Microsoft began testing a less cluttered Windows 11 Search experience on July 13, 2026. The redesigned home panel puts recent searches at the center while removing distractions such as trending searches, quizzes, game recommendations, and Microsoft's image of the day.
The update does not make Windows Search completely ad-free. According to Microsoft's Windows Insider announcement, promotional products will no longer appear ahead of the most relevant web answer. Web and Microsoft Store suggestions, however, can still appear alongside local results.
Microsoft is also testing better typo handling, file retrieval, settings ranking, and reliability. The changes are gradually rolling out to some Windows Insiders running Experimental build 26300.8772.
Search gets less cluttered
The redesigned Search home screen focuses on recent searches instead of recommended content. Microsoft is also removing products and promotions that previously appeared before the most relevant web answer. Web results themselves are not being removed.
Testers can manage web and Microsoft Store suggestions under Settings > Privacy & security > Search. Microsoft's preview includes separate controls for choosing whether those suggestions appear alongside local results.
Search results will also more clearly identify whether they come from an app, setting, file, website, or Microsoft Store suggestion. Additional metadata and file previews should make it easier to check a result before opening it.
Local content will appear above web and Store suggestions when it more closely matches the query. That distinction should help users avoid opening a website when they intended to launch an installed app, change a setting, or find a file stored on their computer.
App and file searches get more forgiving
App searches should better handle dropped letters, extra letters, and partial words. Microsoft says typing "utlook," for example, can still return Outlook.
Local apps, settings, files, and system locations such as This PC and Recycle Bin should also rank ahead of online suggestions when they are a closer match.
File search now supports queries as short as two characters. Microsoft is also improving how Search retrieves cloud and connected files, which could make documents, downloads, and folders easier to find without an exact file name.
Settings results are receiving an initial round of ranking improvements, with additional tuning planned. Microsoft is also working to reduce crashes and loading failures, although it says more reliability work remains.
Who can try the redesigned Search
The updated Search Box is gradually rolling out to Windows Insiders on Experimental build 26300.8772. Because Microsoft is using a staged release system called Controlled Feature Rollout, not every eligible tester will receive it immediately.
Microsoft's official build notes say restarting the computer may surface the feature. Testers can also check the Feature flags page under Settings > Windows Update > Windows Insider Program.
The Experimental channel comes with an important limitation: Microsoft uses it to test concepts that may change, be removed, or never reach a public version of Windows. The company has not announced a general-release date for the redesigned Search experience.
Windows Central reports that Microsoft is expected to bring the changes to more Windows 11 users later in 2026. Microsoft has not confirmed that timeline, so it should not be treated as a guaranteed release window.
Availability and behavior may also vary by region.
The biggest unknown is the rollout
In the current test, Windows Search automatically removes promotional web results and reduces clutter on the home screen. Users are also receiving controls over whether web and Microsoft Store suggestions appear, although Microsoft has not detailed whether every region will receive identical defaults.
Microsoft could revise the interface, controls, or ranking behavior before a broader release. Further improvements to settings results and reliability are also still in development.
For now, the cleaner Search experience remains limited to a subset of Windows Insiders. Microsoft has not confirmed when — or whether — the complete set of changes will reach every Windows 11 user.
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