Can you hear that? It’s the sound of capitalism crumbling. After years of pushback against ads, Microsoft has finally given in and decided to make a cleaner Search experience in Windows 11.
Sarcastic quips aside, Search is genuinely going to improve. Microsoft unveiled a massive upgrade to Search this week that will improve the accuracy of results, shift away from relying on the web, and yes, remove ads and promotional material.
The improved search will prioritize local results over grabbing information from the web. You’ll even be able to customize whether web and Microsoft Store suggestions appear alongside local results at all. Search should also be more forgiving of typos, which should reduce frustration.
The upcoming improvements to Search were the biggest Windows 11 story of the week, but several other topics trended as well.
Biggest News of the Week
Windows 11 now lets you pause updates indefinitely
Microsoft’s July 2026 Patch Tuesday update for Windows 11 introduces Point-in-time Restore, a new tool to pause updates, Widget improvements, and much more.
Windows 11 update addresses 570 vulnerabilities
Windows 11 update KB5101650 fixes 570 vulnerabilities and marks a new era for Patch Tuesday, as AI is now helping Microsoft to accelerate vulnerability discovery.
Windows 11 KB5101650 rollout paused for Dell PCs after unexpected shutdowns
Microsoft has blocked the KB5101650 after Dell informed the company that a recent change is causing some of its PCs to suffer from major instability issues.
Windows 11’s smallest upgrade shows a big commitment from Microsoft
Microsoft is testing a slightly larger search box in Windows 11. While it sounds minor, it signals a massive commitment to fixing the OS’s infamous design inconsistencies.
I’d argue that Windows 11 never should have placed ads within Search in the first place. Certainly, Windows 11 Pro should have been ad-free. I’m glad to see Microsoft listen to feedback and get rid of some ads. I just think it’s wild that the tech giant needs to be pushed in that direction.
I’m happy to see Microsoft did more than remove ads and call it a day. The new Search experience is better across the board. Our Zac Bowden was impressed after going hands-on with the feature.
I’m very impressed with the new experience. Right off the bat, the search pane is no longer a noisy mess of Bing ads and sponsored content. It’s a clean list of recent searches, exactly what you’d expect from a search pane.
Zac Bowden, Senior Editor, Windows Central
As always with updates like this, you can focus on the fact that Microsoft should have launched Windows 11 in this state rather than be strong-armed into making search usable. Alternatively, you can choose to be happy that Windows 11 is finally getting fixed. I choose the latter.
Shopping with Sean
Laptop deals have cooled off a bit, but you can still save hundreds of dollars on the Samsung Galaxy Book6 or the HP OmniBook Ultra 14. Both are excellent laptops with gorgeous displays and snappy performance.
If you’re a gamer, make sure to check out the Xbox Ultimate Game Sale that’s now live. Hundreds of games are discounted in what might be one of Microsoft’s best-ever sale events.
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