windows search bar. Instead of opening the calculator app instantly, you get web results from Bing, AI chatbot suggestions, and trending topics you never asked for. Your search bar has stopped searching your computer and started searching the internet.
If this drives you crazy, you’re not alone. Here’s how to completely remove Bing AI from Windows Search and get back to finding your actual files.
What You’re Actually Fighting
Microsoft has layered three different Bing features into Windows Search. First, web results that appear when you search for local files. Second, the AI chatbot button that keeps showing up in your search box. Third, search highlights showing trending topics and random content.
Each one needs a different fix because Microsoft scattered these controls across Settings, Registry Editor, and Group Policy. Nothing is simple when it comes to removing features Microsoft wants you to use.
The core problem is this: Microsoft treats your local search as a portal to Bing. Type anything in that taskbar search box, and Windows assumes you want internet results first, your own files second.
Quick Fix Through Settings (Takes 2 Minutes)
This won’t remove everything, but it handles the most annoying parts without touching advanced system settings.
Open Settings by pressing Win + I. Go to Privacy & security, then find Search permissions. Scroll down to Cloud content search and turn off both options: “Microsoft account” and “Work or School account.”
While you’re there, scroll to the bottom and find “Show search highlights.” Turn that off too.
What changes? The AI chatbot button disappears from your search box. Search highlights vanish. Personalized web results stop showing up. You might still see some generic Bing results in certain situations, but it’s much cleaner.
The Registry Fix (Removes Web Search Completely)
This method fully disconnects Bing from Windows Search. No more web results contaminating your local file searches. This change sticks until you manually reverse it.
Fair warning: editing the Registry can mess up Windows if you make a mistake. Back up first. Open Registry Editor, click File, then Export. Save a complete backup before making any changes.
Press Win + R, type regedit, and hit Enter. Navigate to this location:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Search
Right-click in the empty space on the right side. Choose New, then DWORD (32-bit) Value. Name it exactly BingSearchEnabled. Double-click it and set the value to 0.
Create another DWORD the same way. Name this one CortanaConsent and also set it to 0. This prevents old Cortana web search features from interfering.
Close Registry Editor completely. Restart your computer.
Test it after reboot. Open the search bar and type anything. You should only see apps, files, and settings from your computer. Zero web results.
Faster method for command line users: Open Command Prompt as administrator and run these two commands:
REG ADD HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Search /v BingSearchEnabled /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f
REG ADD HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Search /v CortanaConsent /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f
Then restart. Same result, fewer steps.
Group Policy Method (Windows Pro Users Only)
If you have Windows Pro, Enterprise, or Education, Group Policy offers a cleaner approach. Home edition doesn’t include this tool, so stick with the Registry method if that’s what you’re running.
Press Win + R, type gpedit.msc, and press Enter. Navigate to Computer Configuration, then Administrative Templates, then Windows Components, then Search.
Find the policy called “Don’t search the web or display web results in Search.” Double-click it, select Enabled, click Apply, then OK.
Want to also clean up File Explorer search? Go to User Configuration, then Administrative Templates, then Windows Components, then File Explorer. Find “Turn off display of recent search entries in the File Explorer search box” and enable that too.
Close Group Policy Editor. Changes apply immediately, though restarting ensures everything takes effect properly.
Getting Bing Out of Edge Browser
Even with Windows Search fixed, Microsoft Edge still pushes Bing through its sidebar. Here’s how to remove that.
Open Edge and click the three dots menu. Go to Settings, then Sidebar. Toggle off “Always show sidebar” to hide it completely.
If you want more control, scroll down to Customize sidebar and disable specific items like “Bing Search” and “Chat” individually.
Nuclear option for advanced users: Open Command Prompt as administrator and run this Registry command:
reg add “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge” /v HubsSidebarEnabled /t REG_DWORD /d 00000000 /f
This creates a policy that permanently disables the Edge sidebar, including all Bing AI integration.
When Windows Updates Undo Everything
Microsoft occasionally resets these settings during major Windows updates. Feature updates especially have been known to flip BingSearchEnabled back on and restore search highlights.
After any big Windows update, verify your settings. Check Privacy & security in Settings. Check your Registry values are still set to 0. Confirm Group Policy settings remain enabled.
If Bing returns, just reapply whichever method you used originally. The settings don’t break anything. Microsoft simply resets them to defaults during updates.
Fixing Your Browser’s Default Search
Removing Bing from Windows Search doesn’t change what search engine your browser uses. If Chrome or Edge still defaults to Bing when you type in the address bar, fix that separately.
Chrome: Go to Settings, then Search engine, then Manage search engines. Set Google or your preferred option as default. Delete Bing from the list completely.
Edge: Go to Settings, then Privacy, search, and services, then Address bar and search. Change the search engine to Google or DuckDuckGo. Edge will occasionally nag you to try Bing again. Ignore it.
Firefox: Go to Settings, then Search. Pick your default search engine. Firefox actually respects your choice without constant prompting.
Does This Speed Things Up?
Removing Bing integration makes search respond slightly faster. Without querying Microsoft’s servers for web results, local searches complete roughly 200 to 400 milliseconds quicker on typical hardware.
On older computers with traditional hard drives, the improvement is more noticeable, around 600 to 800 milliseconds faster. Not life-changing, but if you search frequently throughout the day, you’ll notice the snappier response.
The Privacy Angle
Every search that goes through Bing sends your query to Microsoft’s servers, even when you’re just looking for a file on your own computer. Disabling web search stops this entirely for Windows Search.
Microsoft’s privacy policy states they log search queries for service improvement and advertising purposes. Remove Bing, and those queries stay on your machine where they belong.
Bottom Line
You can’t completely uninstall Bing from Windows because Microsoft built it into the operating system. But these methods effectively remove it from your daily experience.
The Registry method works best for most people. Group Policy is cleaner if you have Windows Pro. Either way, expect to reapply these changes after major Windows updates.
Save this guide or bookmark these steps. The fight against unwanted features never really ends with Windows, but at least your search bar can go back to actually searching your computer instead of the internet.
