Microsoft tests Windows Search without all the ads and fluff
The decluttered search menu gets rid of those distracting tiles with game recommendations and the ‘image of the day.’
by Emma Roth Jul 13, 2026, 5:53 PM EDT
Image: Microsoft
Emma Roth is a news writer who covers the streaming wars, consumer tech, crypto, social media, and much more. Previously, she was a writer and editor at MUO.
Microsoft is testing a cleaner version of the Windows 11 search menu that strips it of recommended content and ads. In a blog post on Monday, Microsoft announced that it’s rolling out the decluttered Search Box to Windows Insiders in the Experimental channel as the company looks to regain trust with users and fix Windows.
One of the biggest changes is a revamped search homescreen that displays only your recent searches. Currently, when you open the search menu, it shows your recent searches alongside several distracting tiles on the right pane, containing things like the image of the day, daily quizzes, trending searches, and game recommendations.
Image: Microsoft
Microsoft is cleaning up web results, too, as the search menu will surface the “most relevant answer” first, rather than showing “related products and promotions.”
Aside from doing some decluttering, Microsoft is testing other notable improvements to its search menu. It will more clearly show metadata, along with a preview of the file in the pane on the right side of the search menu, making it easier to figure out where the result came from. The Windows 11 search system will also prioritize results from your local files, apps, and settings, which will “more reliably appear” ahead of web and Microsoft Store recommendations. Testers can now turn off web and Store recommendations entirely from the Settings menu.
Image: Microsoft
There are a few quality-of-life updates, too, as Microsoft says the search system it’s piloting can better handle typos, extra letters, and partial words, while offering some performance improvements.
