Microsoft has finally addressed one of the biggest pain points in using the modern Windows 11 operating system—the Windows Search Box. What used to be a complicated mess filled with content you didn't care about is now becoming a usable interface, with less visual clutter. Starting with new builds being rolled out to Windows Insiders on the Experimental Channel, Windows 11 will now display fewer results when running a Windows Search, meaning that the visual clutter is mostly gone, as you can see in the picture below. Recent searches are very easy to find, and the Search Box actually does what it is supposed to do. It will now display where the search result comes from, whether it is an application, a setting, a file, a web result, or even a Microsoft Store suggestion. The aim is for the Search Box to finally give users more transparency on what their actual search result is.

Perhaps the most important part of the update is the removal of promotional content. Previously, whenever you made a search in the Search Box, Microsoft would push promotions onto the user, showing related products first. This meant your search experience felt more like an advertising marketplace instead of a genuine search. Importantly, local search matches, like those from apps, settings, or files, are shown first before the web results, tailoring your experience towards a more local indexing of results. Additionally, these search results are customizable, as going to Settings > Privacy & Security > Search allows you to turn off web searches and Microsoft Store searches entirely.