How To Disable Bing Search in Windows So You Can Search the Start Menu Again

The worst part about Windows is its disgusting “Bing” / “Cortana” integration in the Start menu, meaning instead of searching your own PC you end up searching the web. Here’s the verified fix.

Image credit: Alex Shuper for Unsplash+ (Unsplash+ license, used with permission. 3D render, not AI-generated.)

I know many (most?) SWEs use some flavor of *nix, especially Mac, for their development computers, but I’m a gamer myself.

At least until the rumored Steam OS becomes a viable option, I’m still on Windows as my daily driver for both gaming and development.

And one of the all-time worst parts about Microsoft has been them forcing bloatware crap down our throats because of their monopoly power.

I genuinely believe the world would be a better place if Microsoft were forced by the International Court in the Hague to dissolve, but 😂🥲.

Until then, here’s a simple terminal command to excise Bing (“Cortana”) from Windows 10 and 11:

REG ADD HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Search /v BingSearchEnabled /t REG_DWORD /d 0
REG ADD HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Search /v CortanaConsent /t REG_DWORD /d 0
tskill searchui