How to Disable the Windows 10 ‘Search Online and Include Web Results’ in Start Menu

The Cluttered Start Menu

In modern versions of Windows 10, the Start Menu search bar functions as a universal search engine. When you hit the Windows key and type the name of a local application you want to launch (like “Calculator”), Windows doesn’t just search your hard drive; it also pings Microsoft’s Bing search engine and attempts to return web results and news articles alongside your local files.

For many users, this is a terrible experience. It slows down the local search process, clutters the UI with irrelevant web links, and sends everything you type directly to Microsoft’s servers. If you want your Start Menu search to strictly find files and applications located on your actual computer, you must disable the online search integration.

How to Disable Web Results in Search

Since Microsoft removed the easy toggle switch for this feature in recent updates, you must use the Registry Editor to turn it off.

1. Click the Start button, type regedit, and press Enter to open the Registry Editor. (Click “Yes” on the User Account Control prompt).
2. In the left-hand sidebar, navigate to the following path:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer

3. Note: If the “Explorer” key does not exist under “Windows”, right-click on the “Windows” folder, select New > Key, and name it Explorer.
4. Click on the Explorer folder so it is highlighted.
5. Right-click in the empty space in the right-hand pane, select New, and click DWORD (32-bit) Value.
6. Name this new value exactly: DisableSearchBoxSuggestions
7. Double-click on DisableSearchBoxSuggestions and change its “Value data” from 0 to 1.
8. Click OK and close the Registry Editor.
9. Restart your computer (or restart the Windows Explorer process via Task Manager) for the changes to take effect.

Your Start Menu search will now instantly return local apps and files without ever polling Bing for web results.