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Disable Web Results in Windows 11 Search (Bing) Using GPO, Registry, or Intune

ByTechieGeek

Disable Web Results in Windows 11 Search (Bing)

A complete step-by-step guide for home users, admins, and Intune-managed organizations

Windows 11 Search is designed to be a single search box for everything: apps, settings, documents, and the web. By default, typing in the Start menu or taskbar search can trigger Bing web results, “suggestions,” and online content. In many environments, that is not desirable.

Common reasons to disable web results include:

  • Privacy and data minimization: prevent search terms from being sent to Microsoft services.
  • User experience: keep Search focused on local results (apps, settings, files).
  • Performance and noise reduction: reduce irrelevant results and distractions.
  • Enterprise policy alignment: enforce consistent behavior across devices.
  • Shared device scenarios: kiosks, labs, call centers, classrooms, and frontline PCs.

This post gives you multiple supported approaches, from Group Policy to registry and Intune, plus verification and rollback steps.

What “Web Results” Means in Windows 11 Search

When web results are enabled, Windows Search can:

  • Show Bing web results and “Search the web for …”
  • Surface online suggestions (depending on configuration)
  • In some cases open results in Edge by default

When web results are disabled, Start menu and taskbar search focus on:

  • Installed apps and app actions
  • Settings pages
  • Local files and recent items (subject to indexing settings)
  • Organizational content in some enterprise configurations (depending on Microsoft 365 settings and policies)

Before You Start (Important Notes)

  • Best practice for organizations: use Group Policy (domain or local) or Intune policy.
  • Windows 11 Home: does not include Local Group Policy Editor by default, so registry-based methods are most common.
  • Policy precedence:
    • Device policy (Computer Configuration / HKLM) typically overrides user settings (HKCU).
  • Change impact: Most changes require a reboot or restarting Search/Explorer.

Method 1: Disable Web Results Using Group Policy (Recommended)

This is the cleanest and most supportable method for Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, and Education, especially in business environments.

Step-by-step (Local Group Policy)

  1. Press Win + R
  2. Type:
    gpedit.msc
    and press Enter
  3. Go to:
    Computer Configuration
    → Administrative Templates
    → Windows Components
    → Search
  4. Enable these policies (names vary slightly by build, but you will typically see one or more of the following):

Policies to enable

  • Do not allow web search → Enabled
  • Don’t search the web or display web results in Search → Enabled
  1. Close the editor.

Apply the policy immediately

Open an elevated Command Prompt and run:

gpupdate /force

Then either reboot or restart Explorer/Search (more on that below).

Image placeholder (blog)

Image 1: Group Policy path to Search settings
Alt text: “Local Group Policy Editor showing Windows Components > Search policies in Windows 11.”

Domain GPO (Active Directory)

In an AD environment:

  1. Open Group Policy Management Console (GPMC)
  2. Edit an existing GPO or create a new one (example: WIN11 - Disable Web Search)
  3. Set the same policy settings under:
    Computer Configuration → Administrative Templates → Windows Components → Search
  4. Link the GPO to the appropriate OU

Enterprise tip

If you manage multiple device groups (kiosk vs standard users), use separate OUs or filtering to apply different Search behavior per device category.

Method 2: Disable Web Results Using Registry (Works on Windows 11 Home)

If you cannot use Group Policy (for example on Windows 11 Home), the most direct approach is to set the equivalent policy keys in the registry.

Recommended device-wide registry path (HKLM)

Path:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Windows Search

Values to create or set

Value nameTypeRecommended value
DisableWebSearchDWORD (32-bit)1
ConnectedSearchUseWebDWORD (32-bit)0
ConnectedSearchUseWebOverMeteredConnectionsDWORD (32-bit)0

PowerShell (Run as Administrator)

# Create the policy key if it doesn't exist
New-Item -Path "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Windows Search" -Force | Out-Null

# Disable web search integration
New-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Windows Search" `
  -Name "DisableWebSearch" -Value 1 -PropertyType DWORD -Force | Out-Null

New-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Windows Search" `
  -Name "ConnectedSearchUseWeb" -Value 0 -PropertyType DWORD -Force | Out-Null

New-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Windows Search" `
  -Name "ConnectedSearchUseWebOverMeteredConnections" -Value 0 -PropertyType DWORD -Force | Out-Null

Why HKLM is preferred

  • Applies to all users on the device
  • More consistent for shared PCs
  • Aligns with policy-based management

Method 3: Per-user Registry Setting (Less Strict)

This is a lighter-weight method and can be useful for personal devices. It is not as reliable for enforcing policy in enterprise or shared-device scenarios.

