How to Disable Web Results in Windows 8 Search

Windows 8.x has Search set to check the internet for results as well as your local computer. This can be annoying if all you want is to search your local computer for files or settings. Here’s how to disable Bing from bringing up web results.

For example, in the image below, when I type word in the search field, a long list of unwanted results appears, from apps in the store, to results on the web. And, let’s be honest, when you want to search the web, you open a browser, or if you want to search for an app, you open the Store.

Of course, in Windows 8.x you can select the dropdown and tell Windows where you want it to search, but it’s not convenient.

Disable Web Results in Windows 8 Search

To turn this behavior off, open the run line and type: gpedit.msc and hit Enter.

Navigate to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Search. Then in the right pane enable these three policies:

• Do not allow web search
• Don’t search the web or display we results in search
• Don’t search the web or display web results in search over metered connections.

To enable them, just double-click each entry, select Enable, then OK at the bottom of the window.

When you’re done the three entries should look like the following screenshot, and you can close out of Group Policy Editor.

Now look at the difference. A nice cleaner list of results, without web results cluttering up the list.

Windows 10 does have the Start menu back, but the search feature is even more jam packed with features and includes the digital assistant Cortana. In it’s current form – build 9926 – I’m not sure how useful that really is, as I just want to use the search to jump to sections of the OS easily, or find a document quickly.

I have poked around and there is currently ways of disabling those extra features, but in the end, your best bet might to just install the free search utility Everything.