Windows 11 & 10: Search highlights are coming – this is how you get rid of them

The Microsoft search engine Bing has existed as a competitor for Google since 2009. Although Bing is in second place worldwide behind Google, the gap is huge. With a market share of over 80 percent, Internet users searched Google and only 10.3 percent via Bing. After all, Amazon Alexa searches via Microsoft Bing by default when you ask an Echo speaker a question. Microsoft is planning to advertise the search engine more prominently Introducing search highlights in Windows 11 and Windows 10. With the patch KB5011543, Windows Insiders are already delighted with the new function in the Release Preview Channel. When calling up the internal Windows search in the taskbar, an image appears and possibly other topics that are currently frequently searched for on Bing or that could be of interest.

Turn off search highlights again

According to Microsoft, this can include the word of the day, frequent search queries or the latest news from MSN. Microsoft automatically activates the search highlights when installing the patch. However, there is also the option of permanently switching off these search highlights. How to get rid of the search highlights:

• In the settings app you have to go to the privacy and security section.
• In this menu you select the search permissions. If you want, you can also specify here whether the Windows search can also be used to search for cloud content, for example from the cloud storage OneDrive or not. The search history can also be viewed and deleted.
• Under “Additional settings” you can “Show search highlights”. If you set the slider to Off, there are no longer any search highlights.
• Alternatively, a click on the “three dots” in the search window of Windows 11 is sufficient to get to the search settings or a click with the right mouse button on the search magnifying glass in Windows 10. The search highlights can be switched off in the “Search” item in the context menu, by no longer showing a tick.

In addition to the search highlights, patch KB5011543 also includes a number of bug fixes. For example, users who have connected their PC to an Android smartphone should have no problems logging in to Microsoft applications such as Outlook or Teams. If users do not report any serious bugs after installation, the patch will roll out to all PCs running Windows 11 and Windows 10 on the July patch day.

Also worth reading: Insider Previews of Windows 11: Tabs are coming to File Explorer

Windows 11 search highlights collection & Windows 10:

• In order to promote Microsoft Bing’s own search engine more prominently, search highlights or search highlights are being used in Windows 11 and Windows 10.
• With patch KB5011543, Windows Insiders in the Release Preview Channel also get the new search in addition to bug fixes. Here, an image as well as frequent search queries or current news from MSN are displayed directly in the Windows search.
• If you want, you can also permanently deactivate the search highlights. To do this, you have to select the category data protection and security in the Windows settings. Now you can turn off the search highlights in the area called Search Permissions. In this menu you can also specify whether, for example, the Windows search can also be used to search for cloud content, for example from the Onedrive cloud storage.
• Alternatively, a click with the right mouse button is sufficient to call up the context menu. Here you click on “Search” and then deactivate the “Search Highlights”.

Sources: Microsoft, extra