Path:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Search

Value:

  • BingSearchEnabled (DWORD) = 0

PowerShell (current user)

New-ItemProperty -Path "HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Search" `
  -Name "BingSearchEnabled" -Value 0 -PropertyType DWORD -Force | Out-Null

Limitations

  • User-scoped only
  • Can be overridden by device policy
  • Not ideal for compliance-driven environments

Method 4: Intune Deployment (Enterprise-Grade)

For Intune-managed Windows 11 devices, you generally want policy-driven enforcement.

Option A: Settings Catalog (Preferred)

  1. Intune admin center → Devices → Windows
  2. Configuration profiles → Create profile
  3. Platform: Windows 10 and later
  4. Profile type: Settings catalog
  5. Search for settings related to:
    • Windows Search
    • Web search
    • Bing results

Then assign to the right device group.

Why Settings Catalog

  • Visible in reporting
  • Easier lifecycle management than custom scripts
  • Cleaner rollback via policy change

Option B: PowerShell Script via Intune (Direct and practical)

If you want full control, deploy the HKLM registry approach using an Intune PowerShell script.

Script example (device scope)

Use the same HKLM PowerShell block from Method 2.

Intune path:
Devices → Windows → Scripts → Add → PowerShell script

Key settings to consider

  • Run this script using the logged-on credentials: No
  • Run script in 64-bit PowerShell: Yes

Verification at scale

Combine with proactive remediations (Intune Suite) to:

  • Detect missing registry keys
  • Remediate automatically

Apply Changes Without Reboot (Optional)

Often the simplest path is rebooting. If you need to avoid that, try:

Restart Explorer (quick)

  1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc (Task Manager)
  2. Find Windows Explorer
  3. Right-click → Restart

Restart Windows Search service (may not always be available on all editions)

From elevated PowerShell:

Restart-Service WSearch -Force

If the service restart fails, reboot is the most reliable.

How to Verify Web Results Are Disabled

Quick functional test

  1. Press Start
  2. Type a common query (example: weather today)
  3. Confirm you do not see:
    • “Search the web for…”
    • Web results blocks
    • Bing references

Registry verification (device policy)

Get-ItemProperty "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Windows Search" |
Select-Object DisableWebSearch, ConnectedSearchUseWeb, ConnectedSearchUseWebOverMeteredConnections

Expected output:

  • DisableWebSearch = 1
  • ConnectedSearchUseWeb = 0
  • ConnectedSearchUseWebOverMeteredConnections = 0

Rollback (Undo) Instructions

If you need to restore web results:

Group Policy rollback

  • Set the Search policies back to Not Configured
  • Run:gpupdate /force
  • Reboot (recommended)

Registry rollback (HKLM)

Run as Administrator:

Remove-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Windows Search" `
  -Name "DisableWebSearch" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

Remove-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Windows Search" `
  -Name "ConnectedSearchUseWeb" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

Remove-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Windows Search" `
  -Name "ConnectedSearchUseWebOverMeteredConnections" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

Reboot afterward for the cleanest return to default behavior.

Troubleshooting

“I disabled it, but web results still show”

Work through these in order:

  1. Confirm device policy is applied
    • If using GPO, run gpresult /r (or RSOP).
  2. Check both HKLM and HKCU
    • HKLM policy should win, but verify your values.
  3. Restart Explorer
    • Sometimes Search UI caches behavior.
  4. Reboot
    • Most reliable for confirming changes.
  5. Intune timing
    • If deployed via Intune, confirm the script ran successfully and device checked in.

“Search feels worse after disabling web results”

That usually points to indexing, not web search:

  • Check Settings → Privacy & security → Searching Windows
  • Validate the indexing scope and exclusions

FAQ

Will this disable Microsoft Search in the organization?

Not necessarily. It mainly targets web/Bing results in the Windows search UI. Organizational search behavior can also be influenced by Microsoft 365 settings, Search policies, and Entra ID configuration.

Is this safe for shared devices?

Yes. In fact, shared devices benefit the most because you get consistent, local-only results and fewer privacy concerns.

What is the best method for enterprise?

  • GPO if domain-joined/hybrid
  • Intune Settings Catalog for cloud-managed
  • Proactive Remediation if you need enforcement and auto-repair

Conclusion

If your goal is consistent, local-first Windows Search behavior, disable web results using:

  • Group Policy for supported editions and enterprise control
  • HKLM registry policy keys for Windows 11 Home or scripted deployment
  • Intune for scale, reporting, and compliance enforcement
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